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ICD-10-CM 2027 diagnosis code

G44.20Tension-type headache, unspecified

Not billable — use a more specific code

G44.20 is a header code, so it can't be reported by itself. Choose one of the 2 more specific codes beneath it.

Code unchanged since ICD-10-CM took effect on October 1, 2015. Source: official FY2027 ICD-10-CM release from CDC/NCHS and CMS. Page updated September 29, 2026. About our data

About G44.20

G44.20 is the ICD-10-CM diagnosis code for tension-type headache, unspecified. It belongs to category G44 (other headache syndromes), block G40-G47 (episodic and paroxysmal disorders) and chapter 6 (diseases of the nervous system). It is a header code, so it can't be reported by itself; one of its 2 subcodes must be used instead.

Within G44.2, choose G44.20 (unspecified) only when documentation doesn't support a more specific option: episodic tension-type headache (G44.21) and chronic tension-type headache (G44.22).

To report this condition, pick the subcode that matches the documentation: G44.201 (intractable) and G44.209 (not intractable).

It has been part of ICD-10-CM since the code set took effect on October 1, 2015 and hasn't changed since.

Specific codes under G44.20

Notes that apply from higher levels

Instructions written at a parent level also apply to G44.20.

› From G44 Other headache syndromes
Excludes1
Excludes2
  • atypical facial pain (G50.1)
  • headache due to lumbar puncture (G97.1)
  • migraines (G43.-)
  • trigeminal neuralgia (G50.0)

Broader instructions also apply from Chapter 6: Diseases of the nervous system.

Code history

  1. 2016
  2. 2017
  3. 2018
  4. 2019
  5. 2020
  6. 2021
  7. 2022
  8. 2023
  9. 2024
  10. 2025
  11. 2026
  12. 2027
  • FY2016 (effective 10/1/2015): Added (first year of ICD-10-CM)
  • No changes since FY2016.

Common questions about G44.20

Is G44.20 billable?

No. G44.20 is a header code. Report one of its more specific subcodes instead.