J03 ICD-10-CA category: Acute tonsillitis
J03 isn’t a code on its own. Choose one of the 3 codes beneath it, the one the documentation supports.
Official description
J03Acute tonsillitis
ICD-10-CA · Canada
Codes in J03
J03 isn’t a code on its own. Open the code that matches what the note documents.
Notes for J03
As CIHI prints them, with any note J03 takes from the headings above it.
Excludes
Conditions classified elsewhere.
- Peritonsillar abscess (J36)sore throat:• NOS (J02.9)• acute (J02.-)• streptococcal (J02.0)
- Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease with acute exacerbation NOS (J44.1)From J00-J06 Acute upper respiratory infections
- Certain:• conditions originating in the perinatal period (P00-P96)• infectious and parasitic diseases (A00-B99)complications of pregnancy, childbirth and the puerperium (O00-O99)congenital malformations, deformations and chromosomal abnormalities (Q00-Q99)endocrine, nutritional and metabolic diseases (E00-E90)injury, poisoning and certain other consequences of external causes (S00-T98)neoplasms (C00-D48)symptoms, signs and abnormal clinical and laboratory findings, not elsewhere classified (R00-R99)From Chapter 10: Diseases of the respiratory system (J00-J99)
Note
- When a respiratory condition is described as occurring in more than one site and is not specifically indexed, it should be classified to the lower anatomic site (e.g., tracheobronchitis to bronchitis in J40).From Chapter 10: Diseases of the respiratory system (J00-J99)
Where J03 sits
- 1ChapterChapter 10: Diseases of the respiratory system (J00-J99)
- 2Block J00-J06Acute upper respiratory infections
- 3Category J03Acute tonsillitis
Source and release
- Data release
- ICD-10-CA · FY 2026–2027
- Effective date
- Apr 1, 2026
- Publisher
- CIHI
This page is built from the ICD-10-CA catalog that Vero Codes reads when it suggests codes: Canadian Institute for Health Information’s FY 2026–2027 release, imported from the publisher’s file and checked against it. The description, notes and structured data come from the same record.
Frequently asked questions
Is J03 a valid ICD-10-CA code?
No. J03 (Acute tonsillitis) is a category heading in CIHI’s ICD-10-CA FY 2026–2027 release. It holds 3 codes; record the one the documentation supports.
Where is J03 in ICD-10-CA?
J03 sits under J00-J06 Acute upper respiratory infections, within Chapter 10: Diseases of the respiratory system (J00-J99).
What coding notes apply to J03?
ICD-10-CA lists Excludes, Note notes for J03, including those from the headings it sits under. They are listed on this page with where each one comes from.
Which ICD-10-CA release does this page use?
It uses CIHI’s FY 2026–2027 release, in effect from Apr 1, 2026 to Mar 31, 2027. It is a reference: confirm the code against the current list and the payer’s rules before you submit it.