The basics
NPI Type 1 vs Type 2: Individual and Organization NPIs
By the NPI Portal editorial team Reviewed & updated Jul 10, 2026
Every NPI is one of two types. A Type 1 NPI belongs to an individual person; a Type 2 NPI belongs to an organization. The distinction explains why a single practice can be linked to several numbers, and why the same clinician’s NPI follows them from job to job.
Type 1: individual practitioners
A Type 1 NPI identifies a single human being who provides healthcare, such as a physician, nurse practitioner, dentist, therapist, pharmacist, and so on. Key points:
- A person has one Type 1 NPI for their entire career.
- It stays with the individual across employers, specialties, and states. Changing jobs never means a new NPI.
- It represents the person, not any business they work for or own.
If you look up an individual clinician with the NPI lookup by name, the record you see is their Type 1 NPI. For the underlying definition and format, see what an NPI number is.
Type 2: organizations
A Type 2 NPI identifies a business entity, such as a group practice, hospital, clinic, laboratory, pharmacy, or corporation. Key points:
- It represents the entity, not a person.
- An organization can hold more than one Type 2 NPI, enumerating subparts such as distinct locations, departments, or lines of business.
- It is typically the number a practice uses as the billing entity on claims.
When you browse a group practice or facility, you are looking at a Type 2 record. Organizations turn up throughout the state directory of clinics and hospitals.
Sole proprietors and incorporated solo practices
A sole proprietor (an individual running an unincorporated practice) is legally the same as the individual, so they use their Type 1 NPI. A sole proprietorship cannot get a Type 2 NPI, even if it has employees or an EIN.
Incorporation changes that. Once the practice becomes a legal entity, including as a single-member LLC or professional corporation, the entity gets its own Type 2 NPI, and the individual keeps their Type 1. The person and the company are now two different things, each with its own number. This is the most common way one clinician ends up associated with two NPIs.
How both types appear on claims
A typical claim carries both:
- The rendering provider (the person who delivered the care) is identified by a Type 1 NPI.
- The billing provider (the practice or facility submitting the claim and receiving payment) is often a Type 2 NPI.
A solo unincorporated practitioner may use their Type 1 in both slots. The rendering-vs-billing pairing is covered in more depth in group NPI vs individual NPI and how medical billers use the NPI registry.
How to tell which type an NPI is
You cannot tell from the number itself. Both types are 10 digits, both pass the same check-digit test, and no digit encodes the type. The only way to know is to look the number up: search it with the NPI lookup and the record shows the entity type; Type 1 records carry an individual’s name, Type 2 records carry an organization name.
The NPI validator confirms a number is well-formed regardless of type. When it comes time to obtain a number, the application differs slightly between individuals and organizations; see how to apply for an NPI. Whatever the type, the record lives in the official NPPES registry, and NPI Portal is an independent tool that makes that public data searchable.