Q.850 Cause Codes

Complete ITU-T Q.850 reference for ISDN, PRI, VoIP, and SIP disconnect reason codes with SIP mapping and troubleshooting

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Cause Codes
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Categories
ITU-T
Standard
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Q.850 to SIP Response Code Mapping (RFC 3398)

Q.850 CauseDescriptionSIP CodeSIP Description
1Unallocated number404Not Found
2No route to network404Not Found
3No route to destination404Not Found
16Normal call clearingBYENormal hangup
17User busy486Busy Here
18No user responding408Request Timeout
19No answer from user480Temporarily Unavailable
20Subscriber absent480Temporarily Unavailable
21Call rejected403Forbidden
22Number changed410Gone
27Destination out of order502Bad Gateway
28Invalid number format484Address Incomplete
29Facility rejected501Not Implemented
31Normal, unspecified480Temporarily Unavailable
34No circuit/channel available503Service Unavailable
38Network out of order503Service Unavailable
41Temporary failure503Service Unavailable
42Switching equipment congestion503Service Unavailable
47Resource unavailable503Service Unavailable
55Incoming calls barred403Forbidden
57Bearer capability not authorized403Forbidden
58Bearer capability not available503Service Unavailable
63Service/option not available503Service Unavailable
65Bearer capability not implemented488Not Acceptable Here
79Service not implemented501Not Implemented
88Incompatible destination488Not Acceptable Here
102Recovery on timer expiry504Server Timeout
111Protocol error500Server Internal Error
127Interworking, unspecified500Server Internal Error

What are Q.850 Cause Codes?

ITU-T Recommendation Q.850 defines cause codes used in ISDN, PRI (T1/E1), and VoIP networks to indicate why a call was disconnected or failed. These codes are carried in the ISDN DISCONNECT, RELEASE, and RELEASE COMPLETE messages, and in SIP via the Reason header (e.g., Reason: Q.850;cause=16). They are essential for troubleshooting call failures in telecom networks.

Where Q.850 Codes Appear

  • ISDN/PRI: In Q.931 DISCONNECT, RELEASE messages
  • SIP: In the Reason header of BYE/CANCEL
  • CDR Records: As disconnect cause in billing systems
  • VoIP Gateways: Cisco, Audiocodes, Ribbon, etc.
  • Softswitch Logs: FreeSWITCH, Asterisk, Oraclecom

Troubleshooting Tips

  • Cause 1-3: Check number format, routing tables, and number porting
  • Cause 16: Normal - both parties hung up properly
  • Cause 17-21: User-side issues - busy, no answer, call rejected
  • Cause 34, 38, 41-42: Network capacity issues - check trunk utilization
  • Cause 127: Catch-all - check gateway logs for real cause

Related Resources

SIP Response Codes - Complete SIP status code reference
SIP Call Flow - Visual SIP message diagrams
Telecom Abbreviations - ISDN, PRI, Q.931, and more