PBJ Error -3679: A Number Outside the Allowed Range
Published October 5, 2026
Error -3679 means a number in your file is outside what the CMS data specifications allow. It is a format error: the value itself is wrong, not how it relates to other records.
What the error says
Values of Numeric Items: Only the values listed in the "Item Values" table of the Detailed Data Specifications Report may be submitted for this item. The submitted value must be greater than or equal to the minimum value listed in the table and less than or equal to the maximum value listed in the table, or it must match one of the remaining special values (if any) that are listed in the table.
- Severity: Fatal. The record is rejected and has to be fixed and sent again.
- In the iQIES error list since: October 1, 2015.
What triggers it
The iQIES error list names these items to review: the federal fiscal year, hours worked for a job title on a date, and the monthly resident counts (Medicaid, Medicare and other, on the last day of the month). In the staffing file, the usual causes are:
- An hours value below 0 or above 22.5.
- An hours value with more than two decimal places, such as 7.333.
- A federal fiscal year earlier than 2016.
How to fix it
- Find the item named in the Final Validation Report.
- For hours, round to two decimals and split anything over 22.5 at the source. PBJ wants hours, not minutes: 7 hours 33 minutes is 7.55.
- For the fiscal year, remember PBJ uses the federal fiscal year: October to December belongs to the next year's first quarter.
- Export again and resubmit.
Check the whole file before the November 14 quarterly deadline. The PBJ Staffing Data Pre-Submission QA checks your XML against the CMS v4.10.0 specifications and the staffing patterns CMS has named as audit or rating risks, before you upload to iQIES. $25.00 per report, with a free test on the page. Check a PBJ file
The QA checks every hours value (0 to 22.5, two decimals) and the fiscal year in your file, with the exact location of each problem. A PASS is not CMS acceptance: iQIES runs its own checks and has the final word.
More PBJ help
- Free PBJ pre-flight checks: zero-RN days and meal break deductions
- PBJ Error -1025: The 22.5-Hour Limit Across Linked Employee IDs
- PBJ Error -4025: More Than 22.5 Hours for One Employee on One Date
- PBJ Error -3676: A Code That Is Not on the CMS List
- PBJ Error -4016: Employee ID Not Found in the PBJ System
Sources: the iQIES PBJ Error Messages list (CMS, July 2026), the CMS PBJ data specifications v4.10.0 and Policy Manual, and the QTSO notice that PBJ is live in iQIES. SpreadRun is not affiliated with or endorsed by CMS. This is general information, not legal or compliance advice.