---
title: "How Much Does a Liver Function Test (LFT) Cost? Hepatic Panel Prices by Setting, With and Without Insurance"
type: guide
url: "https://www.test-well.com/guides/liver-function-test-cost"
date_published: 2026-10-05
reviewed_at: 2026-10-05
---

# How Much Does a Liver Function Test (LFT) Cost? Hepatic Panel Prices by Setting, With and Without Insurance

*A liver function test is a seven-marker blood panel that costs $19.99 at a lab and $100–$300 on a hospital bill. Here is what it costs by setting, why a CMP often does the same job for $3 more, what insurance covers, and the follow-up tests an abnormal result adds.*

> Without insurance, a liver function test — the hepatic function panel: ALT, AST, alkaline phosphatase, total and direct bilirubin, albumin and total protein — costs $19.99 ordered online through TestWell, plus one $6 fee for the order, drawn at any Quest or Labcorp with results in 1–3 business days and no fasting. The labs' own consumer sites charge $79 (Labcorp OnDemand) and $119 (Quest Health); a doctor's office or urgent care adds a $100–$250 visit to a lab bill of $30–$100; and the same panel on a hospital outpatient bill commonly lists at $100–$300. A comprehensive metabolic panel ($22.99) includes the liver enzymes, bilirubin, albumin and protein plus kidney function and glucose, and is the better order for a general check. With insurance, liver tests are covered when a clinician orders them for a reason — medication monitoring, symptoms, an abnormal prior result — against your copay or deductible; they are not a free preventive service, although hepatitis C screening is.

## Recommended tests

| Recommended | Type | Price | Why |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| [Liver Function Panel](https://www.test-well.com/tests/hepatic-function-panel) | Test | $19.99 | The seven-marker liver panel — $19.99 vs $79–$119 lab-direct; no fasting |
| [Comprehensive Metabolic Panel](https://www.test-well.com/tests/comprehensive-metabolic-panel) | Test | $22.99 | Liver markers plus kidneys, glucose and electrolytes — $22.99; the better general check |
| [Hepatitis C Test with Confirmation](https://www.test-well.com/tests/hepatitis-c-test) | Test | $30.99 | The one liver test that is a no-cost preventive screen with insurance — $30.99 cash with confirmation |

All prices are cash-pay plus one $6 lab processing fee per order; physician authorization is included.

## The One-Paragraph Answer

'Liver function test' usually means the hepatic function panel — seven automated chemistry markers that cost a laboratory very little to run, which is why the price depends almost entirely on who bills it. A **hospital outpatient lab** lists the panel at $100–$300 and discounts for self-pay on request. A **doctor's office or urgent care** adds a visit fee ($100–$250 without insurance) to the lab's bill. **Mail-in liver kits** run about $90–$130 for a finger-prick version. The **labs' own storefronts** sell it for $79 (Labcorp OnDemand) to $119 (Quest Health), physician order included. **Ordered online through TestWell** the same panel at the same labs is $19.99 plus one $6 fee — and for $3 more the **comprehensive metabolic panel** covers the liver markers plus kidney function, glucose and electrolytes, which is what most people checking 'how is my liver' actually want. **Insurance** covers liver tests ordered for a reason, usually against your deductible; the exception is hepatitis C screening, a no-cost preventive service for adults 18–79 that a liver panel does not include.

## Liver Function Test Cost by Setting

Self-pay prices. Where a route requires a visit, the visit is included because you cannot get the test without it.

| Where | What you get | Visits | Typical self-pay cost | Notes |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Hospital outpatient lab | Hepatic function panel | 1 (plus the ordering visit) | $100–$300 list; $50–$150 after a self-pay discount | Facility fee and venipuncture billed separately; ask for the self-pay rate before the draw |
| Doctor's office / urgent care | Hepatic panel or CMP | 1–2 | $100–$250 visit + $30–$100 lab bill | Lab bill arrives separately; insurance usually accepted |
| Community health center (FQHC) | Hepatic panel or CMP | 1–2 | Sliding scale | findahealthcenter.hrsa.gov; labs often bundled into the visit fee by income |
| Mail-in liver kits | Finger-prick ALT, AST, ALP, GGT, bilirubin (varies) | 0 | About $90–$130 | Convenient; a different collection method, and a rejected sample means a second kit |
| Quest Health / Labcorp OnDemand (the labs' own sites) | Liver panel | 1 | $119 / $79 | Physician order included; list prices checked monthly on our price index |
| TestWell (drawn at Quest, Labcorp or BioReference) | Hepatic function panel · or CMP | 1 | $19.99 · $22.99, + one $6 fee | Physician order included; results 1–3 business days; no fasting for the hepatic panel |

The question to ask before paying anything is which panel you need. A hepatic function panel and a CMP overlap on six markers; the CMP adds kidney function, glucose, electrolytes and calcium and drops direct bilirubin. If the reason is a general check, medication monitoring or an abnormal result on an earlier CMP, the CMP is usually the more useful order for $3 more. If a clinician asked specifically for a liver panel — for bilirubin fractionation, or to follow a known liver condition — order the hepatic panel.

## What a Liver Function Test Includes

The hepatic function panel reports seven values. **ALT** is the most liver-specific enzyme; it leaks from liver cells when they are injured by fat, alcohol, viruses, medications or autoimmune disease, and mild elevations are most often fatty liver. **AST** is also released by injured liver cells but is found in muscle and heart too, so hard exercise raises it; the AST:ALT ratio carries information about the cause. **Alkaline phosphatase** comes from the bile ducts and from bone. **Total and direct bilirubin** track how the liver handles the pigment from recycled red cells; mostly indirect bilirubin with normal enzymes is usually the harmless inherited Gilbert's syndrome. **Albumin and total protein** reflect the liver's production capacity over weeks. How clinicians read the pattern — rather than any single number — is in [Liver function tests explained](https://www.test-well.com/guides/liver-function-tests); what each marker means when high or low is on the [ALT](https://www.test-well.com/biomarkers/alt), [AST](https://www.test-well.com/biomarkers/ast), [alkaline phosphatase](https://www.test-well.com/biomarkers/alkaline-phosphatase) and [bilirubin](https://www.test-well.com/biomarkers/bilirubin) pages.

What it does not include: **GGT** (useful for sorting out a high alkaline phosphatase, $19.99 separately), **hepatitis B and C** testing, iron studies, and any imaging. None of those belong in a first liver check unless there is a reason; all of them are common follow-ups to an abnormal one.

## Does Insurance Cover a Liver Function Test?

Yes when there is a reason on the order — monitoring a medication that can affect the liver (statins, some antifungals, methotrexate, isotretinoin and many others), investigating symptoms, following a known condition, or repeating an abnormal result — billed as diagnostic lab work against your copay or deductible. A liver panel is **not** on the Affordable Care Act's list of no-cost preventive services, so a 'just checking' panel at a physical is usually applied to the deductible even when the visit itself is free. One liver-related test *is* free under the preventive rules: **hepatitis C screening** for every adult 18–79 (USPSTF Grade B), plus hepatitis B screening for people at increased risk. A liver panel does not test for either virus, so if you have never been screened for hepatitis C, ask for that test by name — it costs you nothing with insurance and $30.99 for cash.

Once a charge is on your deductible, the setting decides what you pay: a plan's negotiated rate for a hepatic panel at a hospital lab can be $50–$150; at an independent lab often $10–$30; the cash price online is $19.99. Ask to be sent to Quest or Labcorp rather than the hospital lab, or order it yourself and bring the result. HSA and FSA funds pay in any setting.

## The Hidden Costs: What an Abnormal Result Adds

Most mildly abnormal liver results are repeated rather than acted on. A single ALT or AST under two to three times the upper limit, in someone without symptoms, is typically **repeated after a few weeks** — off alcohol, after a pause in hard exercise, and with a review of medications and supplements — and often normalizes. Through a clinic that is a second visit and a second bill; through a lab order it is another $19.99 (or $22.99 for the CMP).

A persistent elevation adds a defined set of follow-ups rather than open-ended testing: **hepatitis B and C serologies** ($59.99 and $30.99), **ferritin and iron studies** for iron overload ($24.99 and $25.99), **GGT** when alkaline phosphatase is the high value, and a **fibrosis estimate** — the FIB-4 score needs only your age, AST, ALT and platelet count, so a CMP plus a CBC gives everything the [FIB-4 calculator](https://www.test-well.com/tools/fib-4-calculator) needs. Imaging (ultrasound or elastography) and specialist referral happen at a clinic, and that is where a lab result should go once it is clearly abnormal. Alarm features — jaundice, dark urine, abdominal swelling, confusion, or bilirubin well above normal — are a reason to be seen promptly, not to order another panel.

## How to Pay the Least for a Liver Function Test

- **General check, no clinician involved yet:** the CMP ($28.99 all-in through TestWell) — liver markers plus kidneys and glucose, fast 8–12 hours, results in 1–3 business days.
- **A clinician asked for a liver panel specifically:** the hepatic function panel ($25.99 all-in), no fasting needed.
- **Repeating a mildly high enzyme:** wait the few weeks you were told to, then order the single panel again rather than a visit; bring both results to the follow-up.
- **Insured with a met deductible, seeing a doctor anyway:** have the office order it and send you to an independent lab; your copay may be the cheapest route.
- **Never screened for hepatitis C:** with insurance ask for the free screening test; without it, $30.99 with confirmation.
- **Fatty liver or metabolic concern:** pair the CMP with a lipid panel and A1c in one draw — the General Wellness or Essential Health panels bundle these for less than ordering separately.

## What a Liver Function Test Costs Through TestWell

Every test is drawn at Quest, Labcorp or BioReference and carries one $6 lab processing fee per order, charged once however many tests you add. [Hepatic Function Panel](https://www.test-well.com/tests/hepatic-function-panel) $19.99 — Quest test code 90842 (Hepatic Function Panel, Plasma), Labcorp 322755 (Hepatic Function Panel (7)), BioReference 3422-3; CPT 80076 — vs $119 at Quest Health and $79 at Labcorp OnDemand. [Comprehensive Metabolic Panel](https://www.test-well.com/tests/comprehensive-metabolic-panel) $22.99. Follow-ups: [GGT](https://www.test-well.com/tests/ggt) $19.99, [Hepatitis C with confirmation](https://www.test-well.com/tests/hepatitis-c-test) $30.99, [Hepatitis B](https://www.test-well.com/tests/hepatitis-b-test) $59.99, [Ferritin](https://www.test-well.com/tests/ferritin) $24.99, [Iron & TIBC](https://www.test-well.com/tests/iron-and-tibc) $25.99. A licensed physician authorizes the order, the requisition is emailed, most locations take walk-ins, and results post to your account in 1–3 business days with reference ranges and a plain-language summary. Verified competitor list prices are on the [liver panel cost page](https://www.test-well.com/tests/hepatic-function-panel/cost).

## Frequently asked questions

### How much does a liver function test cost without insurance?

$19.99 for the hepatic function panel ordered online through TestWell, plus one $6 fee per order, drawn at any Quest or Labcorp; $79 at Labcorp OnDemand and $119 at Quest Health; $30–$100 plus a $100–$250 visit at a doctor's office or urgent care; and $100–$300 at list price on a hospital outpatient bill. A CMP, which includes the liver markers, is $22.99.

### What is the Labcorp test code for a liver function test?

Labcorp 322755, Hepatic Function Panel (7). The Quest equivalent is 90842, Hepatic Function Panel, Plasma; BioReference 3422-3. The CPT code is 80076. The requisition TestWell emails you carries the code for the lab you chose.

### Do I need to fast for a liver function test?

No fasting is needed for the hepatic function panel. If you order a comprehensive metabolic panel instead — which includes the liver markers plus glucose — fast 8–12 hours with water allowed so the glucose reads as a fasting value.

### Is there a home liver function test?

Mail-in finger-prick liver kits exist for about $90–$130 and are reasonably reliable when enough blood is collected. The standard is a venous draw at a lab, which is what clinicians order and compare against; through TestWell that is $19.99 for the liver panel or $22.99 for a CMP, at any Quest or Labcorp, with no doctor's visit.

### Does insurance cover a liver function test?

When a clinician orders it for a reason — medication monitoring, symptoms, an abnormal prior result — it is covered as diagnostic lab work against your copay or deductible. It is not a free preventive service, unlike hepatitis C screening, which every adult 18–79 can get at no cost under the ACA rules.

### My liver enzymes came back slightly high. What does that cost next?

Usually a repeat panel after a few weeks ($19.99–$22.99 through TestWell) once alcohol, hard exercise and medications have been reviewed. If the elevation persists, the standard follow-ups are hepatitis B and C tests, ferritin and iron studies, GGT if alkaline phosphatase is high, and a FIB-4 fibrosis estimate from a CMP plus CBC — then a clinician visit for imaging if needed.

## Sources

- [MedlinePlus (NIH) — Liver Function Tests](https://medlineplus.gov/lab-tests/liver-function-tests/)
- [ACG Clinical Guideline — Evaluation of Abnormal Liver Chemistries (2017)](https://journals.lww.com/ajg/fulltext/2017/01000/acg_clinical_guideline__evaluation_of_abnormal.13.aspx)
- [USPSTF — Hepatitis C Virus Infection in Adolescents and Adults: Screening (Grade B)](https://www.uspreventiveservicestaskforce.org/uspstf/recommendation/hepatitis-c-screening)
- [Quest Health — Liver Function Test Panel (consumer list price)](https://www.questhealth.com/product/liver-function-test-panel/16725M.html)
- [Labcorp OnDemand — Liver Health Test](https://www.ondemand.labcorp.com/lab-tests/liver-health-test)
- [Lab Test Insight — DTC lab test price index, Aug 2026](https://labtestinsight.com/price-index/)
- [CostHelper Health — Cost of a blood test (clinic and hospital self-pay ranges)](https://health.costhelper.com/blood-test.html)

---

Medically reviewed by Youmna DiStefano, MD (Medical Reviewer, TestWell); last reviewed 2026-10-05. Review policy: https://www.test-well.com/reviewers/youmna-distefano-md

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Prices are cash-pay, in USD, and include physician authorization; every order adds one flat $6 lab processing fee. Educational content is not a diagnosis — discuss results with a clinician.