SUMMARYIn this paper, we present an accurate behavioral model for simulating single‐photon avalanche diodes (SPADs). The device operation is described using the Verilog‐A description language, which is an analog extension of the common digital hardware description language. The derived model is able to emulate the static, the dynamic behavior and the main statistical effects of an SPAD, such as the turn‐off probability, the dark‐count and the after‐pulsing phenomena. Spectre simulations reveal the validity of the approach showing a good matching between the behavior of the proposed model and experimental results reported in the literature. Copyright © 2011 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.