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Chargeback Time Limits: Filing and Response Deadlines by Network
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En resumen:
- Cardholders usually have 120 days to file a chargeback on Visa, Mastercard, Amex and Discover.
- Visa and Mastercard stretch filing to 540 days only for specific cases, such as goods never delivered.
- Merchant windows are far shorter: Adyen lists 9 to 18 days for Visa, 40 for Mastercard, 14 for Amex and 25 for Discover.
- Stripe and Shopify Payments usually allow 7 to 21 days, and PayPal asks sellers to respond within 10 days.
- Issuers usually decide 60 to 75 days after you submit, so a full case runs 2 to 3 months.
A chargeback time limit applies to one stage of a dispute. First identify your task: filing a claim, responding as a merchant, or waiting for a decision. Your processor’s case notice sets the merchant response deadline. A filing window does not replace it.
Separate the Three Dispute Clocks
Scroll to compare all columns. Use the arrow keys when the table is focused.
| Clock | What It Controls | What to Record |
|---|---|---|
| Cardholder or issuer filing period | When a dispute may be initiated | Applicable reason, start event, filing date, and any exception. |
| Plazo de respuesta del comerciante | When your evidence must reach the processor | Exact due date, time zone, owner, and submission status. |
| Resolution (review) period | How long the issuer takes to decide after your response | Case status, permitted action, new deadline, and potential fees. |
Never swap your processor's deadline for a longer network maximum. An expected decision date is also no reason to delay a requested document. Keep those dates in separate fields in your case tracker.
An old purchase can become a new dispute. Check the current case notice before setting your response date. For the wider process, see what a chargeback is and the relevant chargeback rules.
If your team mixes up the case terms themselves, the chargeback vs dispute vs refund vs representment glossary defines each one. For a step-by-step view of chargeback evidence generation ahead of those deadlines, see the linked guide.
Chargeback Time Limits by Card Network
Each card network sets its own chargeback window for the cardholder and its own response window for the merchant side. The table shows the network filing limit next to one acquirer's published merchant response windows, so you can see how much shorter the working deadline is.
Scroll to compare all columns. Use the arrow keys when the table is focused.
| Red | Plazo de presentación para los titulares de tarjetas | Extended limit | Merchant response window (Adyen example) | Pre-arbitration response (Adyen example) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Visado | 120 days from the processing date or the expected delivery or service date | Up to 540 days from processing for specific conditions, such as goods or services not received | 9 days for US and Canada domestic disputes since July 21, 2025; 18 days elsewhere | 28 days (collaboration flow); see the pre-arbitration chargeback guide |
| Mastercard | 120 days from the central processing date or the expected delivery date | Up to 540 days for certain non-receipt and interrupted-service cases | 40 days | 8 to 28 days, by reason code |
| American Express | 120 days in most cases | Set by the dispute reason | 14 days (Amex guidance cites a 20-day response period) | No aplicable |
| Descubre | 120 days in most cases | Set by the dispute reason | 25 days for chargebacks; 18 days for inquiries | No aplicable |
| PIN debit (Accel, STAR, NYCE, PULSE) | 75, 90 or 120 days, by network and reason code | None listed | 30 días | 30 days (Accel and STAR) |
Response windows above come from Adyen's dispute timeframes documentation and run in calendar days from the notice. At network level, Visa gives the acquirer 30 days to respond to a dispute and Mastercard allows 45 days for a second presentment. Processors keep part of that window for their own review, which is why your deadline is shorter.
Visa Chargeback Time Limit
The Visa chargeback time limit is 120 days for most dispute conditions. For goods or services not received, the clock starts on the expected delivery date, capped at 540 days from processing. The Visa dispute time frame for merchants is much shorter, as the table shows. See Visa dispute rules, fees and time limits for condition-level detail.
Mastercard Chargeback Time Limit
The Mastercard chargeback time limit is also 120 days from the central processing date for most reason codes. Non-receipt and interrupted-service cases can run from a later date, up to 540 days. Our guide to Mastercard chargeback rules and stages covers the full cycle.
American Express Chargeback Time Limit
The American Express chargeback time limit for card members is usually 120 days, so the Amex chargeback time limit matches Visa and Mastercard in most cases. Amex often sends an inquiry first, and an unanswered inquiry can turn into a chargeback you cannot contest. Read more on Amex chargebacks.
Discover Chargeback Time Limit
The Discover chargeback time limit is 120 days in most cases. Like Amex, Discover uses inquiries, and Stripe notes that Discover inquiries without evidence can become disputes you cannot challenge. See Discover chargebacks.
Primary sources are the Visa dispute rules, Mastercard Chargeback Guide, and American Express merchant response guidance. For a live case, the date on your case notice wins.
A single “30/45/20 days per phase” rule is still not a reliable merchant timetable, because your processor sets the date you work to. Your payment service provider is the practical contact for confirming how and when it needs the response.
How Long Do You Have to Dispute a Credit Card Charge?
The credit card dispute time limit depends on which clock you mean. For a billing error on a credit card, the CFPB says to send a written billing error notice within 60 calendar days after the statement with the charge was sent.
Card network chargebacks run on a separate clock: the credit card chargeback time limit is usually 120 days. The debit card chargeback time limit is set by the network, from 75 to 120 days on PIN networks.
Debit card holders also have 60 days from the statement to report an unauthorized transfer under Regulation E and keep their loss limits. App-based debit cards follow the same rule; see Chime dispute timelines for one example.
| Card or account | Legal notice window | Network chargeback window | Where to learn more |
|---|---|---|---|
| Tarjeta de crédito | 60 days after the statement (Regulation Z, Fair Credit Billing Act) | Usually 120 days, up to 540 days in specific cases | Credit card chargebacks |
| Debit card | 60 days after the statement for unauthorized transfers (Regulation E) | Usually 120 days for signature debit; 75 to 120 days on PIN networks | debit card chargebacks |
| PayPal account | Not set by card law | 180 days from payment for item-not-received claims | PayPal section below |
Issuer practice varies, as shown in the Chase chargeback guide and the Bank of America chargeback guide. For merchants, the takeaway is simple: a dispute can still reach you through the network after the legal notice window has passed.
If a customer is choosing between asking for a refund and filing a dispute, chargebacks vs refunds explains both routes from the cardholder side, and chargeback vs refund covers the merchant decision.
Processor Deadlines: Stripe, PayPal and Shopify Payments
The deadline you actually work to is set by your processor. These are the published windows for three common platforms.
Open a section to compare the details.
Stripe
- Customer filing window
- Card network window, usually 120 days
- Your response window
- Usually 7 to 21 days, by network
- Decision time
- Usually 60 to 75 days after you submit; 2 to 3 months end to end
PayPal account disputes
- Customer filing window
- 180 days from payment for item-not-received claims
- Your response window
- Respond within 10 days of the dispute; 20 days to resolve before it can escalate to a claim
- Decision time
- PayPal decides the claim
Shopify Pagos
- Customer filing window
- Card network window, usually 120 days
- Your response window
- Usually 7 to 21 days; the due date shows in your Shopify admin
- Decision time
- Hasta 75 días después de que lo envíes
Sources: Stripe: how disputes work, PayPal: responding to disputes and Shopify Help Center: responding to chargebacks. On Shopify, stores in a network dispute resolution program may see some disputes close automatically, with no evidence window.
How Long Do Merchants Have to Respond?
Your merchant response deadline comes from the case notice, not the purchase date. Prevention starts before a case opens; review ways to prevent friendly fraud.
Record Your Actual Case Deadline
Copy these fields into your case tracker. Use the notice or portal as the source; this worksheet does not calculate a filing or response window.
- Case and payment: Processor, dispute ID and original transaction ID.
- Required action: Case stage, reason and requested evidence.
- Deadline: Exact date, time and time zone shown on the notice.
- Source: Notice date and the portal page or saved notice.
- Owner and status: Person submitting, internal review cutoff and submission confirmation.
How long does a merchant have to respond to a dispute? Usually 7 to 21 days, depending on the network, per Stripe’s response documentation. Stripe tells merchants to respond before the case deadline. For your Stripe workflow, check the dispute details rather than calculating a new deadline from the purchase date.
The network exchange period, the case notice, and any shorter deadline set by your acquirer are different things. When they differ, work to the earliest date shown on your case. The chargeback process step by step shows where each deadline sits in the case lifecycle.
Make the due date visible to everyone working on the case. Include the time zone when one is supplied. If support and finance sit in different time zones, agree on one displayed deadline. Then no one has to convert times from memory.
Set an earlier internal cutoff for gathering compelling evidence. That leaves room to correct a missing attachment or a mismatch between the order and payment.
How Long Does a Chargeback Take to Resolve?
Once you submit evidence, the issuer usually takes 60 to 75 days to decide, according to Stripe’s dispute lifecycle documentation. The full dispute lifecycle can take 2 to 3 months. Only accepting the dispute makes it end sooner. Treat these as typical ranges, not promises.
The bank-side steps of the chargeback lifecycle are covered in how banks process disputes, and fees that may apply at each stage are covered in the chargeback fees guide.
Example Case Calendar
The example chargeback timeline below uses assumed dates for illustration only. Your own notice shows the real due date and time zone.
| Paso | Assumed Date | What to Log |
|---|---|---|
| Dispute notice received | March 3 | Case ID, reason, amount, owner. |
| Portal due date and time zone | March 17, 11:59 PM Pacific | Copy exactly as displayed. Do not recalculate. |
| Internal evidence cutoff | March 12 | Missing files assigned and chased. |
| Submission | March 13, 2:15 PM Pacific | Who submitted and what was attached. |
| Submission confirmation | March 13, 2:16 PM Pacific | Status shows under review, not draft. Save the confirmation. |
| Expected review stage | About May 12 to May 27 | 60 to 75 days after submission, a typical range rather than a promise. |
When Can a Dispute Arrive After 120 Days?
The clock may start on the delivery date, the expected service date, or another date the dispute condition names. Visa and Mastercard both allow longer windows in some cases, up to 540 days. That does not give every cardholder 540 days. It also does not set one end date for the whole dispute.
For preorders, future services, or interrupted subscriptions, preserve the dates agreed with the customer and any changes. If you think a filing is late, ask your processor to check the timing rule. Keep building your response while you wait.
Do not ignore a case merely because the transaction is old. A timing defense needs the correct rule and start event, not just an order date.
Keep PayPal Deadlines Separate
PayPal account claims and card chargebacks use different processes. Its U.S. Purchase Protection policy gives buyers 180 days to file an item-not-received complaint. Description complaints use the earlier of 30 days after delivery or fulfillment and 180 days after payment. These periods are not merchant response windows.
Use the PayPal dispute process guide to distinguish filing, escalation, and review. Read each request in the active case, especially if the account has been assigned a shorter response period.
For the broader rules and case stages, use Chargeback Basics and Rules. If you are preparing a response, Chargeback Evidence and Escalation connects the claim, evidence and available next stage.
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Build a Deadline Workflow Your Team Can Follow
1 | Capture the notice. Record the case ID, payment, reason, due date, time zone, and owner. |
2 | Identify missing evidence. Assign fulfillment, support, or billing records to the team that holds them. |
3 | Set an internal review cutoff. Leave time for correcting incomplete or unreadable files. |
4 | Submit deliberately. Check the evidence against the claim, then complete the submission step. Convert the deadline once, to the time zone shown in the portal, and use that displayed time for everyone. |
5 | Verify receipt. Confirm the case status changed from draft to submitted or under review. Store the confirmation and submission timestamp with the case. A saved draft or a customer’s promise to withdraw the dispute is not a submission. |
6 | Monitor changes. Treat any follow-up request or escalation as a new task with its own deadline. |
Track deadline misses by cause: unattended notice, missing data, ownership gap, or failed submission. Fixing the cause is more useful than simply telling the team to work faster. When a case moves to chargeback representment, the evidence review and the chargeback response letter need their own internal cutoff.
What Happens If You Miss the Deadline?
If you miss a response deadline, you usually lose the right to fight the case. Stripe explicitly states that an unanswered dispute is lost when its deadline expires. If you think a submission or notice failed, check the closed case and contact your processor. Do not assume you can get more time.
Winning back money and staying under monitoring limits are two different jobs. A timely response does not remove a filed dispute from your dispute ratio. Prevention and early dispute alerts address a different part of the workflow.
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Preguntas frecuentes
How Long Do You Have to Dispute a Credit Card Charge?
Cardholders usually have 60 days after the statement to send a billing error notice under U.S. law, and about 120 days to file a card network chargeback through their issuer. Visa and Mastercard allow up to 540 days in specific cases, such as goods that were never delivered.
How Long Does a Merchant Have to Respond to a Chargeback?
Use the deadline shown on your case. Stripe describes response windows usually ranging from 7 to 21 days depending on the network, and your processor may set a shorter date than a network period.
How Long Does a Chargeback Take?
Stripe says the issuer’s decision usually takes 60 to 75 days after you submit evidence, and the full lifecycle can take 2 to 3 months. These are typical ranges, not guarantees.
Is 120 Days Always the Chargeback Deadline?
Many filing rules use 120 days, but each condition sets its own start date and exceptions. It is not your merchant response deadline.
Do Merchants Always Get the Full Network Response Window?
Merchants must follow the deadline assigned by their processor. The network window is often longer than the time you get.
Does Saving Evidence as a Draft Count as Responding?
Saving a draft is not the same as submitting evidence. Check that the case status changed and that you have a confirmation before you treat the response as done.
Can a Dispute Be Filed After 120 Days?
Yes, when the dispute condition starts its clock later or allows an extended filing period. Check the exact rule instead of using one cutoff for every case.
¿En qué consiste la «regla de los 540 días» de la Ley de « Contracargos »?
The 540-day rule is an outer filing cap in certain Visa and Mastercard dispute conditions, such as goods or services not received. The cardholder still has 120 days from the expected delivery date, but never more than 540 days from the transaction processing date.
Can I Dispute a Charge From 6 Months Ago?
A charge from 6 months ago is usually past the 120-day chargeback window, unless the dispute condition starts from a later date, such as an expected delivery or service date. Cardholders should ask their issuer, and merchants should check the condition before treating a late filing as invalid.
Should I Wait for the Buyer to Withdraw the Dispute?
Do not let a promised withdrawal replace your response workflow. Follow the processor’s instructions and submit the required evidence before the deadline.
Make Timely Responses Repeatable
Chargeflow Automation helps collect and submit evidence from connected systems. Pair it with clear ownership for missing information and a routine check that responses were received.
Recover Chargebacks Without the Paperwork
Chargeflow Automation builds and submits evidence for the chargebacks that still arrive.
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