Chargeback Time Limits: Filing and Response Deadlines by Network

A chargeback time limit is the deadline for one step in a card dispute: filing the dispute, submitting evidence, or reaching a decision. There are three separate clocks: the cardholder filing period, your merchant response deadline, and the time to a decision.

How long do you have to file a chargeback? Most cardholders have 120 days from the transaction or expected delivery date to file a chargeback, and Visa and Mastercard allow up to 540 days in specific cases.

Merchants usually get 7 to 21 days from their processor to respond. Your merchant response deadline comes from the actual case notification, not from the purchase date.

Sources: Adyen, Stripe and Shopify help docs, checked in October 2026.

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.

That distinction matters when an old order becomes a new dispute. The age of the purchase does not tell your support or finance team how many days remain to act. This guide covers filing, merchant response, and resolution in that order. For the full process behind them, see what a chargeback is and the relevant chargeback rules.

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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.

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.

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.

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.

Separate the Three Dispute Clocks

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.

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.

How Long Do Merchants Have to Respond?

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.

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.

Build a Deadline Workflow Your Team Can Follow

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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Perguntas frequentes

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.

O que é a regra dos 540 dias do programa “ Chargebacks ”?

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.