You have up to 60 days from when you see the charge on your statement
The Fair Credit Billing Act sets a hard deadline: you must contact your card issuer within 60 calendar days of the date the charge appears on your statement. This is a federal rule that applies to all credit card companies in the United States. The clock starts when the statement is mailed or made available to you online, not when the charge actually happened.
If you miss the 60-day window, your card issuer has no legal obligation to investigate or reverse the charge. You lose your right to dispute it through the formal chargeback process. This is why acting quickly matters — not because of urgency marketing, but because the law itself closes the door after two months.
The 60 days is a minimum protection. Some card issuers allow disputes beyond this window, but you cannot count on it. Your card's terms may say something different, so check your cardholder agreement if you are past 45 days and worried.
Key Takeaways
- You must start a dispute within 60 days of the charge appearing on your statement, not 60 days from when the transaction happened.
- Contact your card issuer by phone, mail, or online portal — all three methods start the clock, but written contact creates a record.
- Your issuer has 30 days to acknowledge your dispute and up to 90 days total to investigate and decide.
- If you wait past 60 days, the card issuer can refuse to investigate, and you lose your chargeback rights under federal law.
How to start a dispute before the deadline
Call the customer service number on the back of your card or log into your online account. Tell them you want to dispute a specific charge and explain why — unauthorized use, duplicate charge, item not received, item not as described, or billing error are the most common reasons.
The card issuer will ask for details: the transaction date, the merchant name, the amount, and your explanation of what went wrong. Write this down before you call so you do not forget anything. If you are disputing a charge for something you ordered, have your order confirmation and any communication with the merchant ready.
Ask the issuer to confirm they received your dispute and to give you a reference number. If you call, follow up with a written letter or email that repeats the same information. Written documentation protects you if the issuer later claims they never heard from you.
What happens after you file a dispute
Your card issuer must acknowledge your dispute within 30 days. They will usually remove the charge from your account temporarily while they investigate — this is called a provisional credit. You are not charged interest on the disputed amount during this time.
The investigation itself takes up to 90 days from the date you filed. The issuer contacts the merchant, asks them to provide proof of the transaction, and compares that proof to your explanation. If the merchant cannot prove they delivered what you paid for or that you authorized the charge, the issuer sides with you.
You will receive a written decision explaining whether the dispute was upheld or denied. If upheld, the provisional credit becomes permanent and the charge stays off your account. If denied, the charge goes back on your statement and you owe it again.
What counts as "the date on your statement"
Your statement date is the date printed at the top of your monthly bill, not the date you opened the envelope or logged in to see it. If your statement closes on the 15th of each month, the 60-day clock starts on the 15th, even if you do not look at it until the 20th.
If you receive a paper statement by mail, the date the statement was mailed counts, not the date it arrived at your house. If you view statements online, the date the statement became available in your account is the start date. Check your account settings or call the issuer if you are unsure when your statement period closes.
Some charges appear on your statement before others — a restaurant charge might post the same day, while a hotel charge might take three days. The 60-day timer starts from the statement date, not the transaction date, so a charge that posts on day 28 of your cycle still has until day 88 of the next cycle before the deadline passes.
Disputes for charges you did not recognize
If someone else used your card without permission, you still have 60 days from the statement date to report it. Call your issuer immediately and tell them the charge is unauthorized. Most card issuers will reverse unauthorized charges and send you a replacement card.
Your liability for unauthorized charges is capped at $50 under federal law, and most issuers waive that $50 if you report the fraud quickly. The sooner you report, the sooner the issuer can freeze your account and prevent additional fraudulent charges.
If you notice unauthorized charges weeks after they happened, you still have the full 60 days from the statement date to dispute them. The issuer cannot penalize you for not catching the fraud immediately, though they may ask questions about how the card was compromised.
What happens if you miss the 60-day deadline
After 60 days, your card issuer can refuse to investigate. They are no longer required by the Fair Credit Billing Act to look into your complaint or reverse the charge. Some issuers have their own policies that extend beyond 60 days, but you cannot count on this.
If the charge was truly fraudulent — someone stole your card number — you may still have options outside the chargeback process. Contact the merchant directly and explain the situation. If the merchant believes the charge was fraudulent, they may reverse it on their own. You can also file a report with the Federal Trade Commission or your state's attorney general, though this does not force a refund.
For billing errors or items not received, missing the deadline is more final. The merchant has no obligation to refund you after the issuer closes the case, and you lose your legal protection under the Fair Credit Billing Act.
Disputes for items not received or not as described
If you ordered something online and it never arrived, or it arrived damaged or completely different from what you ordered, you have 60 days from the statement date to dispute it. The card issuer will ask the merchant to provide proof of delivery or a tracking number.
If the merchant shows a delivery confirmation but you genuinely did not receive the item, tell the issuer. They may ask you to file a claim with the shipping carrier or to contact the merchant's customer service first. Some issuers require you to attempt resolution with the merchant before they will investigate.
For items that arrived but do not match the description — wrong size, wrong color, broken — the dispute process is the same, but the outcome is less certain. The issuer looks at whether the merchant's listing matched what was sent. If the listing was accurate and you simply changed your mind, the issuer may deny the dispute and tell you to contact the merchant about a return.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does the 60 days start from when I made the purchase or when I see it on my statement?
It starts from when the charge appears on your statement, not when you made the purchase. A charge can take several days to post, so the 60-day window may not open until weeks after you swiped your card. Check your statement date to know when your clock starts.
Can I dispute a charge after 60 days if the merchant is still refusing to help?
No. The 60-day deadline is set by federal law and your card issuer cannot extend it. If the merchant is ignoring you, contact your state's attorney general or the Federal Trade Commission to file a complaint, but this will not force a refund on your card.
What if my statement was delayed and I did not see the charge until after 60 days?
The 60 days runs from the statement date, not from when you personally see it. If your issuer mailed the statement on the 15th but you did not receive it until the 25th, the clock still started on the 15th. Contact your issuer immediately if you believe a statement was delayed — they may make an exception, but they are not required to.
Do I have to pay the disputed charge while the investigation is happening?
No. Once you file a dispute, the issuer must remove the charge from your account while they investigate. This is called a provisional credit. You do not owe the money during the investigation, and you will not be charged interest on it.
What if the issuer decides against me — can I dispute it again?
You can ask the issuer to reconsider if you have new evidence, but you cannot file the same dispute twice. If you have additional documentation — a receipt, an email from the merchant, proof of delivery — send it to the issuer in writing and ask them to reopen the case. They may or may not agree to look at it again.