How Long You Have to Dispute a Credit Card Charge

Federal law gives you 60 days from the statement showing the error to send a written notice. Here is when the clock starts, what counts, and what protects you after you file.

October 2026

A strange charge lands on your bill. Before you call the bank, you want to know one thing. How long do I have to dispute a credit card charge? Federal law gives a clear answer, and this page walks through it. The clock, what it covers, and what happens once you file are all set by rule, not by guesswork.

The short answer: 60 days from the statement showing the error

Regulation Z gives the cardholder 60 days to get a written notice to the card issuer. That is the federal deadline, and it is short. Sixty days is about two months, no more.

The Fair Credit Billing Act says the same thing. That law is the federal law on correcting billing errors. Both it and Regulation Z count the sixty days from when the card issuer sends the statement.

When the clock starts (statement date, not purchase date)

This is where people lose their window. Regulation Z starts the 60 days when the card issuer sends the first statement that shows the error. Not the day you bought the thing. Not the day the charge posted. The statement.

Say you bought a lamp on the 3rd, and the statement with that charge went out on the 28th. Your 60 days run from the 28th. A purchase made near the end of one cycle can give you more time than you expect. A purchase made right after a statement closes can give you less.

What you can dispute: the billing errors federal law recognizes

Not every complaint fits. The federal rule on billing error resolution is Section 1026.13 of Regulation Z, and it spells out what qualifies. Here is what it covers.

A charge not made by the cardholder or someone allowed to use the card is a billing error. The Fair Credit Billing Act says a charge for the wrong amount is a billing error too. A charge for goods or services not accepted or not delivered as agreed is a billing error too. A statement that fails to show a payment or credit properly is on the list as well. A math error the card issuer made on a statement is covered too.

There is one more door. Regulation Z also covers a charge the cardholder asks the card issuer to explain, with documents as proof. If you cannot tell what a charge is, you can ask the issuer to explain it.

What you can't dispute under billing error rules (quality complaints)

Here is the line most people trip over. A complaint about the quality of something the cardholder accepted is not a billing error under Regulation Z. You got the lamp. The lamp is crooked. That is a quality complaint, and the billing error rules do not cover it.

The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau says defective goods or services may need a different dispute process. If you want to know more about that path, read about the billing dispute process and where it applies.

How to file: the written notice, what it must include, and where it goes

The law is picky about form. Regulation Z says the notice must reach the address the card issuer gives for billing errors. Not any address. The one the issuer names for billing errors.

Regulation Z says the notice must let the card issuer identify the cardholder's name and account number. Regulation Z says the notice should give the error's type, date and amount, and why the cardholder thinks it is wrong. Put all four in the letter and you have met the rule.

Two small traps sit here. Regulation Z lets a card issuer refuse notices written on the payment slip, if its billing rights statement says so. So do not scribble it on the tear-off part of the bill. And a notice sent electronically counts as written, if the card issuer says it accepts notices that way. Check what your issuer allows before you rely on email.

Calling first vs. writing: why the written notice protects your rights

The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau says to call the card company about a problem charge right away. Calling is a good first move.

But the call alone does not start your rights. The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau says the cardholder must also send a written billing error notice to protect their rights. The 60-day clock runs on the written notice, not the phone call. Call, then write, and do both inside the window.

Charges already paid and charges still pending

Two common cases sit at the edges of the clock.

First, the paid charge. A charge you have already paid off is still open to dispute, according to the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau. But it also says money already paid likely comes back only after the card company agrees with the cardholder. So you can file, but the refund may wait on the outcome.

Second, the pending charge. Chase's guide says you can only dispute charges that have already posted. Bank of America only takes disputes on posted charges, because pending charges may still change. A pending charge is one to watch, not one to file on. Wait for it to post, then check the statement date, then count your 60 days.

What happens after you file: the issuer's 30-day and two-cycle deadlines

Once your notice lands, the clock switches to the issuer's side. Regulation Z gives the card issuer 30 days after it receives the notice to confirm it in writing. That confirmation drops away if the issuer resolves the error within those 30 days.

Then comes the bigger deadline. Regulation Z gives the card issuer 2 complete billing cycles after it receives the notice to resolve the error. And it says the card issuer must resolve the error no later than 90 days after it receives the notice. The Fair Credit Billing Act also sets the limit at two complete billing cycles, and never later than ninety days. If you want to know what that wait feels like in practice, read about how long it takes to dispute a charge.

What the law shields while your case runs

The law does not leave you exposed while the issuer works. Regulation Z says the cardholder need not pay the disputed amount or its related charges during the dispute. You can hold that part back.

It also bars the card issuer from reporting the cardholder as late for not paying the disputed amount. Regulation Z also says that holding back a disputed amount cannot add finance charges to the rest of the balance. So the disputed amount cannot be reported as late, and holding it back adds no finance charges to the rest of your bill.

One more rule covers autopay. Regulation Z says card issuer autopay must skip a disputed amount if the notice arrives 3 business days before payment. If you file close to a due date, that timing matters.

If the issuer finds no error

The issuer has two possible answers.

Regulation Z says a card issuer that finds the error must fix it, credit the account and send a correction notice. That is the clean ending.

If it finds no error, Regulation Z says a card issuer that finds no error must explain why in writing. And there is a sting if it stays silent. Regulation Z says a card issuer that never explains in writing why there was no error generally must credit the disputed amount. Keep that letter. The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau says to keep copies and write down the dates of follow-up calls.

Network and issuer timelines that differ from the 60-day rule

The 60-day rule is the federal one. It is not the only clock in the room.

Bank of America says most credit card charges must be disputed within 60 days of the statement date. But issuers are not all alike. An American Express cardholder, not the merchant, has up to 120 days from the transaction date to dispute a charge. Note the difference there. Amex counts from the transaction date, not the statement date. For goods not received, returns or cancellations, an American Express cardholder can have a longer window to dispute a charge.

For that side of the story, read about the chargeback credit card time limit and how it works. If you are still unsure where your own deadline sits, the page on how long to dispute a charge breaks the timelines down further.

What to do right now (checklist)

Here is the short list, in order.

Find the statement that first shows the charge. That date starts your 60 days.
Check the charge against the billing errors the law lists. Wrong amount, not delivered, not made by you, or a math error all count.
Call the card company now.
Write the notice anyway. Name, account number, the error's type, date and amount, and why it is wrong.
Send it to the address the issuer gives for billing errors. Not the payment slip, unless the issuer allows it.
Keep a copy, and write down the dates of any follow-up calls.
Regulation Z says you need not pay the disputed amount or its related charges while the case is open.

One last thing. Do you have to call the shop first? Regulation Z says a cardholder need not contact the seller first about goods or services not delivered as agreed. Sixty days is not long. Start today.