A chargeback lands, the money leaves your payout, and a clock starts that you did not set and cannot pause. Several clocks are running, and only one of them is yours.
The Shopify chargeback deadline is the due date shown on the disputed order, usually 7 to 21 days after the dispute is filed. It uses your store's timezone and ends at 11:59 PM if no time is shown. Shopify Payments submits automatically on that date, and nothing can be changed after submission.
This guide is for you if:
- You have a chargeback open and need to know exactly how long you have, and what happens when the time runs out.
- You have heard figures like 120 days or 75 days and are not sure which of them applies to your response.
- You handle several disputes at once and want a simple way to track due dates without missing one.
Last updated: 9 October 2026. Written by the ChargeFix team. Reviewed against sources on 9 October 2026.
The 30-second answer (TL;DR)
- Your Shopify chargeback deadline is the date on the order, set by Shopify, usually 7 to 21 days after the dispute is filed.
- The chargeback due date uses your store's timezone. If no time is shown, it ends at 11:59 PM that day.
- You can edit your evidence until the due date. After you click Submit now, nothing can change.
- If you add nothing, Shopify Payments still submits on the due date with the information it collected.
- The 120 day figure you often see is the cardholder's limit to open a dispute, not your limit to answer.
- After you submit, the card issuer can take up to 75 days to decide. Inquiries usually take 65 to 75 days.
- We found no extension process in Shopify's pages, so plan as if there is none, and aim to submit two business days early.
Quick note: People quote 120 days as the chargeback deadline. That is how long a cardholder may have to open a dispute, not how long you have to answer one. Yours is the date on the order, usually 7 to 21 days after filing.
Every clock in a chargeback at a glance
| Clock | Whose it is | Length | Does it limit you? |
|---|---|---|---|
| Your evidence window | Shopify Payments | 7 to 21 days from filing | Yes, this is your deadline |
| Cardholder's dispute limit | Card scheme and bank | Often up to 120 days, varies by reason and provider | No, it limits the customer |
| Issuer's decision time | The cardholder's bank | Up to 75 days after you submit | No, you are waiting |
| Inquiry resolution | The issuer | Usually 65 to 75 days, can be longer | No, you are waiting |
| Bank withdrawal letter | The customer's bank | 30 to 90 days or more | Only if you rely on it |
| Failed debit retry | Shopify | A second attempt 3 business days later | Only if your balance is short |
Shopify chargeback deadline: how long do you actually have?
You usually have 7 to 21 days from the day the dispute was filed, and the exact date is on the disputed order. Shopify, not you and not the bank you use, sets that date. It is the only deadline that decides whether your own evidence is included.
The chargeback window is wide on purpose. Shopify's help pages say each dispute has a due date 7 to 21 days after it is filed, which means two merchants who receive a dispute on the same day can have different windows. Do not assume the length from your last dispute. Read the Shopify dispute due date on each order.
Two details change how the chargeback window feels in practice. First, the clock starts when the dispute is filed, not when you read the email, so a notice that sat unread has already used part of your time. Second, the date is on the order page in your store's timezone, so open the order rather than relying on a date you remember or were told.
For a first-day routine that makes sure you see the date straight away, see Shopify chargeback email: what to do in the first 24 hours.
Which clock is which?
There are four numbers people confuse, and each is a different chargeback time limit: your 7 to 21 day window, the cardholder's roughly 120 day limit, the issuer's 75 day decision time, and an acquiring bank's own response windows. Only the first is your deadline, and only the first sets your chargeback response time. The rest describe other people's time.
Here is what each one means for an Australian store:
| Number | What it is | What you do with it |
|---|---|---|
| 7 to 21 days | Your window to respond, set by Shopify | Work to it, and submit early |
| 120 days | How long after a sale many cardholders can dispute it | Keep records at least that long, and longer for some claims |
| 75 days | How long the issuer may take after you submit | Plan cash flow around the wait |
| 30 or 45 days | A merchant bank's response windows, for example NAB | Matters only on that bank's own processing |
The 120 day number is the one that causes the most confusion. It is a limit on the customer, and it tells you how long a past sale can still come back as a dispute. It is the reason to keep delivery proof and customer messages for months after an order ships, not a sign that you have months to answer.
What is the chargeback time limit for cardholders in Australia?
They depend on the card scheme, the reason for the dispute and the provider. Consumer Affairs Victoria says cardholders can request a chargeback 45 to 120 days after the transaction depending on the card provider. NAB's merchant guide lists 120 days for Visa and Mastercard disputes, varying by reason, and 210 days for eftpos.
CHOICE adds that Visa disputes are generally 120 days from the transaction date, but for goods or services not supplied the period can run from the expected delivery date, with an overall limit of 540 days. For Mastercard it says 120 days from when the transaction clears, or 90 days for authorisation issues or point-of-sale errors, with some disputes extending to 540 days. CHOICE's article is dated 2020, so treat the detail as a guide and check current scheme rules.
| Source | Limit it gives | Note |
|---|---|---|
| Consumer Affairs Victoria | 45 to 120 days, depending on card provider | Page last updated 12 October 2023 |
| NAB merchant guide | Visa and Mastercard 120 days, varies by reason. eftpos 210 days | Acquirer's guidance |
| CHOICE | Visa 120 days, can run from expected delivery date, 540 day outer limit. Mastercard 120 or 90 days, some up to 540 | Article from 2020 |
How is the Shopify chargeback deadline shown and calculated?
The Shopify dispute due date appears on the order page, in the chargeback banner, as a date in your store's timezone. If no time is shown, the deadline is 11:59 PM on that date. Shopify's pages do not say how weekends or public holidays are treated, so assume they give you no extra time.
To see the due date, open the disputed order and read the chargeback banner. To see every dispute still waiting, filter your orders by chargeback and inquiry status set to Open. Menu wording changes, so follow what your admin shows.
What does the timezone mean in practice?
Shopify says the displayed date uses your store's timezone, so your Shopify dispute due date is local to the store, not to you. For an Australian store with an Australian timezone, that is local time. For a store set to a different timezone, the same date can end at a different moment for you. Check your store's timezone setting, especially if you have a team in more than one state or overseas, because Australia spans several time zones and daylight saving changes the offset in some of them.
What does 11:59 PM really mean?
It is the last minute of the due date, not a safe time to start. A file that fails a size check at 11:40 PM leaves you almost no room. Submit on a business day, in business hours, and keep the last evening free.
What happens when the deadline arrives?
With Shopify Payments, your response is submitted to the card company on the due date, even if you added no evidence yourself. You can edit until that date. After submission, whether by you or automatically, you cannot add or change anything.
That auto-submission at the end of the chargeback window is not a safety net. It sends only what Shopify collected: order details, addresses, IP address, fulfilment and tracking, refund records and prior orders and disputes. It does not include your customer messages, delivery photos or policy pages, which are usually the evidence that wins or loses a case.
You have three real choices as the chargeback deadline approaches:
- Submit early. Click Submit now after checking your files. This locks the response and removes deadline risk.
- Let Shopify submit. You keep editing until the date, and the response goes automatically. This is risky, because any problem found late has no time to fix.
- Accept. If you decide not to fight, close the form without submitting. The disputed amount goes to the cardholder and the chargeback fee is not returned.
Submitting before the chargeback deadline is the only choice that removes uncertainty. The editing window is not a bonus. It is a trap if you use it to keep tinkering until the final hour.
Can you extend the Shopify chargeback deadline?
We found no extension process in Shopify's help pages. They describe a due date and an automatic submission on that date, and say nothing about asking for more time. You can ask Shopify Support, but you should plan as if no extension exists.
Do not build your process around the chance of an extension. If a case is complicated, start earlier, not later. If you cannot meet the date, the practical choices are to submit what you have, which is better than nothing, or to accept on purpose.
How do you work backwards from the Shopify chargeback deadline?
Subtract two business days from the due date for your submit-by date, then split the remaining time into gathering, building and checking. Work from the date on the order, and let the weekend count against you.
Illustration: due dates and submit-by dates
Assume a dispute filed on Monday 12 October 2026. Shopify's window can be anywhere from 7 to 21 days, so the due date depends on your order.
| Window | Due date | Submit by (two business days earlier) |
|---|---|---|
| 7 days | Mon 19 Oct 2026 | Thu 15 Oct 2026 |
| 14 days | Mon 26 Oct 2026 | Thu 22 Oct 2026 |
| 21 days | Mon 2 Nov 2026 | Thu 29 Oct 2026 |
Count back from each Monday: the previous Friday is one business day earlier, and the Thursday before that is two. If your due date falls on a different weekday, count back the same way.
For the 7 day case, the working days are tight. Between Monday 12 and Thursday 15 October you have four days to gather, build and check, with no weekend in between to help. Splitting them: Monday for triage and proof, Tuesday for files, Wednesday for the cover note and checks, Thursday to submit.
A split of the chargeback window you can reuse
Window of 7 days
Day 0 Read, verify, decide, capture proof
Day 1 Contact customer, build files
Day 2 Draft cover note, check limits
Day 3 Submit (this is your submit-by date)
Days 4 to 7 Buffer, do not use unless something failed
Window of 14 days
Days 0 to 2 Read, verify, decide, capture proof
Days 3 to 7 Customer contact, wait for reply
Days 8 to 10 Build files, draft cover note
Day 11 Submit
Days 12 to 14 Buffer
How long until the bank decides?
The issuer can take up to 75 days after you submit to decide a chargeback. Inquiries usually take 65 to 75 days and may take longer. You cannot appeal, add evidence or speed it up, so the wait is a cash flow question, not a deadline.
Illustration: from filing to the latest decision date
Suppose a dispute is filed on Monday 12 October 2026 with a 14 day window, and you submit on Thursday 22 October 2026, two business days early.
| Event | Date |
|---|---|
| Dispute filed | Mon 12 Oct 2026 |
| Due date | Mon 26 Oct 2026 |
| You submit | Thu 22 Oct 2026 |
| Latest likely decision, 75 days after submitting | Tue 5 Jan 2027 |
From Thursday 22 October, 9 days take you to 31 October, a further 30 take you to 30 November, 31 take you to 31 December, and 5 more reach 5 January 2027, which is 75 days in total. The date is the latest the issuer might take, not a promise, and decisions may arrive sooner. Public holidays and the end of year period may affect timing, but Shopify's pages do not say, so we cannot confirm it.
Two other timings can affect you in the wait. If a debit fails after a loss, Shopify tries again 3 business days later, and if that also fails you must update your bank account or contact Shopify Support. And if the customer agrees to withdraw the dispute, the bank's formal withdrawal letter can take 30 to 90 days or more to process, and for American Express disputes and Visa disputes with a fraudulent reason code it will not speed things up.
What if the bank disputes again after you win?
You get a new deadline. Shopify says that if the cardholder's bank disputes the same transaction again after you win, you should submit your strongest evidence again against the new due date, and it points to a separate pre-arbitration guide for the situation.
Treat the second round as a fresh dispute. Read the new date on the order, check what the reason says, and rebuild your pack. Do not assume the first response will be carried over, and do not skip it because you won once.
What does a missed chargeback deadline cost?
It costs you the chance to add your own evidence. Shopify Payments still sends what it has, so you may still win, but the evidence that usually carries a case, such as customer messages and delivery photos, will not be there. After the decision you cannot add anything.
Illustration: 45 minutes against a A$220 order
Take an order of A$220 with goods costing A$80 and postage of A$13. A lost chargeback costs A$80 plus A$13 plus the A$25 fee, which is A$118 in real loss. A good response takes about 45 minutes. At A$40 an hour, that is A$30 of your time, which is an assumption for the example.
| What a win gives you | Break-even win chance |
|---|---|
| A$220 (fee not returned) | 14% |
| A$245 (fee returned) | 12% |
The break-even chance is the A$30 of time divided by what a win gives you: 30 divided by 220 is about 14%, and 30 divided by 245 is about 12%. Even a modest chance of winning pays for the effort on an order this size. A missed deadline gives that chance up for nothing.
The cost is not always the order value. A won dispute still counts toward your dispute rate, so the pattern of disputes matters beyond any single deadline. The rate has its own guide: Shopify chargeback rate and account health warnings.
How should you spend your chargeback response time?
Spend the first third of the window on facts, the middle on the customer and the files, and the last third as a buffer you hope not to use. Most of the chargeback response time is waiting for people, so start the waiting early.
The tasks do not take equal time. Reading and capturing proof takes an hour or two. Building files and writing a cover note takes another two or three. The slow part is usually a reply from the customer or a document from a carrier, which is outside your control, so the order of work matters more than the effort.
| Window | Facts and proof | Customer and waiting | Build and check | Buffer |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 7 days | Day 0 | Day 1 to 2 | Day 2 to 3 | Day 4 to 7 |
| 14 days | Days 0 to 2 | Days 3 to 7 | Days 8 to 10 | Days 11 to 14 |
| 21 days | Days 0 to 3 | Days 4 to 12 | Days 13 to 16 | Days 17 to 21 |
The pattern is the same at every length: spend almost nothing on day one except reading and saving proof, and treat the buffer as protection, not spare time. If the customer has not replied by the midpoint, stop waiting and build your response with what you have.
Three scenarios and how to handle each
| Scenario | The Shopify dispute due date | What to do |
|---|---|---|
| Email arrives Friday evening, 7 day window | The following Friday | Capture proof over the weekend if you can, and finish building on Monday and Tuesday |
| 14 day window, customer replies on day 5 saying all is fine | Two weeks from filing | Ask for the bank's withdrawal letter, but still prepare your own response in case it does not arrive |
| 21 day window that spans a public holiday | Three weeks from filing | Count business days, not calendar days, and submit before the holiday if you can |
We could not verify how Shopify treats weekends or public holidays when it sets the date, so the working assumption in each case is that you get nothing extra.
How long should you keep records for a chargeback time limit?
Keep order, payment, delivery and message records for at least 18 months. That is longer than the 540 day outer limit CHOICE mentions for some goods-not-supplied claims, which is the longest chargeback time limit in the sources we opened.
The cardholder's limit is long, so your evidence has to outlast your memory of the order. Carrier tracking pages can disappear, message threads get archived, and policy pages change, so what you saved at the time is the only version that counts.
| Record | Keep for | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Order and payment record | At least 18 months | Matches the longest scheme limit we found |
| Carrier tracking and delivery proof | At least 18 months | Direct proof for not received claims |
| Customer messages | At least 18 months | Shows what the customer knew and when |
| Policy pages, dated copies | From each change, for 18 months after the last order it applied to | Shows which version a customer accepted |
| Product page, dated copy | At least 18 months | Answers not as described claims |
| Dispute log | Permanently, or as long as you keep your books | Shows patterns and outcomes |
Eighteen months is about 548 days, so it covers the 540 day figure with a few days to spare. If your accountant or business records need a longer period for other reasons, follow that. We have not sourced a legal retention rule, so treat 18 months as a practical minimum for dispute purposes, not as legal advice.
How do you track due dates across several disputes?
Keep one list with the order number, the chargeback due date, your submit-by date, the owner and the status. Check it at the start of every working day, and put both dates into a shared calendar with reminders, so the chargeback response time is visible to everyone.
Dispute deadline tracker
Order # Type Filed Due (store time) Submit by Owner Status Notes
2087 CB 12 Oct 26 Mon 26 Oct 26 Thu 22 Oct Sam Gathering Tracking saved
2091 INQ 13 Oct 26 Tue 20 Oct 26 Fri 16 Oct Sam Refund? Customer replied
Use the open filter in your orders list as a cross-check. If the tracker and the filter disagree, trust the filter and fix the tracker, because a dispute missing from your list is the one most likely to be missed.
Calendar entry template
Title: DISPUTE DUE: order #[number] A$[amount]
When: [due date], reminder 2 business days before, and again 1 day before
Notes: Type [CB/INQ], reason [reason], owner [name], proof folder [link], submit by [date]
What's different for Australian merchants?
General information, not legal advice.
The chargeback deadline mechanics are the same as anywhere Shopify Payments operates, but Australian conditions add longer tails and some unknowns. Cardholders can dispute for months, banks work to their own windows, and holidays vary by state.
Longer limits on the customer side. Consumer Affairs Victoria's 45 to 120 day range, NAB's 120 and 210 day limits and CHOICE's 540 day outer limit mean a sale can come back long after it shipped. Keep order, delivery and message records for at least 18 months to cover the longest limit in these sources.
Acquirer windows on other processing. If you also take card payments through a bank terminal, a different set of clocks applies. NAB, for example, gives merchants 30 days to respond to a Visa or eftpos dispute and 45 days for Mastercard, and it debits the account 10 calendar days after the first notice for fraud disputes, or 24 calendar days for others, if there is no response. That is NAB's process, not Shopify's, so check the terms of your own bank.
State public holidays. Australian public holidays differ by state and territory. We could not verify how Shopify treats them when it sets the due date, and its pages do not say, so never rely on a holiday for extra time.
AFCA. If a cardholder's bank rejects a claim, the cardholder can complain to the Australian Financial Complaints Authority, according to Consumer Affairs Victoria and CHOICE. AFCA looks at whether the bank made reasonable efforts, and CHOICE says it cannot reassess a card scheme's final decision. That path has its own timing and does not extend your Shopify deadline.
Consumer law. Australian Consumer Law gives customers guarantees, and a customer owed a remedy may recover it through a chargeback. We have not re-opened the ACCC guidance for this guide, so the detailed rules are in our consumer law posts, which cite the ACCC directly.
Items we could not verify. Weekend and public holiday treatment of the due date, whether extensions are available on request, Afterpay and PayPal dispute timelines, and GST and BAS treatment of lost chargebacks.
Common mistakes with the Shopify chargeback deadline
- Treating 120 days as your deadline. It limits the customer, not you.
- Reading the date once and forgetting it. Put it in a calendar with reminders.
- Assuming the window matches your last dispute. It can be anywhere from 7 to 21 days.
- Counting from the day you read the email. The window starts when the dispute is filed.
- Using the editing window as a reason to wait. Submit early and remove the risk.
- Relying on a holiday or weekend extension. We found no basis for one.
- Leaving the last night for file problems. A size error at 11:40 PM has no fix.
- Forgetting a second round. A re-dispute after a win comes with a new due date.
Frequently asked questions
How long do I have to respond to a Shopify chargeback?
Usually 7 to 21 days from the day the dispute is filed. The exact due date is on the disputed order, shown in your store's timezone, and it ends at 11:59 PM if no time is shown. Read the date on every order, because the length can differ from one dispute to the next.
What happens if I miss the Shopify chargeback deadline?
With Shopify Payments, your response is still submitted on the due date, but it contains only what Shopify collected automatically, not your own evidence. After the decision you cannot add anything or appeal. If you would rather not fight, you can accept by closing the form without submitting.
Is my chargeback deadline 120 days?
No. About 120 days is how long many cardholders have to open a dispute, depending on the scheme, reason and provider. Your deadline to respond is the date Shopify shows on the order, usually 7 to 21 days after filing. Keep records for the longer period so you can still answer a late dispute.
Can I edit my evidence before the deadline?
Yes. You can add and change evidence until the due date. Once you click Submit now, the response is locked. Because of that, check your files before you submit, and consider submitting early so you are not editing right up to the last minute.
Can I ask Shopify for an extension?
We found no extension process in Shopify's help pages, which describe only a due date and automatic submission. You can ask Shopify Support, but plan as if no extension is possible. If time is short, submit your best available evidence rather than waiting for a reply.
How long does the bank take to decide?
Up to 75 days after you submit for a chargeback. Inquiries usually take 65 to 75 days and can run longer. You cannot add evidence, appeal or speed up the decision, so treat the wait as a cash flow issue and keep your payout record.
Do weekends and public holidays extend the deadline?
We could not verify that they do. Shopify's pages on chargebacks do not say how weekends or public holidays affect the due date, and Australian holidays vary by state. Plan as if they give you no extra time, and aim to submit at least two business days before the date.
What if the customer's bank disputes the same sale again?
If the bank re-disputes the transaction after you win, you receive a new due date and should submit your strongest evidence again. Shopify refers merchants to a separate pre-arbitration guide for this situation. Check the new date on the order and rebuild your pack.
When does Shopify take the money for a chargeback?
For a chargeback, the disputed amount and the fee are debited when the bank files it, not when the deadline arrives. With Shopify Payments, the amount comes from your next available payout, and if a debit fails Shopify tries again 3 business days later.
Start free trial with ChargeFix
ChargeFix helps Australian Shopify merchants keep dispute dates visible and turn their order, delivery and message records into a ready response. You review and file it, or let Auto mode handle them. If the Shopify chargeback deadline keeps sneaking up on you, you can try it on a free trial first.
Sources
- Managing chargebacks in the Shopify admin, Shopify Help Center
- Overview of the chargeback and inquiry process, Shopify Help Center
- Resolving a chargeback or inquiry, Shopify Help Center
- Chargebacks and inquiries, Shopify Help Center
- Chargebacks, Consumer Affairs Victoria
- Chargebacks: prevention and dispute guide for merchants, NAB
- How do card chargebacks work?, CHOICE
01Shopify disputes
02Shopify disputes
03Shopify disputes
04Shopify disputes
05Respond to each dispute reason
06Dispute reasons