A Stripe dispute happens when a cardholder asks their bank to contest a payment to you: Stripe tells you by email and in the Dashboard, takes the disputed amount plus a dispute fee from your balance, and gives you a limited window, usually 7 to 21 days, to accept it or counter it with evidence. The cardholder's bank decides the outcome, not Stripe.
Here's the catch. You get one chance to submit evidence. Stripe forwards your response and files to the bank straight away, and you can't edit it or add anything later. Miss the deadline and you lose automatically. And even if your customer tells you they've withdrawn the dispute, you still need to submit evidence, because a withdrawn dispute can still resolve as a loss if you haven't.
The stages of a dispute
| Stage | What it means, as of October 2026 |
|---|---|
| Early fraud warning | A card issuer flags a payment it suspects is fraud; no response is required, and it can't be withdrawn |
| Inquiry | A pre-dispute request for information, used most by American Express and Discover; answer it or fully refund to avoid a dispute fee |
| Chargeback | A formal dispute; the funds come out of your Stripe balance and are held for the whole dispute |
| Decision | The bank overturns it in your favour and the amount comes back, or upholds it for the cardholder |
Inquiries matter more than they look. They often happen because the cardholder doesn't recognise the transaction description. Stripe warns that not responding can be taken as your acceptance of the claim and lead to a formal, likely unwinnable, chargeback. If an inquiry stays open for 120 days without escalating, Stripe marks it closed, but card networks never send an explicit win for an inquiry.
How long each part takes
Card networks typically let cardholders dispute within 120 days of the payment, and sometimes longer. For things paid in advance, like an event ticket, a holiday booking or a professional services appointment, the window starts on the event date, not the payment date. After a chargeback is created you've usually got 7 to 21 days to respond. If you submit evidence, the bank usually takes 60 to 75 days to decide, so the whole thing can run 2 to 3 months. The only way to speed it up is to accept the dispute.
While a dispute is open you can't refund the payment outside the dispute process. That's where it differs from Stripe refunds on a normal payment.
Responding with evidence, step by step
- Open the dispute from the Disputes tab and check its category. Each category has its own evidence recommendations.
- Read the claim. Where the bank has provided documents, select Review the claim details to see the cardholder's own description.
- Contact the customer if the page offers a way to email them, and keep a record of every message.
- Decide: Accept dispute if you won't contest it, or Counter dispute to open the evidence form.
- On the first page, say why the dispute is in error and what kind of product it was.
- Upload supporting files, one file per evidence type, combining several into one multi-page file if needed.
- Check the background sections, such as shipping, refund policy, customer and product details, then submit.
Stripe's file rules are strict. Keep evidence to a combined maximum of 4.5 MB, and Mastercard evidence to 19 pages. Banks won't review external content, so don't include audio or video, requests to call or email, or links to tracking pages. If you need to show tracking, use a screenshot.
Two shortcuts can help on fraud disputes. If a Visa dispute is eligible for Visa Compelling Evidence 3.0, Stripe tells you and pre-fills much of the evidence from your transaction history, and you shouldn't edit those pre-filled fields. If the payment was covered by liability shift through 3D Secure, Stripe adds that evidence automatically.
Fees and what you get back
I'm not going to quote fees here; they depend on your country and they're on Stripe's own pricing page. What's worth knowing is how they work. A dispute received fee is taken when the dispute opens, and outside Mexico it's non-refundable. Countering adds a dispute countered fee, which Stripe returns if you win. The countered fee doesn't apply to businesses in Mexico and Japan. For the wider picture, here's how Stripe fees work in general.
Talking a customer into withdrawing
Stripe calls settling with your customer and getting them to withdraw the dispute the best way to win it. If you reach a resolution, ask them to contact their card issuer and withdraw, and ask for confirmation, such as an email from their bank. Then submit your evidence anyway. A withdrawn dispute still counts against your dispute rate, doesn't resolve any faster, and looks the same as any other dispute in the Dashboard.
If your fix involves a refund, be patient. You can't refund a disputed charge until the bank decides in your favour, which can take weeks or months. For low-value disputes, Stripe says you can simply accept if it's not worth the time.
Preventing the next one
- Use a clear statement descriptor, such as your website domain or business name. It must be 5 to 22 characters with at least 5 letters.
- Show your full terms and policies at checkout and require customers to agree, not just a checkbox with a link.
- Use tracked shipping with delivery confirmation and share it with customers.
- Keep one Stripe account per business, so each has its own descriptor and contact details.
- Consider delaying physical shipments by 24 to 48 hours, so cardholders have time to spot fraud.
- Refund straight away any payment you're sure is fraud, unless liability shift covers it.
Stripe suggests being quicker to refund suspicious payments if the order isn't fulfilled yet, if your dispute activity is already high, or if you're a new or small business, where one or two fraud disputes can move your dispute rate a lot. Its fraud tool, Stripe Radar, is where your dispute rate by charge date shows.
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Dispute activity and monitoring programs
The Dashboard shows two measures. Dispute activity counts disputes by the date they arrive, and it's what card network monitoring programs use. Dispute rate counts them by the original charge date, which makes it the better guide to which sales went wrong. If your dispute activity stays above a network's threshold, usually for multiple months, the network can place you in a monitoring program with monthly fines and extra fees, and failing to comply can mean the network refuses to process your payments. Programs don't consider refunds or dispute outcomes, only how well you prevent disputes.
My verdict on handling Stripe disputes
I'd answer every inquiry the day it lands, because that's the cheapest point to fix things. When a chargeback comes in, read the claim, talk to your customer, and build one tidy evidence pack before you click submit. I'd accept small disputes you can't win and save your effort for the ones with clear proof.
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Frequently asked questions
How long is the window to respond to a Stripe dispute?
Usually 7 to 21 days after the chargeback is created, depending on the card network. If you don't respond before the deadline, you automatically lose the dispute.
Can I edit my evidence after submitting it?
No. You've only one opportunity to submit your response, and Stripe forwards it to the issuing bank straight away, so assemble everything first.
Can I refund a payment that's being disputed?
Not while the dispute is open. You can't issue a refund outside the dispute process, and you can only refund a disputed charge after the card issuer decides in your favour.
If my customer withdraws the dispute, have I won?
Not necessarily. A withdrawn dispute can still resolve as a loss if you haven't submitted evidence, and it still counts against your dispute rate.
How long does a Stripe dispute take?
The full lifecycle, from initiation to the final decision, can take 2 to 3 months. Accepting the dispute is the only way to end it sooner.
