An ACH dispute is a customer asking their bank to take back a debit from their account. Stripe says customers can generally dispute a payment for up to 60 calendar days after a debit on a personal account, or two business days for a business account. Disputes in those windows are final and can't be contested through the ACH network. You resolve them directly with the customer. On Stripe, a disputed ACH payment costs $15. A dispute also invalidates the customer's mandate, so you need a new authorization before you debit that account again.
What is an ACH dispute?
It is the bank-account version of a chargeback. The account holder tells their bank a debit shouldn't have happened, and the bank sends the money back. On Stripe it shows up as a dispute on the payment, with an email, a Dashboard alert and a charge.dispute.created event.
How long does a customer have to dispute an ACH debit?
From Stripe's ACH Direct Debit docs:
| Account type | Window |
|---|---|
| Personal (consumer) account | Up to 60 calendar days after the debit |
| Business account | Up to two business days |
Stripe says that in rare cases a debit can be disputed after these windows. This is called a late return, and the banks involved decide it at their discretion.
Can you fight an ACH dispute?
Not the way you fight a card chargeback. Stripe says disputes received in those windows "are considered final and uncontestable through the ACH network," and "unlike credit card disputes, all ACH Direct Debit disputes are final with no process for appeal." If a customer disputes a payment, you contact them directly to sort it out.
There is one exception. Sometimes a customer's bank sends an inquiry asking for proof that the customer authorized the debit. Nacha rules require you to provide that proof on request. If you use Stripe-hosted mandates, Stripe answers with a copy of the authorization automatically. With custom mandates, you upload the evidence yourself, once, before the deadline. See ACH authorization.
What does an ACH dispute cost?
On Stripe's pricing, a disputed ACH payment costs $15. Stripe says dispute fees are non-refundable whatever the outcome. You also lose the disputed amount. Example: a customer disputes one $1,108.33 installment. Stripe takes back $1,108.33 and charges $15.
What happens to the rest of a payment plan?
The authorization stops working. Stripe says a dispute "invalidates the mandate associated with the payment method and you can't reuse it." Before you debit the account again you have to resolve the dispute with the customer and collect a new mandate. If they dispute a later payment, Stripe blocks the bank account from further use.
On a 12-payment plan, one dispute can stop every later scheduled bank payment until the customer authorizes again. Plan for it:
- Talk to the customer the same day. The dispute is final, so the fix is agreement, not evidence.
- Collect a new authorization for the remaining balance, or another way to pay.
- Update the schedule so the next debit doesn't go out on a dead mandate.
Should you refund before a dispute arrives?
Be careful. Stripe warns that a refund doesn't stop a dispute, and if you refund while the bank is also processing a dispute, the customer may get two credits for the same payment. Stripe suggests telling the customer you are refunding so they don't also go to their bank.
How is an ACH dispute different from a return?
A return is the bank sending a debit back for a processing reason, such as insufficient funds or a closed account. A dispute is the customer saying the debit wasn't authorized or wasn't right. See ACH returns on payment plans.
Every figure on this page was checked against these sources on Oct 6, 2026. General information, not legal or tax advice.