The ATM screen said the withdrawal succeeded. Your account agrees — the money left. But your hand is empty, or holding less than you asked for. This is not a purchase dispute and it is not a merchant refund: it is a machine error against your own bank, and the route is shorter than most people fear — provided you start with the right institution and put the report in writing. This guide gives the route for the United States, Australia, and India, states exactly which figure comes from which rule, and names honestly the two things no primary source could verify: a retained-card collection deadline, and any refund date. Pair it with the ATM Dispute Route Checker, which computes your deadlines from your dates.
First rule: your own bank, always
In every country here, the first contact is the bank holding your account — not the bank that owns the ATM, not the independent operator, not the network. The reasons differ but the route does not. In the US, Regulation E places error-resolution duties on the financial institution holding the consumer's account (12 CFR 1005.11). In Australia, the ePayments Code goes further and forbids the dodge expressly: clause 15.2 says a subscriber must not require its customer to raise a dispute with any other party to a shared electronic payments network, and clause 15.1 says it must not avoid its Code obligations because another network party caused the failure. In India, the RBI framework makes the account-holding bank the party that reverses the failed transaction, whatever machine dispensed (or failed to dispense) the cash. If a support agent tells you to chase the ATM operator, that is not a second step — it is the wrong step, and the checker's route says so in those words.
The route by country
Country
Report to
Clock that matters
What the rule actually says
United States
Your own bank, as a Regulation E error
Notice within 60 days of the statement showing the error; determination in 10 business days (20 for new accounts); up to 45 days with provisional credit
An incorrect transfer and receipt of an incorrect amount from a terminal are both “errors” under 1005.11(a)(1)(ii) and (v). The 90-day figure exists but is narrow: transfers not initiated within a state, point-of-sale debit transactions, or accounts within 30 days of first deposit (c)(3)(ii). A standard domestic ATM withdrawal is none of those, so its outer limit is 45 days. If the bank requires written confirmation of an oral notice, send it within 10 business days, or provisional credit need not be given.
Australia
Your own bank, under the ePayments Code
Written outcome or notice more time is needed within 21 days; investigation complete within 45 days unless exceptional circumstances
Clause 14.1: the holder is not liable for loss caused by system or equipment failure to complete an accepted transaction. Clause 15.4/15.5: the subscriber told of an incorrect transaction must investigate, correct, and refund fees imposed on the user. One honest label: clauses 18.1/18.2, which carry the 21/45-day windows, are framed for unauthorised transactions; a failed dispense is a malfunction claim under clauses 14/15. Treat 21/45 days as the investigation check-in windows to hold the bank to, and ask which track it is using — if it resolves the dispute under card-scheme rules, clause 19.1 substitutes scheme timeframes and requires a reason, updates every 2 months, and an expected decision date after 60 days.
India
Your own bank, under the RBI failed-transaction framework
Auto-reversal within T+5 calendar days; Rs 100 per day beyond T+5
RBI circular of 20 September 2019: for ATM transactions including micro-ATMs where the account is debited but cash is not dispensed, the failed transaction is auto-reversed within T+5 days (T = calendar date of the transaction), with Rs 100 per day compensation for delay beyond T+5, credited suo moto — automatically, without waiting for a complaint. The circular calls TAT an outer limit and says banks must endeavour quicker resolution. The 30-day complaint point (lodge within 30 days of the transaction to preserve compensation eligibility) is the widely reported companion rule and is labelled as such here, not as circular text.
Worked example (India): a withdrawal fails on October 20 and the account is debited. T+5 is October 25. If the money is still missing on October 28, three days of delay have accrued — Rs 300 in compensation on top of the reversal, credited automatically. If it lands on or before October 25, no compensation arises at all. The checker computes both figures from your dates.
Full, partial, and card retained
Full non-dispense: dispute the whole debit. Partial dispense: dispute only the shortfall — if Rs 10,000 was debited and Rs 6,000 arrived, the claim is Rs 4,000, and saying otherwise weakens the complaint. Card retained: handle the card before the money. Contact the ATM's bank promptly about return, and tell your own bank the same day to block the card if it will not be returned promptly. No primary source states a universal collection window for retained cards, so neither this guide nor the checker invents one — ask both banks, in writing, and keep the reference numbers. If the retained card also came with a wrong debit, dispute that debit separately under the country route above; the two claims must not be allowed to swallow each other.
Across all three scenarios, keep the same evidence: the ATM receipt (even an error slip), a photo of the machine and its location, the statement entry showing the debit, and every reference number with the date and time of each contact. In Australia, ask specifically for the ATM journal and that day's balancing result — clause 16 requires subscribers to be able to generate audit trails that trace transactions and correct errors, and a machine holding more cash than its journal says it dispensed is where the money sits.
What to say, word for word
US: “I am reporting an error under Regulation E, 12 CFR 1005.11. On [date] at [ATM location] my account was debited [amount] but I received [amount]. Please investigate, confirm whether you require written confirmation of this notice, and give me the case reference number and the investigation deadline in writing.” Australia: “Under ePayments Code clause 14.1 I am not liable for loss caused by equipment failing to complete my transaction, and under clause 15.2 you must not require me to raise this dispute with the ATM operator. Please reverse the debit and any fee charged, and tell me whether you are handling this under clause 18 or under card-scheme rules (clause 19).” India: “Under the RBI failed-transaction framework, a failed ATM transaction is auto-reversed within T+5 days, with Rs 100 per day compensation beyond that, credited suo moto. Please reverse the amount and confirm the complaint reference number in writing.”
If the bank says no
US: ask in writing for the explanation and the documents the bank relied on — Regulation E gives you the right to request them — then ask for a second review with any new evidence, such as the ATM journal result. If that still fails, complain to the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, which forwards the complaint to the institution. Australia: make an internal complaint about the decision, citing the clauses, and ask for the reasons and clause references in writing (clause 18.4 requires them for unauthorised-transaction reports); then complain to the Australian Financial Complaints Authority (AFCA), the Code's named external route, if your bank is a member. India: if the bank does not reply within 30 days of your complaint, or its reply does not resolve it, escalate to the RBI Ombudsman under the Reserve Bank — Integrated Ombudsman Scheme (2026), filing within 90 days of the bank's final reply or the end of its reply period.
Frequently asked
Your own bank, in all three countries. The ATM owner is your bank's problem to chase, not yours — in Australia the Code forbids sending you there (clause 15.2).
Determination within 10 business days (20 for new accounts), extendable to 45 days with provisional credit. The 90-day figure applies only to foreign, point-of-sale, or new-account transfers — not a standard domestic ATM withdrawal.
Within T+5 calendar days, with Rs 100 per day compensation beyond that, credited automatically. Complain within 30 days of the transaction (reported companion rule).
No — ePayments Code clause 15.2 forbids it, and clause 14.1 says you are not liable for loss from equipment failure to complete an accepted transaction.
No universal deadline was found in a primary source, so none is stated. Contact the ATM's bank promptly and have your own bank block the card if it will not be returned promptly.
Sources (checked November 1, 2026): Regulation E, 12 CFR 1005.11 (eCFR text) — error definition (a)(1)(ii)/(v), 60-day notice (b)(1)(i), 10/20 business days and 45/90 days (c)(1)–(c)(3), written-confirmation rule (b)(2)/(c)(2)(i)(A), one-business-day correction (c)(1)/(c)(2)(iii); ASIC ePayments Code, effective 2 June 2022 (ASIC PDF) — malfunction liability cl 14.1, network duties cl 15.1/15.2, correction and fee refund cl 15.4/15.5, audit trails cl 16, investigation windows cl 18.1/18.2, card-scheme track cl 19.1, AFCA route p.4; RBI circular DPSS.CO.PD No.629/02.01.014/2019-20, 20 September 2019 (RBI PDF) — ATM auto-reversal T+5, Rs 100/day compensation beyond T+5 credited suo moto, TAT as outer limit; RBI 30-day complaint point as reported by multiple Indian explainers (labelled as summary, not circular text); Reserve Bank — Integrated Ombudsman Scheme 2026 (in force 1 July 2026) as summarised by 2026 explainers — 30-day bank reply window, 90-day filing window.
General information only — not financial or legal advice. Rules vary by account type and bank terms; Australia's Code binds subscribers and covers consumer facilities, and India's framework covers domestic transactions under authorised payment systems. Verify your position with your bank, in writing.
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