When you hear about the “60-day dispute rule” for credit cards, you're hearing about the Fair Credit Billing Act (FCBA) — the US federal law, at 15 USC §1666, that gives credit card holders the right to dispute billing errors. It is separate from the card networks' 120-day chargeback windows, and in practice it is usually the stricter of the two clocks.
The FCBA generally applies to open-end credit accounts — meaning credit cards and revolving charge accounts. It does not cover debit cards (those fall under Regulation E), and it generally doesn't cover closed-end installment loans like auto loans or mortgages. If your dispute involves a credit card statement, the FCBA is almost certainly the law protecting you.
Passed in 1974 as part of the Truth in Lending Act, the FCBA sets out your rights when something is wrong on a credit card bill — and your creditor's obligations once you complain. Its core promise is simple: if you flag a billing error properly and on time, your creditor must investigate it, and you can withhold payment on the disputed amount while the investigation runs.
The law also shields you from retaliation for using it. While a dispute is open, your creditor generally may not report you as delinquent on the disputed amount, close your account, or restrict it solely because you exercised your FCBA rights.
The FCBA's definition of a billing error is broader than most people expect. It generally includes:
Note what isn't on the list: buyer's remorse. Simply regretting a purchase you authorized is not a billing error under the FCBA.
Here's the deadline that matters: you must notify your creditor in writing within 60 days after the statement containing the error was sent to you. The clock runs from the statement date, not the transaction date — so a charge from early in the billing cycle gives you less real-world time than one near the end.
Two details trip people up:
Include your name, account number, the dollar amount of the suspected error, and a description of why you believe it's wrong. Keep a copy of everything.
Once your written notice arrives, the FCBA sets a timetable your creditor must follow:
While the investigation runs, you may withhold payment on the disputed amount (and related finance charges) without penalty — though you must still pay the rest of your bill. If the creditor concludes no error occurred, it must explain its findings to you in writing. And unlike debit-card disputes under Regulation E, the FCBA does not require your creditor to issue provisional credit during the investigation — though many issuers do so as a courtesy.
These are two separate clocks, and confusing them is the most common deadline mistake:
In practice the 60-day FCBA window is usually the binding one, because issuers are reluctant to pursue a network dispute for a claim that has lost its federal-law footing. The safe approach: satisfy the FCBA's written-notice rule first, well within 60 days — that keeps both doors open.
If your creditor violates the FCBA — ignoring your notice, missing its deadlines, or punishing you for disputing — you can file a complaint with the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB), which is the federal agency that handles these complaints.
The FCBA gives you 60 days from your statement — but the network clock may differ. Get your exact binding deadline computed in under a minute.
No. The FCBA covers open-end credit accounts — credit cards and revolving charge accounts. Debit card and electronic transfer disputes fall under the Electronic Fund Transfer Act (Regulation E) instead, which has its own 60-day statement window and different investigation rules.
The FCBA's protection attaches to written notice sent to your creditor's billing-inquiries address within 60 days of the statement date. Many issuers also accept phone or online disputes — use those for speed — but always follow up in writing to the correct address so the legal clock is satisfied.
Your federal billing-error rights expire, but you may still have options. The card network's chargeback window (generally 120 days from the transaction) can remain open after the FCBA deadline, so file with your issuer anyway and ask specifically about a network dispute.
No. Unlike Regulation E for debit disputes, the FCBA has no provisional-credit mandate — your creditor is not legally required to credit you while it investigates. Many issuers issue temporary credits as a courtesy, but it isn't a right under this law.
While a dispute is open, your creditor generally may not report you as delinquent on the disputed amount or close or restrict your account solely because you exercised your FCBA rights. You must still pay the undisputed portion of your bill on time.
