How long does it take to resolve a dispute or claim?

In a Purchase Protection (Item Not Received or Significantly Not as Described) dispute, you can exchange messages with the other party in your Resolution Center to try to solve the problem.

If you’re unable to settle the dispute, you can escalate it to a claim. To escalate a dispute, we often require that at least 7 days have passed since the payment date.

By escalating a dispute to a claim, you’re asking PayPal to investigate and decide the outcome. A dispute will automatically close after 20 days unless it’s been escalated. Closed disputes cannot be reopened or escalated to a claim.

The time it takes us to decide the outcome can vary. It depends on how quickly both parties respond to our enquiries and whether or not we need more information.

We usually reach a decision within 14 days, but some cases can take 30 days or longer.

Keep an eye on your emails and your Resolution Center for updates from us, or requests for more information.