# Respond to a dispute

When an issuing bank reverses one of your payments, the case appears in the **Disputes** section of your [MONEI Dashboard](https://dashboard.monei.com/). This page explains how to read a dispute, what evidence to attach, and how to file your answer. For what a chargeback is and what it costs, see [Chargebacks and reversals](https://docs.monei.com/fraud-prevention/chargebacks/.md).

warning

You can file **one** response per chargeback. It can't be changed, added to, or withdrawn afterwards, and it must be filed before the deadline. Read the whole page before you file.

## Find a dispute[​](#find "Direct link to Find a dispute")

Open **Disputes** in the Dashboard sidebar. Each row shows the disputed amount, the status, the reason given by the issuing bank, the response deadline, and the date the dispute arrived. Select a row to open the case.

![Disputes list in the MONEI Dashboard on the Open tab, showing the disputed amount, status, reason, response deadline and date for each case](/img/dashboard/en/disputes-list.png)

Disputes list in the MONEI Dashboard on the Open tab, showing the disputed amount, status, reason, response deadline and date for each case

Four tabs group the cases by what you can do about them:

| Tab       | What it holds                                                                             |
| --------- | ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- |
| Inquiries | Questions from the issuing bank. No money has moved and there's nothing to answer.        |
| Open      | Cases you can still act on — awaiting your response, or under review after you responded. |
| Closed    | Finished cases: won, lost, and cases settled before they became a chargeback.             |
| All       | Every case.                                                                               |

**Open** is the tab you land on. You can also narrow the list by payment ID, reason code, card scheme, payment method, or ARN — the reference the card networks use to track the payment between the two banks.

info

Disputes are real-money cases only, so the section is hidden in test mode and you can't create one to try the flow. It's also permission-gated: a role without dispute access doesn't see the section at all, and viewing a dispute doesn't by itself allow answering it. Ask an account administrator if the section is missing.

## Read the status[​](#status "Direct link to Read the status")

The status tells you whether a response is possible and what happens next.

| Status               | Meaning                                                                                                                                                           |
| -------------------- | ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- |
| Inquiry              | The issuing bank has asked about the payment. No funds have been taken back, and evidence sent now is rejected.                                                   |
| Inquiry under review | The bank is still looking at its own question. Nothing to do.                                                                                                     |
| Closed               | The case ended without becoming a formal chargeback. Check the case itself for what happened to the money — some are settled by refunding the cardholder.         |
| Needs response       | The funds have been pulled back. You can answer until the deadline.                                                                                               |
| Response filed       | Your answer is with the bank. Nothing more can be sent.                                                                                                           |
| Under review         | The bank is examining your answer.                                                                                                                                |
| Won                  | The case was decided in your favor and the amount returns to you on the payout that follows the decision.                                                         |
| Lost                 | The amount stays with the cardholder. Any fees already charged are not refunded — see [chargeback fees](https://docs.monei.com/fraud-prevention/chargebacks/.md). |

An inquiry can become a formal chargeback later. If it does, the status changes to **Needs response**, a deadline appears, and you can write your argument then.

Closed does not always mean no money moved

**Closed** covers more than a dropped inquiry. A dispute can also be settled before it ever becomes a chargeback, through a card-network prevention service — Visa's Rapid Dispute Resolution or a Mastercard Ethoca alert. Settling it means the cardholder is refunded — sometimes automatically, sometimes by someone issuing the refund — and because it is not booked as a MONEI refund, the amount reaches you as a deduction on your payout. Nothing is owed on top: no chargeback or dispute fee applies and the case does not count toward your chargeback rate. Open the case to see which of these happened — the response section states it.

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## The deadline[​](#deadline "Direct link to The deadline")

The **Response deadline** on the dispute is the last day an answer is accepted. The window closes at the **end of that day, UTC** — so a dispute due today can still be answered today. Once it passes, nothing can be sent and the money stays with the cardholder. The Dashboard highlights a deadline within seven days, and marks one that has passed.

Don't leave it to the last hours. Gathering proof of delivery or customer correspondence usually takes longer than expected.

## Write your argument[​](#argument "Direct link to Write your argument")

Open the dispute and use the **Evidence and response** card.

![A dispute open in the MONEI Dashboard, with the dispute details, the payment, the saved argument and its attached evidence, and the timeline](/img/dashboard/en/dispute-detail.png)

A dispute open in the MONEI Dashboard, with the dispute details, the payment, the saved argument and its attached evidence, and the timeline

1. **Write your argument** in the text box — up to 20,000 characters. Explain why the payment is valid and refer to the files you attach.
2. **Write it in the response language shown on the dispute.** This is set by the bank that handles the case, not by the language your Dashboard is in. An answer in any other language is treated as no answer at all.
3. **Select "What documents can support my case?"** for guidance on the specific reason code — what the cardholder is claiming, and which documents usually answer it.
4. **Select Save draft.** You can save as often as you like, and come back later. Saving is not filing: a draft is never sent for review.

## Attach evidence[​](#evidence "Direct link to Attach evidence")

Drop your files onto the evidence list, or select the list to browse for them. The limits come from the bank that assembles your response:

| Limit        | Value               |
| ------------ | ------------------- |
| Files        | 10                  |
| Total size   | 25 MB               |
| Merged pages | 1,000               |
| File types   | PDF, JPEG, PNG, TXT |

warning

**WebP images are not accepted.** Your response is assembled into a single PDF, which can't carry WebP. Convert those images to PNG or JPEG before you attach them.

The file count and total size are checked as you upload. The page limit is only checked when you file, so keep long PDFs short enough to leave room.

Useful evidence depends on what the cardholder is claiming, but it's usually some of:

* Proof of delivery or collection, with a tracking reference and a date.
* The order confirmation, invoice, and the itemized description the customer saw.
* Emails or messages with the customer, including anything showing they had the goods.
* Your published terms, refund policy, and cancellation policy.
* Evidence of earlier undisputed payments from the same customer, account, or device.
* For a claim about quality, photos or specifications of what was actually sent.

## File your response[​](#file "Direct link to File your response")

When the draft and its files are ready, select **File response** and confirm. Your bank may call this a representment.

Filing is unavailable while anything about the response is still in motion — unsaved changes in the text box, a file still uploading, or a file still being removed. Save your draft and let uploads finish first. A response with no written argument is rejected, so the argument must be saved before you can file.

danger

Filing can't be undone. Only one response per chargeback is accepted, so a second attempt is rejected, and neither the argument nor the files can be changed once filed. The dispute fee applies whatever the outcome.

After filing, the card is read-only. Your argument and files stay on the case for your records, and the result appears in the dispute's timeline.

## What it costs[​](#fees "Direct link to What it costs")

A **€15 chargeback fee** applies when the dispute is raised. Choosing to contest it adds a **€10 dispute fee**. **Neither is refunded even if you win** — you recover the transaction amount, never the fees. See [Pricing](https://docs.monei.com/manage-account/monei-fees/.md).

That makes filing a judgment call on low-value disputes: contesting a €12 payment costs more than letting it go. Contest the cases you can evidence.

## Common questions[​](#faq "Direct link to Common questions")

### Why can't I see the Disputes section?[​](#no-section "Direct link to Why can't I see the Disputes section?")

Either you're in test mode — disputes are live-only — or your role doesn't include dispute access. Switch to live mode, or ask an account administrator to check your permissions.

### I can see the dispute but there's no response form[​](#cannot-respond "Direct link to I can see the dispute but there's no response form")

Answering a dispute needs a separate permission from viewing one. Your role can read the case and whatever has been written so far, but not answer it. Ask an account administrator to file the response before the deadline.

### Can I answer an inquiry to get ahead of it?[​](#answer-inquiry "Direct link to Can I answer an inquiry to get ahead of it?")

No. Evidence sent for an inquiry is rejected. Wait until it becomes a formal chargeback — the status and a deadline will tell you when you can act.

### Can I add a file after filing?[​](#add-after-filing "Direct link to Can I add a file after filing?")

No. The response is one-shot. Attach everything before you file.

### Can I refund a disputed payment instead?[​](#refund-instead "Direct link to Can I refund a disputed payment instead?")

No. Once the issuing bank has pulled the funds back, the payment can no longer be refunded — a refund would return the money a second time. The Dashboard removes the refund action from a disputed payment.

### The deadline passed and I never responded[​](#missed-deadline "Direct link to The deadline passed and I never responded")

The case closes against you and the funds stay with the cardholder. Any draft you saved is kept on the case for your records but can no longer be filed.