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How many days do I have to dispute a bank fraud charge under Regulation E
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The 60-day clock under Regulation E
If someone made an unauthorized electronic transfer from your bank account — a debit card charge, an ACH withdrawal, an unauthorized transfer — Regulation E (12 CFR 1005) gives you 60 days from the date your bank statement was sent to dispute it in writing. That deadline is the one number to remember. Miss it, and you can lose rights the law would otherwise give you.
Why "in writing" matters
Regulation E requires the dispute to be in writing to preserve your rights. A phone call to the fraud line is important and should happen right away, but follow it with a written dispute. Keep a copy of what you send and the date you sent it.
What Regulation E does — and doesn't — cover
- It covers unauthorized electronic fund transfers from your account.
- Transfers you authorized under deception — Zelle, wire transfers, gift cards — are often not covered, even though the money left because someone lied to you.
- Banks sometimes reimburse these anyway, and the CFPB has pressed them to. Do the paperwork regardless — the written record matters for the bank, the credit bureaus, and any later claim.
Other clocks running at the same time
The 60-day Regulation E deadline isn't the only one. Depending on what happened, you may also be working against:
- A card network's chargeback window for a fraudulent card charge.
- The window to place credit freezes and fraud alerts before another account is opened in your name.
- Filing a report with the FTC (identitytheft.gov) and IC3, which can unlock obligations for banks and credit bureaus under the Fair Credit Reporting Act (§§605A, 605B, 609(e)).
- Getting an IRS IP PIN if tax-related identity theft is involved.
- Reporting to the Florida Attorney General and, where relevant, Florida Statute 817.568 on identity theft.
The exact number of days for the chargeback window isn't given here — confirm it directly with your card issuer.
What to do right now
- Call your bank's fraud line today — before the transfer settles, if possible.
- Send the written Reg E dispute within the 60 days from your statement date.
- Ask about the chargeback window for any card charges.
- Place credit freezes and fraud alerts.
- File the FTC report and the IC3 report.
This is not legal advice. Confirm every deadline with your bank and the agencies involved — the Florida AG can be reached at 1-866-966-7226, and AARP's Fraud Watch helpline is 877-908-3360.
What to do next
The free Scam & Identity-Theft Recovery Plan tool reads what happened in your own words — what left, when, how — and computes each deadline from your dates, including the 60-day Regulation E window. It gives you the calls to make, the written dispute language, and the order to do everything in. It is not legal advice and cannot guarantee recovery, but it helps you build the record that matters. Available free in English and Spanish.
Scam & Identity-Theft Recovery Plan is an informational tool based on Regulation E (12 CFR 1005), the Fair Credit Reporting Act (§§605A, 605B, 609(e)), the Fair Credit Billing Act, card-network chargeback rules, and Florida Statutes 817.568 as of 2025–26. It is not legal or financial advice and does not file reports or disputes. Coverage of authorised-but-induced transfers depends on the bank and the network. It is not affiliated with any bank, bureau or agency.