Resolving Disputes FAQ
We want to help your business through the dispute process swiftly and successfully. Here are a few answers to help you better understand and navigate the procedure. If you have any other questions after reading this, feel free to send us an email.
You can view a detailed report of your dispute by heading to your Square Dashboard. From here you will be able view a full breakdown of each disputed charge, submit your response, and provide documentation to help the Disputes Team build a case on your behalf. You can track the status of your dispute, so you’ll know when there has been an update to your case.
You can also follow the link in the dispute notification email we sent you. This will take you directly to the disputed payment within the transactions section of the Dashboard.
In certain cases where you accept a payment from an international card in a different currency, the discrepancy in the amount of your dispute is due to the difference in the currency conversion rates at the time of the original payment versus the time the payment is disputed.
After your customer cancels the dispute, you should check your Square dashboard for updates on your dispute status. Square typically receives notice of customer cancelations within 10 days. If your dispute status has not been updated after that period of time, we would recommend following up with the cardholder to confirm they canceled the dispute.
For security reasons, we can’t share cardholders’ personal information. If you’re unable to recognise your customer, please send us any other information about the sale or your business that may help your case.
Typically, the fastest way to resolve a dispute is to contact your customer. If you’re able to get in touch with them and come to an agreement, follow these directions.
Our team will reach out to you as soon as the card issuer reaches a final resolution. You can visit your Square Dashboard to view the status of a dispute at any time. Here you can also view all documents you have uploaded thus far, and what’s next in the dispute process. Additionally, please feel free to email us to check on the status of a dispute.
You can upload additional information from your online Square Dashboard at any time. Alternatively, if you are having trouble accessing your Dashboard, we can create another form for you. Email us, and we’ll be happy to send one your way.
The information we’re typically looking for is:
- Signed agreement or invoice
- Refund or cancellation policy
- Proof of delivery or services rendered
- Evidence of effort taken to resolve issue
- Descriptive paragraph of the items/services purchased
If you’re unable to locate that email, please check your spam folder. If you still can’t find it, email us and we’ll re-send it.
When the credit card issuer notifies us of your dispute, we place a hold on the disputed funds by either withholding the funds from your Square balance or initiating a debit to your linked bank account.
If the withholding or debit was successful, the funds will be released as a credit to your bank account within three to five business days after the case was resolved.
If the withholding or debit was unsuccessful, the deferred funds will be released back to your Square balance. Your bank account will not be credited. Rather, your Square balance will be adjusted to reflect the resolution because we never collected the funds from you.
Unfortunately, Square cannot assist in getting the funds back—we no longer have rights within the credit card networks to continue challenging this dispute. If at this point you want to pursue the case further, you’ll need to resolve it with your customer directly or seek legal recourse.
When the credit card issuer notifies us of your dispute, they immediately debit Square’s account. We let you know of the dispute right away and also place a hold on the disputed funds by either withholding funds from your Square balance or initiating a debit to your linked bank account.
To access the form and upload files, sign in to your Square Dashboard. Submit only JPG, PDF or TIFF file types. We’re unable to successfully download any other file types.
You can also submit your documentation from your smartphone. Click ‘Choose file’ in the form, and then either take a photo of the documentation or select a photo you’ve previously taken.
If you still can’t view the form, please make sure Javascript is enabled in your browser and is fully up to date. In order to enable Javascript, follow the instructions based on your browser: Firefox, Chrome, Safari. If this information is unhelpful, try using a different browser.
It’s likely that Square was unable to debit your bank account due to the deferred funds from the disputed amount.
Square is unable to communicate with your bank if an attempted debit fails. As a result, communication with your bank was terminated and all transfers to your account have stopped.
You will need to link your bank account to re-establish two-way communication with your bank. You can use your existing bank account, but you will need to go through the linking process again.
Once your bank account is verified, you can expect to see transfers according to our normal transfer schedule.
If you have questions about your payment dispute, contact us.