Under the Fair Credit Billing Act, a U.S. creditor generally has up to 90 days to investigate and resolve a properly submitted billing-error notice.
The Fair Credit Billing Act, enacted in 1974, amended the Truth in Lending Act and created procedures for disputing errors on open-end credit accounts. Examples include unauthorized charges, charges for goods not delivered, and mathematical mistakes.
Consumers generally must send a written notice to the creditor within 60 days after the statement containing the suspected error was mailed. The creditor must acknowledge the notice within 30 days, unless the issue has already been resolved, and must complete the investigation within two billing cycles or 90 days, whichever is sooner.
The 90-day figure is a maximum investigation period, not a guarantee that every dispute takes that long. The law also restricts collection activity on the disputed amount while the investigation is pending.