Refund Approved but Not Received in India? Steps to Take

If an online seller or marketplace says your refund is approved but the money has not appeared, first find out whether the refund has actually been submitted for payment. An approval message, a payment instruction and a credit in your account are different steps. Get the amount, date, payment method and reference in writing, then ask the bank or payment provider to trace the transaction if the seller says it has sent the refund.

There is no single refund-arrival timeline for every order and payment method. The Consumer Protection (E-Commerce) Rules, 2020 require an e-commerce entity to make payments for accepted consumer refund requests within a reasonable period, or within a period prescribed by applicable law. The rules separately set a complaint-redress timeline for grievance officers. They do not say every cancellation qualifies for a refund or that every approved amount must appear in a bank account within one month.

This guide covers an online purchase refund that has been approved, or a refund request you are trying to resolve. It does not cover income-tax refunds, airline-ticket refunds, business invoices, mistaken transfers, or a payment that failed before the seller confirmed it. For a completed transfer to the wrong UPI recipient, see our guide to a wrong UPI transfer in India. If the issue involved deception or an unauthorised transaction, contact your bank promptly through its official channel and report suspected cyber financial fraud.

Check where the refund is pending

Write down the original order number, the item or service, amount paid, payment method and last four digits or other safe identifier for the account or card used. Keep your invoice, order terms, return or cancellation record, proof of return or delivery where relevant, and the seller's refund approval. Do not send an OTP, PIN, CVV, password or screen-sharing access to anyone claiming they need it to release a refund.

Ask the seller or platform, in writing:

• What amount has been approved, and on what date?
• Has the refund been submitted to the payment provider, or is it still being processed by the seller?
• What payment method and refund or transaction reference were used?
• What processing estimate applies to that method, and which official support channel can trace it?
• If the amount was reduced or the request was denied, what term or reason supports that decision?

If the seller says the refund was submitted, contact the bank, card issuer, UPI app or payment provider using the official number or support route shown in its own app, statement or website. Give it the reference and ask it to trace the credit. Check the original payment account and the relevant card statement. If the credit is missing, ask the provider to register a complaint and give you a complaint number and next update date. Keep its response with the seller's message.

What the e-commerce rules say

Rule 4(10) of the Consumer Protection (E-Commerce) Rules, 2020 says an e-commerce entity must effect payments for consumers' accepted refund requests within a reasonable period, or as prescribed under applicable law. The words “accepted refund requests” matter: the rule does not by itself decide whether a particular order, cancellation or service qualifies for a refund. The purchase terms, reason for the return or cancellation, seller type, payment method and other applicable law may affect the answer.

The rules also require an e-commerce entity's grievance officer to acknowledge a consumer complaint within 48 hours and redress it within one month. For sellers offering goods or services through a marketplace, Rule 6(4)(b) sets a similar grievance-officer timetable. This is a deadline for complaint redress, not a universal bank-credit deadline for a refund. Rule 6(3) also addresses cases where a marketplace seller cannot refuse a refund for defective, deficient or spurious goods or services, goods or services that do not match advertised or agreed characteristics, or late delivery, subject to its stated force-majeure exception. Rule 7(4) provides a corresponding rule for inventory e-commerce entities. These provisions do not make every change-of-mind cancellation refundable.

On 1 January 2027, the Consumer Protection (E-Commerce) (Amendment) Rules, 2026 are scheduled to come into force, as the Department of Consumer Affairs confirmed in its official announcement. The amendment changes a range of e-commerce requirements, including provisions on grievance officers and refund information. This guide describes the 2020 rules in force on 29 October 2026. If you use it on or after the commencement date, check the amended text and any later official guidance.

Escalate with a clear record

1. Write to the seller. Use its official complaint channel. State the order number, amount, refund approval date and reference if available. Ask whether it has submitted the payment and what happens next. Save the ticket number and response.
2. Raise a complaint with the platform. For a marketplace purchase, contact the marketplace as well as the seller. Use the published grievance process, include the seller's details and your records, and request a complaint number. If you need seller contact information to pursue the issue, ask the marketplace in writing.
3. Consider the National Consumer Helpline. The Department of Consumer Affairs describes NCH as a pre-litigation grievance route. Its current contact page lists 1915 and 1800 11 4000, available daily except national holidays from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m.; it also provides online registration and other channels. A registered grievance receives a docket and is forwarded to the relevant company or authority. NCH says a consumer who is not satisfied may approach the appropriate Consumer Commission; the helpline does not guarantee a remedy.
4. Consider the appropriate Consumer Commission if unresolved. The official e-Jagriti portal provides access to the national consumer case filing service. Check its current filing guidance, the commission with jurisdiction and applicable limitation rules before taking that step. Do not assume that writing to the seller, platform, bank or NCH pauses a legal time limit. Get qualified advice promptly if a deadline may be close or the amount is significant.

Keep each message factual. Ask the seller or platform to identify the relevant policy term if it refuses or reduces the refund. A refund approval is useful evidence of what the company decided, but it may not establish when the payment provider received an instruction or what the bank has posted.

Separate an approved refund from a failed payment or fraud

If your account was debited but the payment did not reach the intended seller, or the seller never received confirmation, ask the bank or payment provider whether this is a failed transaction. The Reserve Bank of India's turnaround-time direction for failed transactions sets timelines and compensation for defined transaction types, including specified UPI and IMPS cases. Those rules do not turn a seller's refusal or delay into an approved refund, and they do not automatically apply to every refund processed after a completed purchase.

If someone impersonated the seller, tricked you into transferring money, took over your account or induced you to approve a payment, treat it as possible cyber financial fraud. Contact your bank or payment provider immediately through a verified channel and report it at the National Cyber Crime Reporting Portal or by calling 1930. The Ministry of Home Affairs says 1930 provides assistance in lodging online cyber complaints. Reporting does not guarantee that funds will be frozen or returned. Do not wait for the seller's normal complaint process before reporting suspected fraud.

Keep the evidence together

Make a short timeline with the date, company or person, channel, what was said, reference number and promised next step. Keep the invoice, order terms, return or cancellation proof, seller's refund approval, payment statement, bank trace complaint, platform complaint and NCH docket together. Use official channels and redact account details from copies where possible.

For related record and process questions, see our guides to recovering a rental deposit without a written agreement in India, documents for a money-recovery legal notice in India, and recovering an unpaid freelance invoice without a contract. The freelance guide concerns a business payment rather than a consumer refund.

Before you close the complaint

• Confirm whether the refund was only approved or actually submitted.
• Get the refund reference, submission date and payment method in writing.
• Ask the bank or provider to trace the credit and give a complaint number.
• Raise the issue with the correct seller, marketplace and grievance officer.
• Keep failed payments and suspected fraud in their separate reporting routes.
• Check current rules and deadlines before escalating to a formal commission.

This article provides general information, not legal advice. Refund rights and timelines depend on the purchase, seller or platform, payment method, applicable rules and facts. Confirm the current process with the relevant company or authority and consult a qualified Indian consumer-law professional about a specific dispute.
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