Amazon FBA reimbursement claim deadlines
Amazon cut the window for most FBA reimbursement claims from 18 months to 60 days in October 2024, and now pays most warehouse losses automatically. Here are the deadlines that apply today, and how to check the ones Amazon missed before they expire.
By Vedant Agarwal, who builds WidenMargin's toolsUpdated
The deadlines
| Claim | Deadline | Since | Paid automatically? | Check it |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Units lost or damaged in a fulfillment center | Within 60 days of the loss or damage being reported | 23 October 2024 (was 18 months) | Mostly — Amazon has reimbursed most of these automatically since 1 November 2024 | Lost & damaged inventory finder |
| Customer refunded, item never returned | From day 45 to day 105 after the refund | 9 January 2025 (day 60–120 from 23 October 2024; up to 18 months before that) | Usually — Amazon normally reimburses about 45 days after a refund with no return | Refunded-but-not-returned finder |
Why a monthly check is enough — and a yearly one isn't
With 18 months to claim, a once-a-year reconciliation caught everything. With 60 days, a loss Amazon fails to reimburse is only claimable for about two months, so checking once a month keeps every unit inside its window. Most months the check should find nothing — that is the good outcome: Amazon's automatic reimbursements worked.
To read what each Inventory Ledger row means before you claim, see Inventory Ledger reason codes explained; to see everything Amazon has already paid, the reimbursements analyzer groups your reimbursements report by reason and SKU. What each reason means is in reimbursement report reasons explained, and what each return condition means is in customer returns dispositions explained.
Questions about FBA claim deadlines
How long do I have to claim for lost or damaged FBA inventory?
60 days from when the loss or damage is reported in Amazon's systems — the date on the Inventory Ledger row, not the day you notice it. Before 23 October 2024 the window was 18 months, which is why older guides and some tools still say 18 months.
When can I claim for a refund where the customer never returned the item?
Not before day 45 and not after day 105 after the refund, under Amazon's US window since 9 January 2025. From 23 October 2024 until then it was day 60 to 120, which is why some guides still say so. Amazon normally reimburses these on its own at around day 45, so the window exists for the cases it misses.
How much does Amazon reimburse?
Since March 2025, reimbursements for inventory not tied to a customer order are based on the item's manufacturing (sourcing) cost, not its selling price. If Amazon has no cost on file for the product, it uses its own estimate — so keeping your unit costs up to date in Seller Central matters.
What about inbound shipments and removal orders?
They have their own windows under Amazon's FBA inventory reimbursement policy. Check the current policy page in Seller Central Help for those — this page covers only the two windows above, which are the ones the free finders check.
Is there a way to check all of this in one place?
Run the lost & damaged finder on your Inventory Ledger once a month, and the refunded-but-not-returned finder on your settlement and customer returns reports. Both run in your browser, need no login, and date every unit against its window.
Sources: Amazon (Seller Forums, News_Amazon), 23 Oct 2024: 60-day warehouse window, returns day 60–120, removal windows, automatic reimbursement from 1 Nov 2024; Amazon (Seller Forums, News_Amazon), 9 Jan 2025: returns window changed to day 45–105; Amazon (Seller Forums, News_Amazon), 15 Oct 2025: current windows, returns still 45–105; eComEngine: FBA reimbursement policy (manufacturing cost from 31 March 2025); ShipBob: FBA returns (reimbursement when an item isn't returned within 45 days). Checked October 25, 2026. Amazon can change these windows; its FBA inventory reimbursement policy in Seller Central Help is the final word.