How long can a customer reverse a SEPA Direct Debit?

Eight weeks with no questions asked, and up to 13 months if they say the debit was unauthorised.

When is a SEPA payment safe to ship against?

Stripe advises waiting at least six business days before treating it as successful, and even then a later dispute is possible.

Do I have to warn customers before each debit?

Yes. The SEPA rulebook requires a notice for each debit; Stripe sends it by email unless you switch that off and send your own.

Bank payments and local methods · Payment methods

SEPA Direct Debit for online stores: how it works and the risks

Checked October 31, 2026

SEPA Direct Debit lets a business pull euros from a customer's bank account anywhere in the EU after the customer gives their IBAN and accepts a mandate. It suits subscriptions, but it is slow and reversible: Stripe says to wait six business days before treating a payment as successful, customers can get a no-questions refund from their bank for eight weeks, and unauthorised debits can be disputed for up to 13 months. Stripe caps each debit at €10,000.

Type: Bank debit pulled by the business under a mandate
Where it works: EU bank accounts (Stripe); IBANs from outside the EEA also need a billing address
Currency: EUR
Confirmation: Delayed: success shows at about 6 business days
Limits: €10,000 per debit; new Stripe users also start with a €10,000 weekly limit
Disputes: No-questions refund for 8 weeks; unauthorised claims up to 13 months; no appeal
Refunds: Up to 180 days, free
Recurring payments: Yes

What PlatformDTC does

PlatformDTC checkout does not collect SEPA Direct Debit; euro-area shoppers subscribe with a saved card, Apple Pay, Google Pay or PayPal, and can use Klarna on one-time orders.

How SEPA Direct Debit works

At checkout the customer types their name and IBAN and accepts a mandate that lets the business debit the account. The SEPA Direct Debit rulebook requires the customer to be told before each debit; Stripe emails that notice by default. Stripe submits debits on the day they are created if before 10:30 CET, then the customer's bank has five business days to refuse the payment, which is when most failures happen.

Risks to plan for

Any debit can be reversed by the customer's bank for eight weeks with no reason needed.
After that, up to 13 months, a customer can still claim the debit was unauthorised; Stripe shows the bank the signed mandate, but the bank decides.
Disputes are final, and a dispute fee is charged.
Refunding a customer does not stop them disputing too, so a double credit is possible. Tell customers when you refund.
A dispute can switch off the mandate, so later renewals need a fresh one.

Failed payments and retries

Common failure reasons are insufficient funds, a closed account, a revoked mandate or a wrong IBAN. Stripe can retry an insufficient-funds failure up to two times within 30 days without a failure fee for those retries.

Frequently asked questions

How long can a customer reverse a SEPA Direct Debit?: Eight weeks with no questions asked, and up to 13 months if they say the debit was unauthorised.
When is a SEPA payment safe to ship against?: Stripe advises waiting at least six business days before treating it as successful, and even then a later dispute is possible.
Do I have to warn customers before each debit?: Yes. The SEPA rulebook requires a notice for each debit; Stripe sends it by email unless you switch that off and send your own.

Sources

SEPA Direct Debit payments — Stripe