> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://docs.getlemma.com/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# Chargebacks

> Understand the chargeback lifecycle on Lemma, when funds are debited, what fees apply, and how disputed money is returned when you win.

A chargeback happens when a cardholder disputes a charge with their card issuer instead of paying it. Visa and Mastercard arbitrate the dispute, and while it runs the disputed funds are held back from your account.

Chargebacks are rare when your card volume comes from payers reimbursing a clinic. They come up more often when a patient disputes a bill they don't want to pay.

## The chargeback lifecycle

<Steps>
  <Step title="An inquiry may come first">
    Some disputes open as an inquiry — the issuer asks for information before
    anything is formally disputed. Your money is untouched at this stage.
  </Step>

  <Step title="The dispute is filed">
    The \$25 dispute fee is charged as soon as the chargeback opens. The disputed
    amount itself is not debited yet.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Lemma reaches out for evidence">
    We contact you for documentation supporting the charge — typically the
    invoice, proof of service, patient consent, and any correspondence with the
    cardholder. Respond within the window we give you; the card networks enforce
    tight deadlines.
  </Step>

  <Step title="The disputed amount is debited">
    Once the dispute is formally opened, the disputed amount is debited from your
    account and appears as its own transaction. Lemma packages your evidence and
    submits it to Visa or Mastercard on your behalf.
  </Step>

  <Step title="The dispute resolves">
    * **You win.** The disputed amount is credited back to your account as a
      separate transaction.
    * **You lose.** The debit stands and the funds stay with the cardholder.
  </Step>
</Steps>

<Note>
  A dispute can be provisionally decided in your favor before it's final. Your
  funds stay held until the issuing bank makes its final decision — a
  provisional win doesn't credit you back.
</Note>

## Fees

The **\$25 dispute fee** is charged as soon as a chargeback is filed, regardless of who eventually wins, and appears as a **Fee** transaction.

The disputed amount is separate from that fee. It stays debited while the dispute is open, is credited back in full if you win, and stays debited if you lose.

## What you'll see

A single chargeback can produce up to three transactions, each on its own line:

* The **dispute fee**, when the chargeback opens.
* The **disputed amount**, debited when the dispute is formally opened.
* The **credit back**, if you win.

Together with the original card payment, that gives your billing team the full history of a disputed payment without stitching statements together.

## Related

* [How card payments show up](/guides/card-acquiring/transactions)
* [Transaction types](/guides/transactions#transaction-types)