Shopify Refund Policy: Write It and Keep It in Sync
A Shopify refund policy is the page in Settings > Policies that tells customers when they can return items and how they get their money back. The fastest way to a correct one in 2026 is to set your return rules first (window, return shipping, restocking fee, final sale items) and turn on Use automated policy, so Shopify writes the return and refund policy from those rules and updates it whenever you change them. Writing it by hand is still possible, but then keeping the text and the rules in agreement is your job.
The settings come from Shopify’s pages on store policies and return and cancellation rules (read October 23, 2026). Nothing here is legal advice; Shopify’s own templates carry the same warning.
Decide the rules first
Every line of a refund policy answers one of these questions, and Shopify’s return rules (Settings > Policies > Return and cancellation rules) have a setting for each:
| Decision | Shopify’s options | Our view |
|---|---|---|
| How long customers can return | 14, 30 or 90 days, unlimited, or a custom number of days | 30 days is easy to read; a shorter window needs a reason you can state |
| When the window starts | Item’s delivery or Delivery of last item in order | “Last item” gives one deadline per order, which is simpler to explain |
| Weekends and holidays | Extend to account for weekends or holidays | Turn it on; it moves the last day to the next business day |
| Different windows for some products | Return window overrides by collection, product or variant (shortest wins if several apply) | Use for clearance (shorter) or furniture (longer) |
| Who pays return shipping | Free return shipping, a flat fee per return, or the customer buys the label | Decide from your margin, then state it plainly |
| Restocking fee | A percentage of the return, editable per return and per item | Only if you can explain why; fees are not deducted from refunds automatically |
| Items that cannot be returned | Final sale products or collections (not both in one rule; bundles cannot be final sale) | Perishables, custom-made items, personal care, deep discounts |
| Canceling before shipping | Cancellation rules for unfulfilled items | Say whether and until when customers can cancel |
| Rules per country | Extra rules per market (early access, selected merchants) | Needed if EU and US customers get different terms |
Three details from Shopify’s notes:
- EU customers. Shopify’s Help Center says that if you sell to the European Union, the window should be at least 14 days and start from Delivery of last item in order, so customers can use their right of withdrawal after the final item arrives.
- Changes apply to future orders only. A customer who bought under a 60-day window keeps it after you switch to 30.
- Return rules apply to every order type, including B2B. You cannot give B2B orders separate rules.
Our guide to Shopify return rules goes through each setting in detail.
Let Shopify write and update it
Automated store policies generate the text from your store settings and keep it current. For the return and refund policy, the return terms come from your return rules.
- Go to Settings > Policies.
- In Written policies, click the return and refund policy.
- Turn on Use automated policy.
- Read the generated text.
- Click Save.
Each policy is automated separately; turning on the return policy does not automate your shipping policy or terms of service.
On an existing store, be careful: turning automation on replaces the current text with Shopify’s template, including custom translations in languages that have one. Copy your old wording first if any of it matters.
After that, the policy follows your settings. Change the return window from 30 to 14 days, and the published policy changes with it. Where a detail in the policy has an edit action, it opens the setting it comes from, so you fix the source instead of the text.
What automation does not do: Shopify warns that its templates may not reflect the latest laws and may need additions if you sell subscriptions, regulated products such as alcohol, or products with market-specific rules (cosmetics, electronics, children’s products, food-contact materials). And if a returns app handles your returns, check that the automated policy matches the rules and instructions in that app, since the policy reads Shopify’s rules, not the app’s.
Return windows set in the rules can also appear on your product pages in the Shop app (an early access feature). A policy written only as free text, without a configured window, does not show there.
Write it yourself
Turn off Use automated policy to edit the text. The current content stays, but it stops updating, and turning automation back on overwrites your version. You can use HTML, and Sidekick can insert a template and reword it, with nothing saved until you click Save.
A structure that covers the decisions above (a starting point, not legal advice):
Returns. You can return most items within 30 days of delivery of the last item in your order. Items must be unused and in their original packaging. Items we cannot accept. Final sale items, gift cards, custom-made products and opened personal care products. Return shipping. Return shipping costs $X per return and is deducted from your refund. [Or: Returns are free; use the label we email you.] Refunds. We refund to your original payment method within X business days after we receive and check the item. Exchanges. [How exchanges work, or that you refund and the customer reorders.] Cancellations. You can cancel an order until it ships by contacting us at [email]. How to start a return. [Customer account link or contact address.]
Keep the numbers in the text identical to the numbers in your return rules. If self-serve returns are on, customers see an estimated refund calculated from the rules, and any gap between that figure and your written policy turns into a support email.
Show it where customers look
- Add the policy to your footer menu (Content > Menus).
- Mention the return window near the add-to-cart button on product pages; the Shop app does this for you when it can read your rules.
- Shopify keeps two years of past policy versions; export them under Settings > Policies with Get past policies if you ever need to show what applied to an old order.
The policy often shows your address and phone number, so use business contact details: Shopify suggests a PO box or a forwarding number if you work from home, while noting that some legal disclosures need a physical address. For handling the returns themselves, see Shopify returns and self-serve returns; the shipping and returns hub has the rest.
FAQ
Does Shopify require a refund policy? Shopify treats the return and refund policy as one of the store policies you manage in Settings > Policies, and says you are responsible for following what you publish. Whether the law requires one depends on the countries you sell to.
Can Shopify generate a refund policy for me? Shopify’s automated store policies generate the return and refund policy from your return rules and keep it updated when the rules change. You turn it on with Use automated policy.
What is a restocking fee on Shopify? A restocking fee is a percentage of the returned items that you can charge, set in your return rules. Shopify shows it when a return is created, but you deduct it manually when you issue the refund.
Can I have different return rules for different countries? Rules per market are in early access for selected merchants; where available, customers in different markets can get different windows and fees. Self-serve returns stay a store-wide setting.