FBA Lost Inventory: How to File a Claim (2026 60-Day Rule)
In October 2024 Amazon cut the fulfillment center claim window from 18 months to 60 days — and introduced proactive reimbursement for warehouse losses. What still needs a manual claim now runs on a much shorter clock. Below: every claim window by lane, the exact filing path, and a checklist you can download and work through.
Every claim window, by lane (2026)
The window — and the moment its clock starts — depends on where in the fulfillment process the item went missing:
| Claim lane | Window | Clock starts / runs |
|---|---|---|
| Fulfillment center operations (lost or damaged inside Amazon’s network) | 60 days | from the day the item was reported lost or damaged in your Inventory Defect & Reimbursement portal or Inventory Ledger report |
| Shipment to Amazon (inbound shipments) | 9 months | from the verified delivery date of the shipment to an Amazon or Amazon-operated facility — file once the shipment shows as eligible for investigation in the Status column |
| Removals — lost in transit | 15–75 days | measured from the shipment creation date (15-day grace period for delivery, then a 60-day filing window) |
| Removals — all other | 60 days | from the shipment’s return |
| FBA customer returns (refunded or replaced but not returned / unsellable) | 60–120 days | Amazon waits 60 days for the customer to return the item; claims can be submitted between 60 and 120 days after the refund or replacement date |
| Disputing a reimbursement amount | 60 days | after the reimbursement was issued — via Contact Us in Seller Central |
Source: Amazon Seller Central help — FBA inventory reimbursement policy (G200213130) and its per-lane claim pages: fulfillment center operations (GGEV4254LJJ9BAEG), shipment to Amazon (GEYPWTSQRTXXXMVB), removals (G9ZB3H4DP4H72U6R), and customer return claims (G9N934L7Y4SFWPJ4).
What changed in October 2024: the new windows took effect October 23, 2024, and proactive reimbursement for warehouse-lost inventory followed from November 1, 2024. The 18-months-to-60-days cut for fulfillment center claims was justified by Amazon on the grounds that over 90% of such claims were already being filed within 60 days. (Timeline industry coverage: Helium 10’s policy update note, October 1, 2024.)
How to file a claim, step by step
- Confirm the loss. The Inventory Defect & Reimbursement portal and the Inventory Ledger report both show units reported lost or damaged — that report date is when the 60-day clock starts for fulfillment center claims.
- Check for double recovery. Open the Reimbursements report and confirm these units weren’t already paid. If a reimbursed item is later found and returned to your inventory, Amazon reverses the credit — the ledger has to balance both ways.
- Assemble proof of ownership. An invoice from a supplier, a receipt from another seller, or a signed packing slip if you manufacture — showing the purchase date and product names that match the lost units.
- File in the right lane, inside its window. The portal routes each claim type; follow the requested process exactly — Amazon explicitly reserves the right to decline claims that don’t, and it penalizes sellers who repeatedly submit insufficiently researched or bulk premature requests.
- Track the decision. Approved claims pay per the reimbursement policy (your sourcing cost for pre-order losses). Disagree with a valuation? You have 60 days after the reimbursement is issued to dispute it via Contact Us.
Why claims get denied
Every denial reason maps to a written eligibility condition. The item must have been registered in FBA and compliant when lost; your shipment must have matched the shipping plan; the shipment must not be canceled or deleted; the unit must not be pending disposal or disposed of at your request; the item must not be defective or damaged by the customer; and your account must be in normal status while you file and while the claim is under review — including appeals.
The two denials that surprise sellers most: customer-caused damage (the policy excludes it on the unit, though customer return claims can still pay depending on whether a damage fee was charged to the buyer) and duplicates — claims for units Amazon already reimbursed.
Manual audits vs. paid recovery services
A practical middle path most sellers land on: run the audit yourself on a fixed cadence — pull the Inventory Ledger and Reimbursements report, diff them, file what’s missing. Amazon’s own guidance for the post-2024 windows is to research and file claims every four to six weeks so nothing ages out.
Paid recovery services (and reimburse-software) automate that diff and the filing paperwork, typically for a percentage of recovered funds. That trade is yours to make: if your volume is small, the exporter below plus a calendar reminder covers the requirement; if volume is high or you’d rather never think about it, a service earns its cut. What nobody needs is a missed window — the checklist below exists so the cadence survives busy weeks.
Keep the evidence current with scheduled exports — our free returns report exporter guide walks through setting them up.
The claim checklist
Work through it once per audit cycle. Check items off as you go — then download your progress as a text file and attach it to your claim notes.
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The download is generated in your browser — nothing is uploaded.
Frequently asked questions
What is the 60-day rule for FBA lost inventory?
Since Amazon’s October 2024 policy update, claims for items lost or damaged inside fulfillment centers must be filed within 60 days of the day the item was reported as lost or damaged in your Inventory Defect & Reimbursement portal or Inventory Ledger report — previously the window was 18 months. Claims submitted outside the window are not eligible for reimbursement. Other lanes have their own windows: 9 months for inbound shipment claims, 15–75 days for removals lost in transit, and 60–120 days after refund for customer return claims.
How do I file a claim for lost FBA inventory?
Confirm the loss in the Inventory Defect & Reimbursement portal or Inventory Ledger, check the Reimbursements report so you don’t file a duplicate, assemble proof of inventory ownership (a supplier invoice or receipt showing purchase date and product names), and file through the correct lane while your account is in normal status. Amazon may decline claims submitted without the requested information, and it limits sellers who submit large numbers of insufficiently researched requests.
Why was my FBA reimbursement claim denied?
The common reasons map directly to Amazon’s eligibility conditions: the claim was filed outside the window, the shipment was canceled or deleted, the unit was pending disposal, the damage was customer-caused, your account wasn’t in normal status during review, or you had already been reimbursed — if a reimbursed item is later found and returned to inventory, Amazon reverses the credit.
Does Amazon reimburse lost inventory automatically?
For some losses, yes. Alongside the October 2024 window changes, Amazon introduced proactive reimbursement for warehouse-lost inventory — eligible units are reimbursed without a manual claim. Manual claims still matter for everything the automation doesn’t cover, which is why the 60-day monitoring habit is still required.