Delivery-app error charges
What is a DoorDash error charge?
Updated · Checked against primary sources
The short answer
A DoorDash error charge is a deduction from a restaurant's payout when a customer reports a missing or incorrect item that DoorDash attributes to the store. DoorDash says the charge ranges from 25% to 100% of the item price plus tax, and a wrong order handed to the Dasher can cost 100% of the subtotal. Admins can dispute it within 14 days.
Key takeaways
- Error charges come out of your payout automatically. Nothing happens unless you dispute.
- DoorDash's stated range is 25% to 100% of the item price plus tax (DoorDash).
- Late deliveries, no-shows and temperature complaints typically do not produce an error charge.
- If the customer reports 72 hours or more after delivery, DoorDash absorbs the cost instead of you.
- Only an Admin or Store Manager on your account can dispute, and third parties are not allowed to.
When DoorDash charges the restaurant, and when it does not
DoorDash charges the restaurant when the problem looks like a preparation or packing error: missing items, incorrect items, or the wrong order handed to the Dasher. It says late deliveries, no-shows and temperature issues typically do not generate error charges, and it absorbs the cost when a customer reports 72 hours or more after delivery (DoorDash Merchant Help).
| Situation | Who pays | Typical amount |
|---|---|---|
| Missing or incorrect item | Restaurant (error charge) | 25% to 100% of item price + tax |
| Wrong order handed to Dasher | Restaurant | 100% of subtotal + tax, net of commission |
| Late delivery, no-show, cold food | Typically not the restaurant | No error charge |
| Customer reports 72+ hours after delivery | DoorDash | No error charge |
Where error charges show up
Error charges appear in the Merchant Portal under Financials, then Transactions, filtered to "Error charge". A downloadable Financial report with "Error Charges and adjustments" checked gives you a CSV you can review weekly, and Insights, then Operations Quality, shows the missing and incorrect error charges by item.
Step by step
- Pull the week's error charges. Financials > Transactions, filter "Error charge", or schedule the Financial report CSV.
- Match each charge to evidence. Pack photo, printed ticket with the order ID, camera timestamp of the bag handoff.
- Dispute inside 14 days. Open the order and choose Dispute Charge. DoorDash says decisions usually arrive within a few hours.
Common mistakes
- Reviewing charges monthly. By the time the statement is reconciled, most of the 14-day window is gone.
- Handing a recovery vendor your portal login. DoorDash's terms make you responsible for damages from shared credentials.
- Disputing everything. DoorDash has no fixed limit but can temporarily disable disputing on unusually high volume, usually for about 72 hours.
Frequently asked questions
- Can I dispute a DoorDash error charge after 14 days?
- Not through the self-serve dispute button, which requires the delivery to be within the last 14 days. DoorDash's help page says to contact Support for older orders, and its merchant terms ask you to raise any transaction dispute within 14 days.
- How long does a DoorDash dispute take?
- DoorDash says it usually decides within a few hours. The order shows a yellow "Dispute under review" tag, then green for approved or red for denied.
- Can a recovery company dispute DoorDash charges for me?
- No. DoorDash states that using third parties to submit error charge disputes goes against its Portal terms of use. A service can prepare evidence, but the restaurant's own Admin or Store Manager has to file.
Run your own numbers
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Send exports, not logins: processor statements, payout reports, delivery-app CSVs and payroll summaries. We return a written list of what looks recoverable, what each item is worth, and which deadlines are still open. If something is worth pursuing, we quote the recovery before you commit to anything.
Request a free leak scanRelated questions
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Go deeper
- GuideDoorDash Error Charges: How to Dispute ThemDoorDash error charges take 25% to 100% of an item off your payout, and you get 14 days to dispute. The exact portal steps, evidence and weekly routine.
- GuideUber Eats Error Charges: How to Dispute ThemUber Eats order error adjustments come off your payout and you get 30 days to dispute. The charges Uber says it won't pass on, and the evidence that wins.
- GuideGrubhub Error Charges: How to Dispute AdjustmentsGrubhub order adjustments charge customer refunds to your store. You get 30 days to dispute by portal, email or phone. The rules, denial traps and evidence.
- GuideRestaurant Profit Leaks: The Full Recovery AuditEvery place a restaurant loses recoverable money, ranked by size, filing deadline and who can file: tip credits, card fees, supplier invoices, delivery apps.
Terms on this page
- Error charge (DoorDash)
- DoorDash's deduction from a restaurant's payout for a missing or incorrect item it attributes to the store, from 25% to 100% of the item price plus tax. Disputable within 14 days.
- Order error adjustment (Uber Eats)
- Uber Eats' charge to a restaurant for missing items, incorrect items or incorrect orders, at the food sales cost including tax. Disputable within 30 days of the order date.
Sources
- DoorDash Merchant Help: What are order error adjustments?
- DoorDash Merchant Terms of Service, sections 1-11
Cite this page
Pavado, “What is a DoorDash error charge?”, https://www.pavadotech.com/restaurants/questions/what-is-a-doordash-error-charge, updated 2026-09-23.