Amazon's 2026 Holiday Returns Deadline and Your Year-End Books

In brief: Amazon holiday returns 2026 follow the usual pattern. Most items bought between 1 November and 25 December 2026 on Amazon.co.uk and eight EU stores can be sent back until 31 January 2027. Where 30 days after delivery ends later, that later date applies. It covers both FBA and merchant-fulfilled (FBM) orders, and the normal eligibility rules stay as they are. The one change from 2025: France now joins Germany and Italy in a shorter window for some product types.

Amazon holiday returns 2026: dates by store

Store	Bought between	Can be returned until
UK, Ireland, Belgium, France, Germany, Italy, Netherlands, Poland, Sweden	1 November – 25 December 2026	31 January 2027 (or delivery + 30 days, whichever ends later)
Spain	1 November 2026 – 6 January 2027	6 February 2027 (or delivery + 30 days, whichever ends later)
Germany, Italy and France: certain product categories	Within the holiday window	15 January 2027 (or delivery + 14 days, whichever ends later)

Amazon lists the affected categories on separate help pages for each of the three stores. Sellers don't need to opt in or change any setting.

What changed from last year

The 2025 notice limited the shorter 15 January window to the German and Italian stores. In 2026 the French store is added. The rest follows the 2025 pattern: the same purchase dates, a 31 January deadline and a later one for Spain, whose purchase window runs to 6 January. Our 2025 holiday returns article covers the previous season.

A worked example

These figures are illustrative. A VAT-registered UK seller takes £36,000 of sales (VAT included at 20%) between 1 November and 25 December and usually sees 5% of them refunded. That is 36,000 × 5% = £1,800 of refunds.

Suppose two thirds arrive after 31 December. Then 1,800 × 2/3 = £1,200 of refunds fall into January 2027. The VAT inside them is 1,200 ÷ 6 = £200, which comes off the return covering January, not December.

Late deliveries stretch it further. An order placed on 25 December and delivered on 2 January can come back until 1 February.

What it means for your bookkeeping

• December profit looks better than it is. The sales sit in November and December while part of the refunds land in January. With a 31 December year end, a provision for expected returns, based on your usual rate, keeps the two in the same year. Agree the approach with your accountant.
• VAT moves with the refund date. Output VAT falls in the period the refund is made, so a VAT quarter that includes January absorbs the December returns. See how refunds appear on your VAT return.
• Quiet January settlements can go negative. Refunds can outweigh new sales on a small marketplace, leaving a balance you owe Amazon. Here's how to handle a negative Amazon settlement.
• Returned stock needs checking. Returned units go back on sale or, if unsellable, are removed or written off. Either way your closing stock figure changes. If you use FBA Returnless Resolutions, refunded items the customer keeps are a stock loss with no reimbursement.

Do you need to do anything?

No action is needed for the window itself. Before you close December, note your normal return rate by marketplace so any provision has a basis. Expect January payouts to be smaller than December's.

How TrueBooks helps

TrueBooks posts every refund line in your settlements to Xero with the right UK VAT, in the period the refund happens. See how January refunds post to Xero.