An ATM didn't give me my cash but my account was debited. What now?
What the ePayments Code says when an ATM fails to dispense, how to report it to your own bank, and where to escalate.
AI-assisted research and reviewed for accuracy. Something out of date? Let us know.
Report it to your own bank, not the ATM owner, the same day. Under the ePayments Code you are not liable for loss caused by equipment that failed to complete your transaction, and the bank must give you an outcome or tell you it needs more time within 21 days, finishing within 45 days unless there are exceptional circumstances. If it refuses, the Australian Financial Complaints Authority decides, free of charge.
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Are you entitled to the money back?
Yes, if the ATM took the debit but did not hand over the cash, or handed over less than it debited. The bank corrects the account; you do not chase the machine's owner.
The rule is in the ePayments Code, administered by the Australian Securities and Investments Commission (ASIC) and binding on every bank, credit union and building society that subscribes to it, which includes all the major banks. Clause 14.1 says a holder is not liable for loss caused by the failure of a system or equipment provided by any party to a shared electronic network to complete a transaction accepted by the system or equipment in accordance with a user's instructions. Clause 15.2 says your bank must not require you to raise the dispute with any other party to the network, so a machine owned by another bank or an independent operator is still your bank's problem to fix.
Your own bank must investigate, even if the ATM belongs to someone else.
Clause 18.1 gives the bank 21 days from your report to complete the investigation and tell you the outcome in writing, or to tell you in writing that it needs more time. Clause 18.2 requires it to finish within 45 days unless there are exceptional circumstances. If it decides against you, clause 18.5 requires it to give you copies of the evidence, including information from any logs or audit trails, and to tell you in writing whether there was any system or equipment malfunction at the time.
21 days for an outcome or a written request for more time, and 45 days to finish.
Which of these happened?
- Nothing came out, account debited. The clearest case. The ATM's electronic journal will show a dispense error, a jam or a retract, and the cash count will be over by your amount.
- Less came out than you asked for. Same rule: the machine did not complete your instruction. Claim the shortfall.
- Notes appeared, then the machine pulled them back. ATMs retract uncollected notes after a few seconds. The journal records a retract; the bank should still check whether the retracted notes were counted back in before it refuses.
- You left your card in the machine and withdrawals followed. Different clause. Under clause 11.4 you can be liable for those withdrawals if the ATM had reasonable safety features such as card capture; the rules for unauthorised withdrawals are at card transactions I didn't make.
- Business account, or a bank that is not a Code subscriber. The Code may not apply. Your account terms and AFCA's view of what is fair decide instead. Check the ASIC subscriber list.
What should you do first?
Step 1: Record the machine before you leave it
Photograph the ATM, its branding and any terminal ID sticker, and note the exact time and the amount you asked for. Keep the receipt or error slip if one printed. Do not try the withdrawal again at the same machine until you have written these down; a second attempt that works muddies the record.
Check your banking app for the debit and screenshot it with the transaction reference.
Step 2: Ask in writing and set a deadline
Call your bank's card line first so the report is timestamped, then put it in writing through the bank's online dispute or complaints form so the 21-day clock under clause 18.1 is on the record. Attach the photos and the screenshot.
Subject: Failed ATM withdrawal, [date], [amount], account [last four digits]
At [time] on [date] I attempted to withdraw $[amount] from the [bank or operator name] ATM at [address, terminal ID if known]. The machine [dispensed nothing / dispensed only $[amount]] but my account was debited $[amount] (reference [number]).
Under clause 14.1 of the ePayments Code I am not liable for loss caused by equipment that failed to complete my instruction, and under clause 15.2 you cannot refer me to the ATM operator. Please reverse the debit and any fee charged for the withdrawal.
Under clause 18.1 please give me a written outcome within 21 days. If you decide against me, please send the ATM journal and cash balancing evidence as clause 18.5 requires. If the money is not returned I will lodge with the Australian Financial Complaints Authority.
Step 3: Ask what the ATM's records show
The bank or operator will check the machine's electronic journal and whether it balanced that day. An ATM that holds more cash than its log says it dispensed has your money. If the bank says the machine balanced, ask for the journal entry for your transaction and the balancing result rather than taking the summary.
Step 4: Watch for the reversal and the fee
The reversal should appear as a credit for the full amount. If you paid an operator fee for the withdrawal, clause 14.3 means the bank must at minimum refund fees charged for a transaction the equipment did not complete. Ask for it separately if it does not come back with the principal.
What if the bank won't refund it?
Work up this ladder. Nothing on it costs you money.
- Demand the evidence. A refusal must come with the reasons and the Code clauses relied on (clause 18.4), plus the logs and a written statement about any malfunction (clause 18.5). A bank that says "the ATM balanced" without producing the journal has not met the Code.
- Lodge an internal complaint. If you are unhappy with the outcome or the bank is past 21 days with no letter, say you are making a complaint. ASIC Regulatory Guide 271 then requires a written response within 30 calendar days, and the 2025 Banking Code of Practice (paragraph 199) requires the bank to explain any delay and give you AFCA's details.
- Australian Financial Complaints Authority (AFCA). Free for consumers. Lodge at afca.org.au or on 1800 931 678 within two years of the bank's final response, or six years of the withdrawal, whichever is first. AFCA asks both sides for records, gives most weight to documents created at the time, and can direct the bank to refund. AFCA has said complaints are taking longer than usual, so lodge as soon as the bank refuses.
- If the bank runs it through card scheme rules. Some banks recover a failed withdrawal from the ATM operator using the Visa, Mastercard or eftpos dispute process. Clause 19 then applies: the scheme's timeframes replace the 21 and 45 days, the bank must tell you those timeframes in writing, and if it is not resolved within 60 days it must give you the reason and updates every two months.
There is no chargeback you can raise yourself for an ATM withdrawal, and no tribunal step: AFCA is the forum, and its determinations bind the bank once you accept them.
Two years from the bank's final letter to lodge with AFCA.
ATMs keep an electronic journal of every transaction and are counted against it. A machine is "balanced" when the cash inside matches the journal. When your bank investigates it should ask the ATM owner for the journal entry for your transaction and that day's balancing result, not just a yes or no. If there is more cash in the machine than the journal says was dispensed, your money is sitting in it. Clause 18.5 of the ePayments Code entitles you to that evidence if the bank finds against you, so ask for it by name.
What doesn't work
- Calling the number on the ATM. The operator will tell you to go to your bank, and clause 15.2 says that is where the obligation sits anyway.
- Trying again on the same machine straight away. A successful second withdrawal makes it harder to show which debit was the failed one.
- Reporting it weeks later. Journals are retained, but the sooner you report, the easier the balancing check and the faster the reversal.
- Accepting "the ATM balanced" over the phone. Ask for the journal entry and the balancing result in writing; the Code requires the bank to produce them if it refuses you.
- Forgetting the fee. The operator fee for a withdrawal that never happened is refundable too.
Common questions
The ATM belonged to a different bank. Do I have to deal with them?
No. Clause 15.2 of the ePayments Code says your own bank must not require you to raise the dispute with another party to the network. Report it to your bank, which investigates with the ATM owner and reverses the debit. The bank recovers the money from the operator behind the scenes.
How long until the money is back in my account?
Up to 21 days for an outcome, and 45 days at most unless there are exceptional circumstances. Some banks credit the amount provisionally while they check the ATM's records, so ask whether yours will. If the bank says it needs more time, it must tell you in writing.
The ATM gave me less than I asked for. Do the same rules apply?
Yes. Clause 14.1 covers any failure of the equipment to complete your transaction as instructed, so a short dispense is treated the same way as no dispense. Report the exact amount you received and the amount debited, and ask for the shortfall and any fee to be reversed.
The bank says the ATM balanced, so I must have received the cash. What can I do?
Ask for the journal entry for your transaction and the day's balancing result in writing. Clause 18.5 requires the bank to give you the logs and a statement about any malfunction when it finds against you. If it cannot produce them, or the records show a retract or error, take it to AFCA.
Does the ePayments Code cover my bank?
Almost certainly. All the major banks and most credit unions and building societies subscribe, and the subscriber list is on ASIC's website. If your account is a business account, or your bank is not a subscriber, your account terms and AFCA's view of what is fair apply instead.
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