H&M return policy: How it works and how long refunds take

The Budget Fashionista provides this review of the H&M return policy for informational purposes only. These policies are subject to change.

Love to shop at H&M? It’s easy to see why: the fast-fashion mall giant and e-tailer consistently delivers trendy styles at affordable prices. The only problem is when those new pieces don’t suit you as well as you expected. Find out what you need to know about returning unwanted items to H&M and getting a refund.

H&M return policy basics

H&M has a 30-day return window, which is fairly standard among apparel retailers. You can get a refund if:

1. You return the unwanted items within 30 days of delivery or purchase.
2. You have proof of purchase, such as a receipt.
3. The items have all tags and labels attached, and they’ve not been damaged, stained, worn, washed, or altered.

Items you purchased in a store must be returned to a store. Online purchases can be returned for free in an H&M store or by mail using H&M’s prepaid label. There is a return shipping fee of $3.99, which gets deducted from your refund.

If you miss the 30-day deadline or you don’t have the original receipt or order confirmation, H&M will not accept the return.

Holiday returns

Items you purchased between Nov. 1, 2025, and Dec. 25, 2025, can be returned for a refund with a valid receipt until Jan. 31, 2026.

If you only have a gift receipt for the item, you will be refunded in store credit.

Exchanges

Exchanges must be done in an H&M store. You cannot request an exchange online or by mail.

Refunds

Refunds are sent to the original form of payment. H&M refunds card payments in 14 days. The retailer doesn’t provide a timeline for refunds to H&M gift cards, Klarna, or PayPal. If you are returning an item you bought using Klarna’s Pay Later, first report the return from your Klarna Purchases page within your H&M account.

H&M return policy exceptions and special rules

Pay attention to these exceptions, which could trip up your ability to get a refund.

1. Glen Martens x H&M items have a shorter return window. These must be returned within three days for in-store purchases and seven days for online purchases.
2. Perfect Moment x H&M items must be returned within seven days of purchase or delivery.
3. Other special collections may also have separate return terms. Check your receipt or order confirmation for details.
4. Furniture must be disassembled and returned in original packaging by mail.
5. Hosiery, panties, shoes, swimwear without the hygienic seal, opened makeup, earrings, face masks, and anything marked “Final Sale” cannot be returned or exchanged.
6. Gift cards cannot be returned or exchanged.
7. Some items purchased in a store may have to be returned by mail. The H&M return policy doesn’t identify what products these may be, so you won’t find out until a store staff member tells you.
8. H&M can deny “excessive receipted and non-receipted returns.” This means you should not take home 20 items and expect to get refunded for all of them (after you’ve taken a bunch of pictures for your feeds without removing the tags).

How to make an H&M return

Here’s how to return unwanted items to H&M.

1. In-store. If you bought the item in a store, collect the receipt and whatever card you used to buy those items. Take those and the unworn piece back to any H&M location. You can go to any H&M store except the Puerto Rico location. You can only return items in Puerto Rico if you originally bought them in Puerto Rico.
2. By mail. Visit the H&M Returns Portal. Package the items, download the QR code or the return label provided by the returns portal. You can take the package to any post office with the QR code. Or, if you print the label, apply it to the package, and drop the parcel at any USPS mailbox.

Does H&M have a good return policy?

The Budget Fashionista rates the H&M return policy as average, with a score of 3.7 points out of 5. H&M charges a $3.99 fee for mailed returns, which isn’t ideal, but the fee is low compared to other apparel retailers.

Our Return Policy Score™ score evaluates the key return policy factors shoppers care about most: return window length, condition requirements, refund method, shipping costs, in-store return flexibility, marketplace transparency, processing speed, and overall policy clarity. Each category is rated on a 1 to 5 scale based on how generous, convenient, and easy to understand the policy is. The final score is an average of all categories.

You can find the official H&M return policy here.