Home Depot and Lowe’s both give most purchases 90 days, but the better policy depends on the product. Lowe’s offers limited 30-day exceptions for items normally subject to its 48-hour rule, including major appliances. Home Depot gives more time for several equipment categories and most plants. Special orders, opened products, and purchases without verifiable receipts create further differences.
For a home improvement project, those details matter. An extra box of hardware, an unopened refrigerator, and a custom window covering can follow three different rules at the same retailer. Choosing a store because its website says “90 days” can leave you expecting a refund that the item does not qualify for.
This comparison covers the retailers’ U.S. policies. For instructions on one store, see our Home Depot return policy and Lowe’s return policy guides.
Home Depot vs Lowe’s at a glance
On a phone, swipe the table sideways to see both stores.
| Return question | Home Depot | Lowe’s |
|---|---|---|
| Standard window | 90 days for most merchandise with proof of purchase | 90 days for most new, unused merchandise with proof |
| Qualifying credit accounts | 365 days, with category exceptions | 365 days, with category exceptions |
| Major appliances | 48 hours; weekends excluded; sealed items included | Initiate within 48 hours; limited 30-day exceptions |
| Paint sprayers | 30 days, unused and factory sealed | Normally 48 hours; limited exceptions |
| Most plants | 90 days | 30 days |
| Trees, shrubs and perennials | One-year guarantee; store credit after 90 days | One year with receipt |
| Special orders | Possible 15% restocking fee | Configured orders: 20% after 72 hours |
The table is a starting point. Condition, purchase channel, and the exact product still determine eligibility. Read Home Depot’s policy and Lowe’s policy for the terms applying to your purchase.
The standard 90 day return window
For ordinary unused merchandise, the stores are closely matched. Lowe’s explicitly describes its standard policy as 90 days from the original purchase date for most new, unused merchandise. Home Depot provides 90 days for most merchandise with proof of purchase, subject to its exceptions and return approval.
For an online Home Depot order, use the eligibility in Order Details and avoid assuming that delivery automatically resets the standard clock. Its category rules specify separate starting points for some purchases, particularly appliances.
A sensible approach is to separate your project purchases as soon as they arrive. Keep unopened surplus supplies together and retain their receipts. Put appliances and equipment on a separate reminder because those items may need action much sooner.
If a project is delayed, review return dates before another month passes. Buying supplies well before installation gives you time to prepare, but it also uses time you might need to return an incorrect size or an unnecessary quantity. Home Depot’s standard rule and Lowe’s standard rule explain the scope.
Credit accounts can extend eligible returns
Both retailers offer a 365-day window for qualifying credit-account purchases. Home Depot names its Consumer Credit Card, Pro Xtra Credit Card, and Commercial Account. Lowe’s names several consumer and business accounts, including the MyLowe’s Rewards Credit Card and designated Pro credit products.
Paying with an ordinary bank card or joining a free rewards program does not establish that benefit. Check the payment method on the actual transaction. Lowe’s Pay financing also does not qualify for Lowe’s credit-card return extensions.
The important limitation is the product category. Home Depot expressly keeps its 48-hour, seven-day, and 30-day products outside the general year-long benefit. Lowe’s also retains exceptions and gives certain qualifying purchases a separate 30-day extension under its 48-hour rules.
If you bought an appliance on a store card, find that appliance’s terms before relying on “365 days.” Keep the transaction record with the order agreement so an associate can identify the purchase and the payment account together. Compare Home Depot’s credit-account exceptions with Lowe’s qualifying accounts.
Appliance returns favor Lowe’s in limited situations
Lowe’s has more flexibility for some appliance purchases, but both stores require quick action. Its normal rule requires initiating a return within 48 hours of delivery or pickup. A limited exception allows 30 days for items in original, unopened, undamaged, factory-sealed packaging, or unused when not sold in packaging. Named credit and other payment arrangements can also qualify for a 30-day exception.
Home Depot’s major-appliance rule is stricter about sealed merchandise: the 48-hour limit includes unopened, unused, factory-sealed items. Its policy excludes weekends when calculating the appliance period. Report damage or defects through Customer Solutions at 1-800-455-3869 promptly.
That makes a sealed appliance you decide against an important comparison case. Lowe’s published exception may offer a route beyond the initial two days. Home Depot’s sealed-item wording prevents you from treating an untouched carton as an automatic reason for extra time.
Before delivery, measure the installation space, doorway, and access route. At delivery, inspect the appliance and packaging. Photograph visible damage and ask the delivery team about your options before accepting a damaged unit. Keep a record of when you contacted the retailer, including the case number and the remedy requested.
For an accepted return, arrange transport with the retailer before moving a refrigerator or washer yourself. An appliance can meet the deadline while still requiring a particular pickup or processing route. Home Depot’s appliance terms and Lowe’s expanded appliance terms control those details.
Tools and outdoor equipment need a product specific comparison
The equipment aisle contains some of the largest differences. Home Depot gives seven days for unused, factory-sealed window or portable air conditioners, gas pressure washers, and eligible gas generators. It gives 30 days for paint sprayers and specified gas-powered equipment, including chainsaws, mowers, trimmers, and blowers, under its condition requirements.
Lowe’s places air conditioners, paint sprayers, pressure washers, chainsaws, pole saws, and gas-powered portable generators in its 48-hour category. Its unopened-item exception may matter, but gas-powered portable generators, pressure washers, chainsaws, and pole saws are expressly excluded from the 30-day credit extension. Other listed outdoor equipment generally receives 30 days. CRAFTSMAN battery and electric outdoor power equipment has a 90-day exception.
The useful comparison is therefore model by model. A battery mower and a gas chainsaw should not share one reminder merely because both are lawn equipment. Brand, power source, and packaging can change the applicable rule.
Before opening the box, confirm that the tool has the capacity, fittings, and accessories your job needs. If you are comparing two eligible unused products, Home Depot’s longer starting windows may be valuable. If the equipment has already been fueled or used, verify the condition requirement before expecting either store to accept it. See the Home Depot equipment categories and Lowe’s equipment exceptions.
Returning purchases without a paper receipt
Losing a paper receipt does not always prevent a return. Start by finding the order confirmation, payment card, or account history rather than immediately requesting a return without proof.
Home Depot says a store may locate card or check purchases within 90 days, with longer lookup periods for qualifying Home Depot accounts. Its receipt guidance explains what to bring. If no valid proof is found, the return requires identification and approval; an accepted return may receive store credit at the lowest advertised price.
Lowe’s requires valid proof of purchase and does not accept an unverified return or exchange. It may validate the purchase using a receipt, order number, payment card or digital wallet, phone number, or rewards account. Identification may be requested. Lowe’s proof-of-purchase rules distinguish a missing receipt from an untraceable purchase.
Home Depot therefore offers a possible fallback that Lowe’s published policy does not promise. It is still risky to rely on that fallback: approval and refund value can differ from a documented return. For either store, save receipts digitally and keep the account or payment method that connects you to the transaction.
Opened and used items are separate questions
An opened carton and a used product are different conditions. Explain both accurately when asking about eligibility.
Lowe’s standard policy emphasizes new, unused merchandise. Home Depot’s short equipment windows often require unused goods in factory-sealed packaging. Its ordinary policy also permits refusal of customer-damaged merchandise without a manufacturing defect. Neither retailer’s headline deadline should be read as a promise to accept tools after a project is finished. Home Depot’s conditions and Lowe’s conditions set the boundaries.
Keep accessories, manuals, fasteners, and packaging together while deciding. If an item fails, describe the failure and when it occurred. A manufacturing problem, an installation mistake, and a change of mind can require different remedies.
Ask whether the appropriate next step is a return, replacement, missing-part request, or manufacturer service. Choosing the right route early can spare you a wasted trip with a bulky item and help preserve the documents needed for a warranty claim.
Online returns and large item pickups
Both stores provide ways to return eligible online merchandise in person, subject to product and location exceptions. Home Depot advertises free store returns; bring the order confirmation or receipt, payment card, and identification. Its major-appliance orders require separate arrangements.
For an eligible Home Depot mail return, start in Order Details or contact support for an emailed label, then follow the UPS instructions. Lowe’s allows mailing an online purchase when a FedEx label is provided; without one, its policy directs customers to a store. Confirm any shipping charge before proceeding. A provided label alone does not establish that every return shipment is free. Home Depot return methods and Lowe’s mail instructions explain these routes.
For a heavy item, call before renting a vehicle or arranging help. Home Depot’s online support number is 1-800-430-3376. Lowe’s lists 1-800-445-6937 for discussing home pickup eligibility. Ask about collection, packaging, fees, and when the return will be recorded.
Home Depot excludes items using flammable liquids or gases from mail returns, even when drained. Confirm the permitted route for fuel-powered equipment. Keep the carrier acceptance scan or pickup record until the refund arrives; creating a label is only the beginning of the shipment.
Lowe’s Outlet purchases follow different rules
Lowe’s Outlet purchases are generally final sale. The narrow return exception covers major appliances with qualifying mechanical or electrical defects that make them nonfunctional, within 48 hours of possession. Proof of purchase is required, and the return must go to the same outlet. Cosmetic damage or an appliance that does not fit does not qualify. Lowe’s Outlet policy explains the limits.
If you are comparing an outlet appliance with a regular-store offer, include those restrictions in the price comparison. Inspect its condition and measurements before paying, and keep the outlet receipt separate from purchases made at ordinary Lowe’s stores.
Special orders can reduce the refund
Home Depot special-order returns or cancellations may carry a 15% restocking fee and must go to the purchasing store. Lowe’s configured special orders returned or canceled after 72 hours are subject to a 20% restocking fee, with the same-store requirement and contract qualifications. See Home Depot’s exceptions, Lowe’s special-order information, and Lowe’s fee terms.
For a $1,000 order, a 15% fee is $150 and a 20% fee is $200, before any applicable tax. Those examples show the possible cost; they do not establish that both retailers would accept the same configured product.
Custom merchandise needs another check. Home Depot generally excludes custom and made-to-order products, while Lowe’s lists a 30-day rule for certain custom blinds and window treatments. Home Depot’s custom window-covering remedy can involve a limited remake rather than a refund.
Before ordering, check measurements and ask whether the item is stock merchandise, a special order, or a custom product. Keep the signed agreement. If you discover an error, contact the purchasing store immediately instead of waiting for manufacturing or delivery. A lower restocking percentage helps only when the order qualifies for a return.
Paint and plants have their own rules
Home Depot lists tinted paint and samples as nonreturnable. Lowe’s lists liquid paint under a 30-day rule and excludes paint samples. Identify the exact product and any applicable guarantee before assuming an opened, tinted, or incorrectly mixed can qualifies. Home Depot’s exclusions and Lowe’s paint rules provide the starting point.
For ordinary plants, Home Depot’s 90 days gives more time than Lowe’s 30 days. Both offer a year for designated longer-lived plants, but the remedy matters: Home Depot specifies store credit after 90 days, while Lowe’s requires a receipt for replacement or refund within a year.
A plant guarantee is most useful when you can identify the purchase. Keep the receipt and plant label together. For an online plant arriving dead or damaged, Home Depot requires contact within three days of delivery. Photograph its condition immediately instead of waiting to see whether it recovers. Review the Home Depot plant guarantee and Lowe’s plant terms.
Seasonal decorations have shorter limits
Home Depot gives unused Halloween and holiday décor a 30-day window with proof of purchase. Lowe’s requires Christmas and Halloween items to be returned by the holiday; purchases after the holiday are final sale. Home Depot’s seasonal terms and Lowe’s holiday rule differ from the ordinary 90 days.
For example, decorations purchased well before the event can reach Home Depot’s deadline while Lowe’s holiday cutoff is still ahead. Check the receipt date and the calendar before deciding which policy gives your particular purchase more time.
Refund method and timing matter
An approved return and an available bank credit are separate milestones. Home Depot says mailed returns typically take about seven business days to process after receipt, followed by up to 10 business days for the bank. In-store returns are processed immediately, with posting time depending on payment method. Its refund policy lists separate processing arrangements for some large purchases.
Lowe’s says to allow up to seven business days after completing a return for the funds to reach your account, depending on the financial institution. Gift-card and store-credit purchases return as store credit; Lowe’s Pay refunds go to the financing institution. Original shipping and delivery charges generally remain nonrefundable unless Lowe’s made an error. Lowe’s refund rules explain the exceptions.
Before buying a replacement, establish where the refund will land and how much will be returned. Merchandise credit cannot replenish your bank balance. Keep the return receipt, then distinguish retailer processing from bank posting when following up on a delay.
Which return policy is better for your project
Choose by the purchase you are most likely to return. Lowe’s limited appliance exceptions can be valuable for eligible sealed goods or qualifying payment arrangements. Home Depot’s longer starting windows help with several equipment categories and ordinary plants. Both offer comparable standard windows and extensions for eligible credit-account purchases.
For custom orders, prioritize return eligibility and the contract before comparing fees. For opened equipment, confirm condition requirements before choosing a store based on days alone. For a large delivery, consider the return route and transport costs alongside the refund.
Before checkout, identify the item category, confirm the deadline, save proof of purchase, and check exclusions. After delivery, inspect promptly and retain what you need for a complete return. Those steps make either policy easier to use and help you choose the retailer that fits your actual project.
Policies checked October 8, 2026. Product-specific terms and the retailer’s decision on an individual return apply.