Incolator
Menu
Incolator/Consumer rights/14-Day Cooling-Off

The 14-Day Cooling-Off Period

Free No account No data sent
Consumer Contracts Regulations 2013 + EU CRDCalendar days — weekends includedChecked August 2026

Your deadlines, line by line

What the 14-day right covers — and what it never did

SituationCooling-off right?
Online order — goodsYes — 14 days from delivery, change-of-mind allowed
Online subscription or serviceYes — 14 days from the contract
Doorstep / home-visit saleYes — 14 days (off-premises contract)
Digital download or streamOnly until you start it, with consent ticked
Bought in a physical shopNo — shop policy only (faulty goods: 30-day right)
Perishables, personalised items, unsealed hygiene/mediaNo — statutory exemptions
Plane/train/concert tickets for a set dateNo — exempt by design

Cancelling so it sticks

Common questions

Does the 14-day cooling-off period include weekends?
Yes. The 14 days are calendar days — Saturdays, Sundays and bank holidays all count. One small mercy: UK guidance says if the final day falls on a Sunday or public holiday, the deadline rolls to the next working day. Plan as if it doesn't.
When does the 14-day cooling-off period start?
For physical goods: the day after the goods are delivered to you. For services and subscriptions: the day after the contract is agreed. The order day itself never counts — day one is always the day after the trigger event.
Does the cooling-off period apply to things bought in a shop?
No. The 14-day right exists only for distance contracts (online, phone, mail order) and off-premises sales (doorstep, home visits, exhibition stands). In-store purchases rely on the shop's own returns policy — except faulty goods, which carry a separate 30-day full-refund right under the Consumer Rights Act.
What is exempt from the 14-day cooling-off period?
Perishable goods, personalised or made-to-order items, sealed software/DVDs/hygiene products once unsealed, newspapers, accommodation and transport for a specific date, and digital content once you've started downloading or streaming with consent.
Who pays return postage during the cooling-off period?
You do — unless the seller failed to tell you that before the purchase, in which case they pay. The refund itself must include the item price plus the standard delivery charge, and is due within 14 days of the seller receiving the goods back or your proof of posting.

How we calculate

What is included

The 14-calendar-day withdrawal right under the UK's Consumer Contracts Regulations 2013 (and the mirrored EU Consumer Rights Directive 2011/83/EU): start dates for goods vs services, the 14-day return window after notifying, and the 14-day refund clock including standard delivery. The calculator counts calendar days — weekends included — exactly as the regulations do.

Sources: Consumer Contracts Regulations 2013 · EU Directive 2011/83/EU.

What is estimated or left out

The next-working-day extension when day 14 falls on a Sunday or public holiday is UK guidance, not black-letter law — the page flags the raw date. Exemptions (perishables, personalised goods, unsealed media, dated travel) are listed but can't be adjudicated here. If the seller never informed you of the right, the window extends to 12 months — the page notes this but still shows the standard 14 days.

The formula, in plain words
goods → cancel by midnight, 14 calendar days after delivery services → 14 calendar days after the contract day weekends → they count; day 14 on Sun/holiday rolls to next working day (UK guidance) return → post goods within 14 days of telling the seller refund → within 14 days of return, incl. standard delivery in-store → no right — shop policy, or 30-day faulty-goods rule

Related calculators