return policy schema
Also called: merchantreturnpolicy, return schema, hasmerchantreturnpolicy
Return policy schema (MerchantReturnPolicy) is structured data that states a product's return terms: the country it applies to, the return window, methods, and fees. Google Search can use it to show those details next to your product listings and in knowledge panels.
What it marks up and where it lives
Two placements exist. A site-wide policy sits under your Organization markup through the hasMerchantReturnPolicy property, so you write it once instead of on every product. A per-product override sits under the Offer inside Product markup, which is useful when one item breaks from your standard terms.
The required fields are lean. You either give applicableCountry plus returnPolicyCategory (and merchantReturnDays when the category is a finite window), or you point to a merchantReturnLink. Recommended fields add the substance shoppers care about: returnMethod, returnFees, refundType, and itemCondition.
{
"@type": "MerchantReturnPolicy",
"applicableCountry": "US",
"returnPolicyCategory": "https://schema.org/MerchantReturnFiniteReturnWindow",
"merchantReturnDays": 30,
"returnMethod": "https://schema.org/ReturnByMail",
"returnFees": "https://schema.org/FreeReturn"
}One 2025 change matters. In Search Console, the “Shipping and returns” settings now open to any site Google identifies as an online merchant, with no Merchant Center account required, and those settings take precedence over your on-page markup. Structured data still works as a fallback and for granular per-product control, so it is not going away.
How it affects your traffic
Return terms shown directly in Search, and in AI shopping answers that pull structured facts, make your product listings more informative and more clickable at the moment of decision. Missing or invalid MerchantReturnPolicy markup can keep you out of merchant listing experiences that competitors qualify for. Getting return, shipping, and product schema right across a catalog is standard scope in our E-commerce SEO work.
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