Consumer · Right to Cancel

Right to Cancel a Purchase in Washington

How long you have to cancel a door-to-door purchase in Washington, the longer windows for timeshares and other categories, and why there is no general three-day right to return a car. Cited to the statute.

Confirmedagainst RCW 63.14.154Reviewed by Cholilurrohman · July 2026

Right to cancel a purchase · Washington

Washington gives you until midnight of the third day, not counting Sundays and holidays, to cancel a retail installment contract signed away from the seller's address. You must send the cancellation by certified mail, and the state statute only reaches financed sales.

3 days, financed sales only

Cooling-off3 days, financed sales only

How you must cancelCertified mail only

StatuteRCW 63.14.154

When the cooling-off right applies in Washington

The door-to-door window, the categories with their own clocks, and the purchases that are not covered.

When it applies	What it means
Three days, Saturdays counted	Notice must be posted by midnight of the third day, excluding Sundays and holidays, after signing, under RCW 63.14.154. The statute does not say business days, so Saturday counts against you.
By certified mail, return receipt requested	Washington is the only state in its region that requires cancellation by certified mail, return receipt requested. A plain letter or an email is not enough under the statute, and the deadline is the postmark.
Only retail installment sales	The right reaches only a retail installment transaction solicited in person or by commercial phone solicitation away from the seller's address. A cash sale gets no state right, with no dollar threshold for those that qualify.
Ten-day refund, original condition	The seller must refund all deposits within ten days, under RCW 63.14.154. You must return goods in their original condition, a stricter standard than most states use.

When there is no right	What it means
Cash sales	A cash door-to-door sale is outside the statute, because it reaches only retail installment transactions. The federal FTC rule is then the only floor.
Motor vehicles	A motor vehicle purchase is excluded, and a dealer selling a vehicle off-site must give you written notice that you have no right to cancel under this section.
Sales at the seller's address	A sale solicited at the seller's own business address shown on the contract is outside the section.

The AG points to the federal rule

Washington has no general cash door-to-door cooling-off statute. The state Attorney General's cancellation-rights page cites the federal 16 C.F.R. Part 429 for door-to-door sales, not an RCW. Camping clubs get three business days, or six if you did not inspect, and health clubs three business days.

Federal floor

The FTC Cooling-Off Rule (16 C.F.R. Part 429) gives three business days to cancel a door-to-door sale of 25 dollars or more at your home, and 130 dollars or more elsewhere, and accepts any written notice. A cash buyer, or one who wants an easier notice method, should rely on the federal rule.

What you can do right now

Concrete, neutral steps to cancel a covered purchase in Washington. This is consumer information, not legal advice.

Use certified mail, return receipt requested
Washington's statute requires certified mail, not ordinary mail or email, posted by midnight of the third day. If the federal rule also applies, it accepts any written notice, so consider sending both.
Count Saturday in your deadline
The statute excludes only Sundays and holidays, so Saturday counts. The AG's page loosely says three business days, but the statutory text is stricter, so do not wait.
If you paid cash, use the federal rule
The state statute covers only financed sales. A cash buyer relies on the federal FTC rule, which gives three business days for a sale of 25 dollars or more at your home.
Complain if a valid cancellation is refused
File a complaint with the Washington State Attorney General, Consumer Protection Division.

File a complaint in Washington

If a seller refuses a timely, valid cancellation, a state consumer-protection office can take your complaint and enforce the cooling-off rules.

→ Washington Attorney General · File a Complaint

This is general consumer information, not legal advice. The category, the notice, and the deadline all matter, so confirm your right against the statute and use the complaint route if a valid cancellation is refused.

What Washington buyers get wrong about cancelling

Washington is the state in its region where the federal rule does the real work. The state Attorney General's own cancellation-rights page cites the federal Cooling-Off Rule, 16 C.F.R. Part 429, not a state statute, for door-to-door sales, because RCW 63.14.154 covers only financed transactions. Pay cash at the door and the state statute does nothing, so the federal rule is your floor. Where RCW 63.14.154 does apply, it is fussy in ways that catch people out. It is the only statute in the region that requires cancellation by certified mail, return receipt requested, so a plain letter or an email is not enough, and the deadline is the postmark. The statute says third day excluding Sundays and holidays, not third business day, so Saturday counts against you, even though the AG's page loosely says three business days. Goods must go back in original condition, a stricter standard than the substantially as good condition used elsewhere. And if you buy a car at an off-site tent sale, the dealer must hand you written notice that you have no right to cancel. The official host blocked direct access, so the text was read through a reader route to the official page, with the notice section from a mirror.

Common questions

Can I just email the company to cancel in Washington?

Not under RCW 63.14.154, which requires certified mail, return receipt requested. If the federal FTC rule also applies to your sale, that rule accepts any written notice, so send both.

I paid cash at the door. Does Washington law give me three days?

No. RCW 63.14.154 covers only retail installment transactions. The federal 16 C.F.R. Part 429 rule is your floor, at 25 dollars or more at your home and 130 dollars or more elsewhere.

Does Saturday count toward my three days?

Yes. The statute excludes only Sundays and holidays, so Saturday counts. Do not rely on the AG's looser three-business-days phrasing.

I bought a car at an off-site tent sale. Can I cancel?

No. RCW 63.14.154 expressly excludes motor vehicles, and the dealer is required to tell you so in writing.

Primary source

→ RCW 63.14.154

RCW 63.14.154 (Washington State Legislature) · app.leg.wa.gov

Cholilurrohman
Every figure on this page is checked line-by-line against the current statute. Editorial standards →

Not legal advicePlainStatute provides plain-language summaries of public law for general information only. This is not legal advice. Statutes change; always confirm current requirements with the official source linked above before acting.

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