How to Return an Item to JCPenney

How to Return Items Purchased In-Store

MikeKalasnik, CC BY-SA 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons

If you purchased an item in a physical JCPenney store, you can return it in-store at a JCPenney location or by mail. The refund process at JCPenney is rather straightforward if you have a receipt. For receipt-based returns, you can get a refund to your original payment method or a JCPenney Gift Card.

If you don’t have the receipt, you may still be able to get a refund at the item’s lowest selling price in the last 45 days, but only as a JCPenney Merchandise Return Voucher. You must also have a valid ID. Exclusions do apply, so do bring your receipt if you can find it!

Note that the usual return period is 60 days from the day of purchase.

For holiday purchases, this may differ. For example, JCPenney is accepting returns on most items until January 15, 2025, for all items purchased from October 15, 2025, with an original or gift receipt.

Returning Online Purchases

Returning JCPenney online purchases is pretty similar. The online return process for JCPenney is pretty much the same as in-store purchases. If you have the receipt, it will be easier. You can return the item in-store or by mail, but in-store returns will result in a refund faster. Items that arrived damaged are eligible for damaged item returns.

The refund period is the same — 60 days, with a variable time period for the holiday season.

How to Return Items via Mail

How to Return an Item to JCPenney 5 — How to Return Items via Mail

The easiest way to return items is in a physical store, because you can just show up with your item and receipt and get an immediate refund for free. In fact, at a JCPenney store, you can also exchange your item for a new one – most items are eligible for an exchange.

However, if you don’t have the time, you can return it via mail.

Returning by mail at JCPenney involves an $8 fee, which covers return postage. Note that you don’t have to actually pay $8; it will be deducted from your refund instead. So, if your refund is $30, you will only get $22, with $8 being deducted for the return shipping.

Mailing returns can be more convenient, as you will get a shipping label, but you will still need packaging for the item. Of course, if you purchased the item online, you can simply use the packaging it came in to return it. Just print out the shipping label, attach it to the package, and send the item back via USPS.

Creating a Return Label

To create a JCPenney return label, log into your JCPenney account, select the item you want to return, click on “Start a Return,” and follow the prompts. If you don’t have a JCPenney account, enter your order number and phone number on this page to find the order and start a return.

Follow the prompts and any return label instructions, such as where to drop off your USPS item.

Refund Timeframes for Debit Cards and Other Payments

JCPenney debit card refunds typically take 7–10 days to post to your account from the date of the refund issuance. Note that refunds processed by mail may not be issued until the item is received and that refund processing time can also vary depending on your bank or financial institution.

If you used a JCPenney credit card to purchase the item, it usually takes only 3–4 days for the refund to post.

JCPenney gift card refunds are quicker, as you can get the gift card right away.

Returning Worn Items: What You Need to Know

What is JCPenney’s worn item policy?

Many items cannot be returned once worn, including watches, body jewelry, fitness trackers, and, of course, face masks. However, some items may be eligible for an exchange or return when very lightly worn. For example, while you can’t return worn shoes, you can probably return shoes that you tried on only to find that they didn’t fit, as long as you didn’t really wear them outside.

Conclusion

I hope you enjoyed our guide on returning items to JCPenney. The JCPenney refund process is pretty streamlined, and one of the best things about it is that you can sometimes get a refund even without a receipt (albeit in the form of store credit). You can always contact JCPenney support if you have difficult with the refund process as well.