Can a merchant return policy be supplied as a link in structured data?

Definition: Yes. In an organization-level MerchantReturnPolicy, Google documents merchantReturnLink as an option that supplies the URL of a page describing the return policy. The other required option describes the policy with fields such as applicableCountry and returnPolicyCategory.

Key facts

• Google's merchant return policy documentation says MerchantReturnPolicy can provide a policy-page link or details about return conditions, methods, fees, and refunds.
• A standard policy applying to most or all products is nested under Organization with hasMerchantReturnPolicy, according to the same documentation.
• Google presents merchantReturnLink as Option B among the required properties for an organization-level policy.
• The link may lead to the merchant's own policy or to a third-party service's policy page, as described by Google.
• Schema.org defines MerchantReturnPolicy for an Organization, Product, or Offer, and defines merchantReturnLink as a URL for a web page or service handling product returns.

What does the link option replace?

Google's return policy documentation labels the organization-level required properties as a choice of options. Option A uses applicableCountry and returnPolicyCategory. The page describes applicableCountry as the country code where the policy applies, and lists three return-policy categories: a finite return window, returns not permitted, and an unlimited return window. When returnPolicyCategory is MerchantReturnFiniteReturnWindow, Google requires merchantReturnDays.

Option B is merchantReturnLink. This gives the organization-level markup a URL as the policy representation. It is the link-only route covered by this entry. The detailed fields remain relevant when a merchant chooses Option A or adds recommended properties for a finite or unlimited return window.

What should the URL point to?

The merchantReturnLink value should identify a web page that explains the return policy to customers. Google's documentation allows the destination to be the merchant's own policy or a policy supplied by a third-party service that handles returns. Schema.org describes the value more generally as a web page or service by URL for product returns.

The markup can be expressed as JSON-LD under an Organization object:

{
  "@context": "https://schema.org",
  "@type": "Organization",
  "hasMerchantReturnPolicy": {
    "@type": "MerchantReturnPolicy",
    "merchantReturnLink": "https://www.example.com/returns"
  }
}

The URL is the value of the merchantReturnLink property. Schema.org lists its expected type as URL and describes MerchantReturnPolicy as information associated with an organization, product, or offer.

Where does organization-level markup belong?

Google recommends putting return information on a single page that describes the business's return policy. The documentation says the MerchantReturnPolicy type belongs under Organization, so the standard policy does not need to be repeated on every page. The relationship is expressed with hasMerchantReturnPolicy.

A different structure applies when a product has a non-standard policy. Google says to place that policy under Offer and states that offer-level return policies support a subset of the properties available for organization-level policies. This entry covers the merchantReturnLink alternative in the organization-level requirements.

How can you check the markup?

Google's documented workflow includes the Rich Results Test for validation and the URL Inspection tool for testing how Google sees a deployed page. The page should be accessible to Google and should not be blocked by a robots.txt file, a noindex tag, or login requirements. Google also recommends deploying a few pages containing the structured data before using URL Inspection.

Related terms

• Structured data
• Organization structured data
• MerchantReturnPolicy structured data
• Offer structured data
• JSON-LD

FAQ

Can merchantReturnLink be used under Organization?

Yes. Google documents a standard business policy as MerchantReturnPolicy nested under Organization through hasMerchantReturnPolicy, with merchantReturnLink as Option B for the required properties.

Does the destination have to be hosted by the merchant?

No. Google's documentation allows the URL to identify the merchant's own return policy or a third-party policy from a service that handles returns. Schema.org describes the value as a web page or service URL.

Is merchantReturnDays required with the link option?

Google makes merchantReturnDays required when returnPolicyCategory is MerchantReturnFiniteReturnWindow. That requirement belongs to the category-based option, while merchantReturnLink is listed separately as Option B.

Does this answer cover a product-specific policy under Offer?

No. Google documents product-specific policies under Offer and says that the supported property set is smaller than the organization-level set. The link-only explanation here is limited to the organization-level alternative.

Sources

1. Google Search Central, "Merchant return policy (MerchantReturnPolicy) structured data", 2026-09-08
2. Schema.org, "MerchantReturnPolicy", 2026-09-16

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