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UPS UK surcharges

Louise Thomasson
  • Updated

Purpose: learn how to avoid unwanted UPS surcharges when your package does not meet the carrier shipping conditions. 

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Peak Season surcharge notice

Peak Season surcharges may apply in addition to the regular surcharges listed in this article.
Please visit the Peak Surcharges section in our Peak Season article to see the current surcharge amounts.

The carrier may change the shipping prices and/or surcharges mentioned below, therefore these prices may be subject to change. Even though we aim to inform you to the best of our abilities, no rights can be derived from the information provided below.
UPS may invoice you for additional surcharges if your parcel falls outside the maximum volumetric weight dimensions. For more information, and to use our calculator to check the volumetric weight of your parcel, see here.

Important: When you ship with UPS using the discounted rates offered by Sendcloud, several commonly applied surcharges are already included in the label price.

Thanks to this advantage, you don’t have to worry about additional the following costs:

See list here
  • Fuel Surcharge
  • Residential Surcharge
  • Extended Area
  • Remote Area
  • Signature Required
  • ERL
  • PRL
  • UK Border Fee
  • Address Correction
  • Demand Capacity Surcharge
  • Duty & Tax Forwarding Surcharge
  • Peak Season Surcharge
  • Additional Handling (Peak Season)
  • Large Package (Peak Season)
  • Over Maximum Limits (Peak Season)

Even though these surcharges may appear on the official UPS website, with Sendcloud rates you won’t be charged for them separately: more transparency and no surprises on your invoice.

Note: All international shipments using Sendcloud rates are generated under Incoterm DAP (Delivered at Place). This means that any applicable customs duties or charges are the responsibility of the recipient; if the recipient refuses to pay or accept the shipment, it will be returned to the sender, who will be liable for both the shipping and customs charges.

📐 Dimension & size surcharges

Additional Handling Charge – £4.20

Additional Handling Charges apply to packages requiring special handling due to:

  • Metal or wood outer packaging
  • Unboxed cylindrical items (e.g. barrels, tires)
  • Longest side over 100 cm or second-longest over 76 cm
  • Actual weight over 25 kg
  • Average weight over 25 kg with no individual weights listed

UPS may also apply this charge at its discretion.
No money-back guarantee applies for delayed deliveries requiring additional handling.

Large Package Surcharge – £20.20 per package
A package is considered a Large Package if its length + girth (2×W + 2×H) exceeds 300 cm but stays under 400 cm. A minimum billable weight of 40 kg applies, plus the Large Package Surcharge.
Over Maximum Limits – £91.20

Packages are not accepted if they:

  • Weigh over 70 kg
  • Are longer than 274 cm
  • Have a total length + girth (2×W + 2×H) over 400 cm

If found in the UPS small package system, an extra charge applies. These packages also incur the Large Package Surcharge.

Oversize Pallet Charge – £123.72 per pallet

This surcharge may apply to UPS Worldwide Express Freight shipments, based on origin and destination. Check www.ups.com to see if oversized pallet limits apply.

📮 Pick-up, delivery & returns surcharges

Special Handling of Undeliverable Shipments – £6.40

If a domestic shipment can’t be delivered, UPS will automatically return it via UPS Standard (if available). Return transport and fuel costs are charged to the original payer.

For international shipments (including to the EU), UPS will contact the shipper for instructions. Return costs and a surcharge will apply.

Surcharge Return shipments - Print label – £1.65
If your customer has the return label printed at a service point, you will receive this fee.
Receiver/Third Party Refuses to Pay – £12.80
This charge applies when the shipper designates the receiver or a third party to pay for shipping costs, but the bill-to-party refuses to pay.
Weekly Service Charge – £11.40 per week
A UPS driver will visit your location once per workday to collect your shipments. This service ensures regular and reliable pick-up of your packages.
Collection Services – £2.20

Schedule a UPS pick-up online (ups.com) or by phone (03457 877 877). Includes pick-up for standard shipments and returns (Electronic Return Label, Print Return Label, alternate address).

Same-day or future pick-ups can be requested via:

  • Phone
  • Web

Note:

  • Not applicable if you have a daily collection agreement.
  • Return collections via UPS 1 Attempt or 3 Attempts Returns Plus are included.
  • Failed 1 Attempt pick-ups are charged for each retry.
Day-Specific Collection

A UPS driver will automatically stop by your location on the specific days you select (Monday to Friday only). The weekly service fee varies based on the number of collection days. 

1 Day: £1.95 per week

2 Days: £3.85 per week

3 Days: £5.75 per week

4 Days: £8.30 per week

Daily On-Route Collection – £7.90 per week
This alternative to daily collection provides a regular collection without a fixed daily contract. A UPS driver will stop at your location once per business day while making deliveries in your area.
Saturday Delivery Surcharge – £4.20
A surcharge applies for all shipping methods that include Saturday delivery.

🌍 International & customs surcharges

Declared Value for Carriage – 1% of declared value (minimum £5.20)

UPS covers each shipment for loss or damage up to a set amount under its Liability terms.

To increase coverage, use Declared Value for Carriage by stating a higher value on the shipping label.

The maximum declared value is USD 50,000 (or local equivalent) per package. See UPS’s Terms and Conditions for details.

Warehouse Storage – £15.35 per package/day (after the 3rd working day)
If an export shipment is not cleared within the usual customs clearance time, a storage fee will be charged unless the delay is due to UPS.
Return To Sender (RTS) – £11.80
If an international shipment is refused, UPS returns it to the sender. Export customs must be completed if it hasn’t cleared import customs.
New International Collect on Delivery (ICOD) Fee – $12 USD

Duties and taxes must be paid before delivery. If not prepaid, U.S. recipients must pay upon delivery.

To avoid this, recipients can prepay via the UPS Import Payment Processing Application (IPPA) using Apple Pay, Google Pay, or a credit card.

Shippers should include the recipient's name, phone, and email to ensure they get a payment link via email, SMS, and UPS tracking.

$12 USD fee for recipient if duties unpaid at delivery.

Merchandise Processing Fee (MPF)

Covers the calculation of the Merchandise Processing Fee (MPF), a charge imposed by U.S. Customs based on the shipment’s value. Applies to both formal and informal entries. The MPF calculation is included in the base price.

Formal: 0.3464% / value (min $31.67, max $614.35)

Informal: $2.53 per entry

Warehouse Fee – $132.50

Surcharge charged when an importer requests UPS to file a warehouse entry. These entries are non-routine and must be specifically requested through UPS Supply Chain Solutions.

Warehouse Storage Fee

Charged when shipments stay in a UPS warehouse beyond the first two free days.

$25 min + $0.05/lb/day after 2 days

$0.10/lb/day after 7 days

💬 Other surcharges

Shipping Charge Correction Audit Fee

A shipping charge correction audit fee applies if adjusted charges exceed 25% of the original net shipping cost during the invoice period. It's calculated per account based on all corrections in that period.

For more information, see the Shipment Size and Weight and Zone and Rates pages on the UPS website.

£1.25 per package

8% of total shipping charge corrections

UPS Carbon Neutral

UPS Carbon Neutral lets you offset the CO2 emissions of your shipment for a small flat fee per package or pallet.

UPS uses the fee to buy carbon offsets that support environmental projects and reduce your shipping’s carbon impact. For more details, visit UPS website.

£0.20 – Domestic (Express & Standard)

£0.30 – Within EU & Standard to LI, NO, CH

£0.60 – Outside EU (Express & Expedited)

£15.80 – Per pallet (Worldwide Express Freight)

Missing Package Level Detail – £4.00
A fee applies when the shipper does not provide a timely upload of all applicable Package Level Detail (PLD) information to UPS before package pick-up.
Service Fee – €0.50 per shipment
Effective January 2, 2026, a Service Fee of €0.50 per shipment applies to all UPS shipments. The Service Fee is automatically applied and charged in addition to applicable transportation charges and other surcharges.

Where can I see these surcharges on my invoice?

Surcharges are applied by the carrier after the shipment has been processed and may not be visible when you create the label.

You can find these charges in your Sendcloud account via Account > Billing, where you can download your invoice in PDF or CSV format:

  • PDF invoice: Shows a summary of your total costs, including surcharges.
  • CSV invoice: Shows a detailed breakdown per shipment, including the tracking number, shipping cost, and any applied surcharges.

💡 Tip: Use the tracking number in the CSV to identify which shipment a surcharge applies to.

For a full explanation of how shipping costs and surcharges are invoiced and how to read them, see Shipment invoicing.

To avoid the above-mentioned surcharges, please carefully read the shipping conditions, make sure you stay well within the permitted dimensions and, of course, select the right network for your package. 

For the most accurate and up-to-date information on UPS surcharges and conditions, please refer to the official UPS website. The UPS website will always be the source of truth regarding their rates and policies.