Purpose: learn how to avoid unwanted UPS surcharges when your package does not meet the carrier shipping conditions.
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.
Shipping Charge Correction Audit Fee
A shipping charge correction audit fee will be applied if the adjusted shipping charge during an invoice period exceeds 25% of the original net revenue of the shipment.
This fee is calculated per account number, based on the total shipping charge corrections billed during the applicable invoice period.
Fees:
- £1.45 per package subject to a shipping charge correction during the invoice period.
- 8% of the total shipping charge corrections during the invoice period.
For more information, see the Shipment Size and Weight and Zone and Rates pages on the UPS website.
Special Handling of Undeliverable Shipments - £5.90
For all domestic shipments, if UPS has attempted delivery but was unsuccessful, the shipment will be automatically returned using UPS Standard service (where available). The return charges, including transportation and fuel costs, will be billed to the payer of the original shipping costs.
For all international shipments, including those to the EU, UPS will contact the shipper and process the shipment according to their instructions. The shipping costs and a surcharge will be charged to the shipper for handling the undeliverable shipment.
Fees:
- Applicable receiving shipping costs
- £5.90 per undeliverable shipment (charged in addition to shipping costs)
Additional Handling Charge - £4.20
The Additional Handling Charge applies to packages that require special handling due to their size, weight, or packaging. This includes:
- Any article encased in an outside shipping container made of metal or wood.
- Any cylindrical item, such as a barrel, drum, pail, or tire, that is not fully enclosed in a corrugated cardboard container.
- Any package with the longest side exceeding 100 cm or the second-longest side exceeding 76 cm.
- Any import, export, or domestic package with an actual weight greater than 25 kg.
- Any shipment where the average package weight exceeds 25 kg but individual weights are not specified on the source document or UPS automated shipping system.
UPS reserves the right to apply the Additional Handling Charge at its sole discretion if a package requires special handling.
Due to the additional processing involved, UPS does not offer a money-back guarantee for these shipments. Shipping charges will not be refunded if delivery is delayed for packages requiring Additional Handling.
Large Package Surcharge - £20.20 per package
A package is classified as a Large Package when its length plus girth (girth = (2 × width) + (2 × height)) exceeds 300 cm but does not exceed the maximum UPS size of 400 cm.
Large Packages are subject to a minimum billable weight of 40 kg, in addition to the Large Package Surcharge.
Over Maximum Limits - £91.20
Packages are not accepted for transportation if they meet any of the following criteria:
- Actual weight exceeds 70 kg.
- Length exceeds 274 cm.
- Total length and girth combined exceeds 400 cm (girth = (2 × width) + (2 × height)).
If such packages are found in the UPS small package system, they will be subject to an additional charge.
Packages exceeding 400 cm in length and girth combined are also subject to the Large Package Surcharge.
UK border Fee - £2.00
A fee will be implemented, effective 01/01/2021, on all shipments (excluding letters and documents) between Northern Ireland and Great Britain (England, Scotland and Wales). This fee covers the incremental transportation and handling costs due to network adjustments.
Note: It does not cover any additional brokerage services.
Surcharge Return shipments - Print label - £1.70
If your customer has the return label printed at a service point, you will receive a fee of £1.70.
Adult Signature Required - £4.15
The Adult Signature Required service ensures that deliveries are accepted only by an adult and prevents minors from receiving restricted goods.
This option is commonly used for:
- Alcoholic beverages
- Tobacco products (see “Shipping prohibited articles on a contractual basis with UPS” under Prohibited Articles)
- Other goods requiring adult acceptance
Fax Proof of Delivery - £5.50
If your customer requires proof of parcel delivery via a fax machine, you will receive a fee of £1.74.
Undeliverable Package Return Fee - £6.38
Shipments refused by the receiver, or which for any other reason cannot be delivered, will be returned to the sender's address at a cost of £6.38 per parcel.
Declared Value for Carriage - 1% of declared value (minimum £5.20)
UPS automatically provides protection for every shipment against loss or damage up to a certain value, as outlined in its Liability terms.
With Declared Value for Carriage, you can increase UPS’s limit of liability for proven losses by declaring a higher value on the UPS shipping documentation.
The declared value of goods cannot exceed USD 50,000 or its local currency equivalent per package. For more details, refer to UPS’s Terms and Conditions of Carriage.
1% of the declared value of the goods or a minimum charge of £5.20.
Direct Delivery Only - £2.75
Direct Delivery Only ensures that a package is delivered strictly to the address specified on the shipping label. Shipments with this option cannot be rerouted, redirected, or delivered to an alternate address.
Packages with Direct Delivery Only are eligible for Driver Release or Letter Box Release at the labeled address.
This service is available for both residential and commercial deliveries.
UPS Carbon Neutral
UPS Carbon Neutral offers a more environmentally responsible way to ship. For a low, flat fee per package or pallet, UPS purchases carbon offsets to compensate for the calculated CO2 emissions associated with transporting your shipment.
The purchased offsets help reduce the carbon impact of shipping by funding environmentally responsible projects. For more details, visit UPS website.
Fees:
- £0.20 per package for domestic UPS Express Plus, UPS Express, UPS Express Saver, and UPS Standard shipments.
- £0.30 per package for UPS Express Plus, UPS Express, UPS Express Saver, and UPS Standard shipments within the EU, as well as UPS Standard shipments to Liechtenstein, Norway, and Switzerland.
- £0.60 per package for UPS Express Plus, UPS Express (NA1), UPS Express, UPS Express Saver shipments outside the EU, and UPS Expedited shipments.
- £16.00 per pallet for UPS Worldwide Express Freight shipments.
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.
Fee: £12.80 per shipment (charged to the shipper in addition to shipping costs and other payable amounts in case of non-payment).
Missing or Invalid Account Number Fee - £11.50
If the receiver or a third party is selected to pay shipping charges, but the bill-to account is incorrect or missing, UPS will attempt to locate the correct account number.
Fee: £11.50 per shipment (charged to the shipper as a processing fee, whether or not the account number is found).
Late Payment - 8% of the invoiced amount (maximum £40.20)
UPS will send an invoice for services provided, specifying a payment due date. If payment is not received by this date, a one-time late payment fee will be applied.
In cases of non-payment, UPS reserves the right to charge interest on overdue amounts. The applicable rate is indicated on the invoice and is based on prevailing interest rates.
Fee: 8% of the invoiced amount or a maximum of £40.20.
Paper Invoice Fee - £8.95 per invoice
If you do not opt to receive your invoice electronically, UPS will send a paper invoice, which incurs an additional charge.
You can avoid this fee by enrolling in the UPS Billing Centre on ups.com, using an invoice no older than 45 days. This will allow you to access all future invoices electronically.
Currency Conversion - 1% of the converted amount
When charges are billed to a payer’s account in a foreign currency, UPS will convert the amount to the payer’s currency using a weekly exchange rate secured through major international banks.
In addition to the exchange rate, an exchange fee of 1% of the converted amount will apply.
Weekly Service Charge - £11.60 per week
A UPS driver will visit your location once per workday to collect your shipments. This service ensures regular and reliable pickup of your packages.
Collection Services
On-Call Collection - £2.20 (Free for International Shipments)
You can schedule a shipment pickup from your home or office by requesting a collection online at ups.com or by calling 03457 877 877. UPS will collect all packages under a single request, and pickups can be scheduled for the same day or a future date.
The On-Call Collection service applies to:
- Electronic Return Label, Print Return Label, and regular or alternate address pickups.
- Cash payments are available for this service.
Charges differ based on the request type:
- Same Day by Phone
- Same Day on the Web
- Future Day by Phone
- Future Day on the Web
Exceptions:
- Customers with a daily collection agreement (see Daily Collection).
- Return package collections included in UPS 1 Attempt and UPS 3 Attempts Returns Plus services.
If a UPS 1 Attempt Returns Plus collection fails, all subsequent collection attempts will be charged. - Collections containing international shipments within the pickup stop are free of charge.
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:
Fees:
- 1 Day: £2.15 per week
- 2 Days: £4.05 per week
- 3 Days: £5.95 per week
- 4 Days: £8.50 per week
Daily On-Route Collection - £8.10 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.
Oversize Pallet Charge - £123.92 per pallet
This surcharge may apply to certain UPS Worldwide Express Freight shipments, depending on the origin and destination.
To determine if an oversized pallet limit applies to a specific location, please visit www.ups.com.
Paper Commercial Invoice Services Surcharge - £8.05
When UPS Paperless Invoice is enabled, a surcharge applies if the Commercial Invoice is provided only in paper form before the shipment is processed at a UPS facility.
Surge Fees - Variable
UPS reserves the right to impose one or more Surge Fees on packages shipped during specific periods as designated at its sole discretion.
Surge Fees apply cumulatively if a package meets multiple criteria, and they are charged in addition to other applicable charges, including but not limited to Demand Surcharges.
No waiver, discount, or reduction of Surge Fees shall apply unless explicitly agreed to by UPS in writing, with specific reference to Surge Fees.
For full details, visit ups.com.
Missing Package Level Detail - £3.70 per parcel
A fee applies when the shipper does not provide a timely upload of all applicable Package Level Detail (PLD) information to UPS before package pickup.
Fee: £3.70 per parcel for both domestic and international services.
Additional Tariff Line Fee - £3.00 per additional tariff line > 5
When a customs entry contains more than five tariff lines, an additional surcharge is applied per extra tariff line.
Other Government Agency (OGA) Entry - £13.50
Some commodities must be regulated and controlled before export processing by a Governmental Agency (e.g., FDA, Sanitary, CITES, Fine Arts, Quality SOIVRE). If applicable, and upon request by the shipper, UPS will assist in expediting clearance by submitting the required documentation to the relevant agency.
Other Additional Tasks - £12.00
UPS may create a special operating process for the customer upon request for non-routine customs clearance tasks such as creating reports or managing triangular export business (invoice swap).
Non-Routine Formal Entry - £14.95
UPS can handle special customs entry processing for shipments requiring Temporary Export, Re-exportation of previously imported goods, or Return shipments.
Warehouse Storage - £15.55 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.
Post Entry Clearance Services - £50.85
Upon request, UPS will provide expertise and administrative support for post-entry clearance requests submitted to customs authorities, such as export clearance information or duplicate export documentation.
Return To Sender (RTS) Fee - £12.00
When an international shipment is not accepted in the importing country, UPS initiates a Return to Sender (RTS) process. If the shipment has not cleared customs, export customs formalities must be completed before the return.
Report Fee - £53.70 per hour
UPS applies a fee for generating custom reports or datasets, which are provided upon customer request.
Admin Fee - £26.15 per task
UPS charges an administrative fee for each extraordinary brokerage task performed upon customer request.
Posting SAD Fee - £5.80 per task
A fee applies for each Single Administrative Document (SAD) sent to the customer upon request.
Entry Preparation Fee - £6.50 per shipment
A fee is charged for each import shipment that is subject to customs entry requirements.
Additional Tariff Line Fee - £6.00 per additional tariff line (5)
When a customs entry contains more than five tariff lines, an additional surcharge is applied per extra tariff line.
Other Government Agency (OGA) Entry - £13.50 per shipment
Certain commodities require **regulatory approval** before entering the EU. This includes inspections from Health Departments, Agriculture Authorities, and other regulatory agencies. Special documents must be provided for shipments containing controlled commodities.
Other Additional Customs Clearance Services - £26.70 per shipment
When non-routine customs clearance activities are required, UPS may provide specialized services upon request. For further information, contact UPS customer service at 03457 877 877.
Non-Routine Formal Entry - £27.30
Some imports require special customs entries, such as temporary imports, re-imports, provisional clearance, or additional customs services (e.g., labeling, inventory checks). These shipments undergo formal entry procedures.
Disbursement Fee - £13.80 minimum or 3.00% of the advanced amount
If UPS prepays customs duties, taxes, or other government charges on behalf of the payer, a disbursement fee is applied based on the amount advanced.
Warehouse Storage - £15.55 per package/day (after the 3rd working day)
A storage fee applies when a shipment remains in a UPS warehouse before being cleared by customs.
Post Entry Clearance Services - £70.20
UPS provides post-entry clearance assistance for amendments to customs entries, duty corrections, and other regulatory adjustments.
Always Contact on Customer Request - £3.60
If this option is selected, UPS will always contact the importer for clearance instructions. If UPS is unable to reach the importer, a written advice letter will be issued. If no response is received within 10 days, the shipment will be returned to the sender.
Note: Any applicable warehouse storage charges will also apply.
Bonded Transfer UPS Guarantee - £33.15
UPS can initiate a transit procedure to allow a shipment to be transported in bond under a UPS guarantee.
Bonded Transfer Handling Fee - £15.85
If UPS receives a shipment covered by a transit procedure, an administrative charge applies for clearing the document. This fee also applies when a shipment moves under a transit procedure initiated by a customer or another agent.