How to download your UPS and FedEx invoice files for an audit
A PDF invoice is easy to read but hard to audit. To check every charge you need the detailed invoice data file, which lists each shipment and each charge on its own line. Here is where to find it at UPS and FedEx, which format to choose, and how to make the export automatic.
PDF vs. data file
The PDF shows totals and a summary per shipment. The data file (CSV or Excel) has one row per shipment or per charge, with tracking number, service, billed weight, dimensions, zone and every surcharge as a separate column. Only the data file lets you sort, filter and compare, so that is the one an audit needs.
UPS: Billing Center
Sign in to UPS and open the Billing Center. Find the invoice you want, then choose to download it in a data format (CSV or Excel) rather than PDF. Choose the detailed version if offered: it contains tracking numbers, weights, service and every surcharge.
If you have several UPS account numbers, download the invoices for each account: errors on one account are often repeated on the others.
FedEx: Billing Online
Sign in to FedEx Billing Online, open the invoices list, select one or more invoices and download them as a CSV or Excel file. Again, prefer the detailed format with one line per shipment.
Make it automatic
Both carriers can email you when a new invoice is ready. Instead of downloading files every week, you can forward those emails to an audit service. ParcelAudit gives every account a personal forwarding address, so invoices are checked as soon as they arrive, without sharing your carrier login.
Tips before you audit
Download a full month at a time so duplicates across invoices can be found. Keep the original file unchanged: an auditor needs the carrier's own column names. If you also export orders from your store (order ID, tracking, weight, box size, address type), weight and surcharge checks become much more precise.
Menu names in carrier portals change from time to time; if you can't find the export option, the carrier's billing support can point you to it.
How far back to go
Billing disputes are generally accepted for about 180 days from the invoice date, so the last six months of invoices are worth checking on a first audit. Late-delivery refunds have a window of about 15 days, so for those only the most recent invoices matter.
Upload and get results
ParcelAudit accepts UPS and FedEx invoice files as CSV or Excel and shows every disputable charge within minutes. See a sample report, or run your first audit for free.
Prefer not to file anything yourself? Our done-for-you service finds the overcharges and files the disputes with the carrier for you, with nothing upfront.