Surcharges and Correction Charges

Please find below important information about UK and international Surcharges and Correction Charges. Please check this page regularly for the latest updates.

For more information and help on understanding when Correction Charges are applied please go to royalmail.com/surchargehelp

Details of correction charges are available through the usual invoicing process, with detailed, line-level correction charge information available on the electronic invoicing platform, or where required by Royal Mail, provided manually via email.

UK

 
Fuel surcharge is applied on the product price after any discounts or commissions, and before VAT. We aim to keep this surcharge lower than other delivery companies. 

As of 4 July 2022, the fuel surcharge will be set to 8.0% due to a rise in domestic fuel costs.

Fuel surcharge is applicable to:

  • Royal Mail Special Delivery Guaranteed by 9am® and 1pm®
  • Royal Mail Tracked 24 and 48
  • Royal Mail 24® and 48®
  • Special Delivery Guaranteed Returns
  • Royal Mail Tracked Returns and Mail Order Returns

Fuel surcharges will not apply to non-contract business and consumer parcel services.

We will communicate any fuel surcharge rate changes 30 days in advance, via this page.

 
Unmanifested items

If customers present items to us additional to what they tell us they’ve posted, we incur additional handling costs, which includes correcting documentation. If we identify a discrepancy with your posting, we will apply an admin charge per item as well as any further charges required to cover the additional handling costs in addition to any postage cost that may have been incurred already.

Admin Charge Fee Charging basis
Sales Order underdeclared or mis-declared admin charge £0.95 If items differ in any way from what is declared, we will charge you a flat fee per item

 
We will communicate any changes 30 days in advance, via this page.

If customers present items to us that do not comply with guidance stated in our Terms & Conditions or supporting user guides, it means we incur additional handling costs:

  • If there are errors in the way items are presented to us, we will charge to cover the additional handling costs
  • If we identify Barcoded services items as being without a machine-readable barcode, we will apply a charge per item to cover the costs of label reprinting
  • If we identify items have been posted using a cancelled label, we will charge to cover the costs of correcting documentation and any unpaid postage
  • If items are handed over later that the date stated on the manifest, we will apply a charge per item to cover the costs of disruption to our operation 
  • We will communicate any changes 30 days in advance via this page
Correction charge Current Fee Effective date Charging basis Prior fee
Flat Fee per incorrect Sales Order and or Manifest £32.95 06/02/2023 If items differ from what is stated on the Sales Order, we will apply an admin fee per Sales Order for any adjustments we’ve made. £29.45
Barcode cannot be read or missing* £0.20 03/04/2023 If we can’t read and/or scan the barcode printed on your items or it’s missing, we will charge a fee per item. -
Incorrect labels and or bag ties £0.28 03/04/2023 If incorrect bag labels or bag ties have been used, we will charge you a fee for each incorrect label or tie. £0.20
Incorrect cage cards £0.35 03/04/2023 If an incorrect cage card has been used a fee for each incorrect cage card will be applied. £0.25
Customer collects York and or bags from Royal Mail £3.50 03/04/2023 If mail needs to be collected due to presentation issues, we will charge a fee for every York and, or bag collected. £3.00
Storage costs for Royal Mail to retain Yorks awaiting collection £6.00 03/04/2023 If items need collecting due to incorrect presentation, we will charge a fee per York and cage for each day we have to store the items. £5.00
Overweight bags or trays £0.90 03/04/2023 If overweight bags or trays are given to us, we will charge you a fee per bag or tray. £0.65
Overweight Cages and or Yorks £0.90 03/04/2023 If overweight cages or Yorks are presented to us, we will charge you a fee per cage and York. £0.65
Return York or Bag to customer by Royal Mail £30.00 03/04/2023 If we need to return your items due to incorrect presentation, we will charge a fee per York that we need to return. £25.00
Unreadable barcode £0.40 09/06/2022 If a barcode has been printed but cannot be read by our machines, we will charge you a fee per item** -
Missing Barcodes £0.50 09/06/2022 If a barcode has not been printed for a barcoded service, we will charge you a fee per item** -
Cancelled Label reuse £10 11/05/2020 If an item/barcode is cancelled on the shipping solution, it will not be reflected in the pre-advice. If the same cancelled item is subsequently posted and scanned in the Royal Mail network, we will apply a charge per item, in addition to the required postage price.*** -
Late Handover of Mail £0.95 03/04/2023 If you hand over your items late, we will charge you a fee per item -

 
*Superseded by charges for Unreadable and Missing barcodes from 09/06/2022
**If items without a machine-readable barcode are also found to have underpaid postage, then further charges may be raised to cover the additional handling costs
***Charge applies to all Royal Mail services except Royal Mail Tracked

 
If items customers present to us differ from what they tell us they’ve posted, it means we incur additional handling costs, which includes correcting documentation.

  • These charges will cover the costs incurred when items are underdeclared or mis-declared on customer posting documentation and information contained within barcodes compared to what is presented to us.
  • If we identify a discrepancy with 1st Class and 2nd Class (BPL) Account Mail or Signed For (BPR) items in your posting, we will apply an admin charge per item as well as a correction charge per item to cover the additional handling costs in addition to any postage cost that may have been incurred already. 
  • Correction Charges are detailed in the table below.
  • We will communicate any future changes 30 days in advance, via this page.

Details of the correction charges are available through the usual invoicing process, with detailed, line-level correction charge information available on the electronic invoicing platform, or where required by Royal Mail, provided manually via email.

Admin Charge Fee Charging basis
Sales Order underdeclared or mis-declared admin charge £0.95* If items differ in any way from what is declared, we will charge you a flat fee per item

 
*Revised price effective from 3rd April 2023. Was previously £0.85
 

Correction Charge Fee Charging basis
Underdeclared Large Letter correction charge £2.50 If more items are handed over than declared and these are identified as large letters, we will charge you per item
Underdeclared Small Parcels correction charge £4.00a If your underdeclared items are clearly identified as small parcels, we will charge you a fee per item that reflects the additional handling costs compared to large letters
Underdeclared Medium Parcels correction charge £9.00 If your underdeclared items are identified as medium parcels, we will charge you a fee per item that reflects the additional handling costs compared to small parcels
Underdeclared Letters correction charge £1.00 If your underdeclared items are identified as letters, we may charge you a fee per item that reflects the lower handling costs compared to large letters
Incorrect Class used £1.75 If the class of items handed over to us differs from that declared, we will charge you a correction fee per item
Incorrect Product Code used £1.60b If the product code of any items handed over to us differs from that declared, we will charge you a correction fee per item
Incorrect Format – declared as Letter but seen as Large Letter £0.50 If an item is declared as a Letter but we identify the dimensions* as being outside the max allowed for this format (as stated in the Terms & Conditions), we will charge a correction fee per item
Incorrect Format – declared as Letter but seen as Small Parcel £3.50 As above, but if we find that the dimensions* are outside the max allowed for the Large Letter format we will charge a higher correction fee to reflect the greater additional handling costs
Incorrect Format – declared as Letter but seen as Medium Parcel £5.00 As above, but if we find that the dimensions* are outside the max allowed for the Small Parcel format we will charge a higher correction fee to reflect the greater additional handling costs
Incorrect Format – declared as Letter but seen as Larger than Medium Parcel £10.00c As above, but if we find that the dimensions* are outside the max allowed for the Medium Parcel format we will charge a higher correction fee to reflect the greater additional handling costs
Incorrect Format – declared as Large Letter but seen as Small Parcel £3.50 If an item is declared as a Large Letter but we identify the dimensions* as being outside the max allowed for this format (as stated in the Terms & Conditions), we will charge a correction fee per item
Incorrect Format – declared as Large Letter but seen as Medium Parcel £5.00 As above, but if we find that the dimensions* are outside the max allowed for the Small Parcel format we will charge a higher correction fee to reflect the greater additional handling costs
Incorrect Format – declared as Large Letter but seen as Larger than Medium Parcel £10.00c As above, but if we find that the dimensions* are outside the max allowed for the Medium Parcel format we will charge a higher correction fee to reflect the greater additional handling costs
Incorrect Format – declared as Small Parcel but seen as Medium Parcel £3.50 If an item is declared as a Small Parcel but we identify the dimensions* as being outside the max allowed for this format (as stated in the Terms & Conditions), we will charge a correction fee per item
Incorrect Format – declared as Small Parcel but seen as Larger than Medium Parcel £10.00c As above, but if we find that the dimensions* are outside the max allowed for the Medium Parcel format we will charge a higher correction fee to reflect the greater additional handling costs
Incorrect Format – declared as Medium Parcel but seen as Larger than Medium Parcel £10.00c If an item is declared as a Medium Parcel but we identify the dimensions* as being outside the max allowed for this format (as stated in the Terms & Conditions), we will charge a correction fee per item
Letter >100g (Over max spec weight) £0.50 The Royal Mail Letter specification states that the maximum weight allowed is 100g – we will charge you a fee per item if you post items on this service weighing* above this limit
Large Letter >750g (Over max spec weight) £3.50 The Royal Mail Large Letter specification states that the maximum weight allowed is 750g – we will charge you a fee per item if you post items on this service weighing* above this limit
Small Parcel >2kg (Over max spec weight) £3.50 The Royal Mail Small Parcel specification does not allow items heavier than 2kg – we will charge you a fee per item if you post items on this service weighing* above this limit
Medium Parcel >20kg (Over max spec weight) £10.00c The Royal Mail Medium Parcel specification does not allow items heavier than 20kg – we will charge you a fee per item if you post items on this service weighing* above this limit
Incorrect weight declared – Large Letter See table 1.1 If the measured weight* of a large letter is found to differ from the weight declared on your posting documentation, we will charge a correction fee per item – this fee will vary according to the scale of difference observed
Incorrect weight declared – Small Parcel See table 1.2 As above, but for small parcels
Incorrect weight declared – Medium Parcel See table 1.3 As above, but for medium parcels

 

a. Revised price effective from 3rd April 2023. Was previously £3.50
b. Revised price effective from 3rd April 2023. Was previously £1.50
c. Revised price effective from 3rd April 2023. Was previously £7.50

*Please note that for all items presented to us the measurement (dimensions and weight) of the item includes the complete outer packaging.

 

Table 1.1 - Charging scale for Incorrect weight declared – Large Letter

Observed weight difference* Revised Fee per item (effective from 04/04/2022) Prior Fee per item (up to 03/04/2022)
0-100g £1.25 £1.00
>100g £1.50 £1.25
>250g £1.75 £1.50
>500g £2.00 £1.75
>750g £2.25 £2.00

 
*difference between Maximum allowed weight for declared weight band and Measured weight

Table 1.2 - Charging scale for Incorrect weight declared – Small Parcel

Observed weight difference* Fee per item
0-1kg £2.00
>1kg £3.00
>2kg £4.00

 
*difference between Maximum allowed weight for declared weight band and Measured weight

 
Table 1.3 - Charging scale for Incorrect weight declared – Medium Parcel

Observed weight difference* Revised Fee per item (effective from 04/04/2022) Prior Fee per item (up to 03/04/2022)
0-1kg £3.00 £3.50
>1kg £3.00 £8.50
>2kg £7.00 £13.50
>5kg £7.00 £18.50
>10kg £11.00 £23.50
>20kg £15.00 £28.50

 
*difference between Maximum allowed weight for declared weight band and Measured weight

 
If items customers present to us differ from what they tell us they’ve posted, it means we incur additional handling costs, which includes correcting documentation.

  • These charges will cover the costs incurred when items are underdeclared or mis-declared on customer posting documentation and information contained within barcodes compared to what is actually presented to us.
  • If we identify a discrepancy in your posting for these products, we will apply an admin charge per item as well as a correction charge per item to cover the additional handling costs in addition to any postage cost that may have been incurred already. 
  • Charges are detailed in the table below.
  • We will communicate any future changes 30 days in advance, via this page.

Details of the surcharge are available through the usual invoicing process, with detailed, line-level surcharge information available on the electronic invoicing platform, or where required by Royal Mail, provided manually via email.
 

Admin Charge Fee Charging basis
Sales Order underdeclared or mis-declared admin charge £0.95* If items differ in any way from what is declared, we will charge you a flat fee per item

 
*Revised price effective from 3rd April 2023. Was previously £0.85
 

Correction Charge Fee Charging basis
Underdeclared Large Letters correction charge £2.50 If more items are handed over than declared and these are identified as large letters, we will charge you per item
Underdeclared Parcels correction charge £4.00a If your underdeclared items are identified as small parcels, we will charge you a fee per item that reflects the additional handling costs compared to large letters
Underdeclared Letters correction charge £1.00 If your underdeclared items are identified as letters, we will charge you a fee per item that reflects the lower handling costs compared to large letters
Incorrect Class used £1.50 If the class of items handed over to us differs from that declared, we will charge you a correction fee per item
Incorrect Product Code used £1.50 If the product code of any items handed over to us differs to that declared, we will charge you a correction fee per item
Incorrect Format – declared as Letter but seen as Large Letter £0.50 If an item is declared as a Letter but we identify the dimensions* as being outside the max allowed for this format (as stated in the Terms & Conditions), we will charge a correction fee per item
Incorrect Format – declared as Letter but seen as Parcel £4.25b As above, but if we find that the dimensions* are outside the max allowed for the Large Letter format we will charge a higher correction fee to reflect the greater additional handling costs
Incorrect Format – declared as Letter but seen as Larger than Parcel £10.00c As above, but if we find that the dimensions* are outside the max allowed for the Parcel format we will charge a higher correction fee to reflect the greater additional handling costs
Incorrect Format – declared as Large Letter but seen as Parcel £3.75d If an item is declared as a Large Letter but we identify the dimensions* as being outside the max allowed for this format (as stated in the Terms & Conditions), we will charge a correction fee per item
Incorrect Format – declared as Large Letter but seen as Larger than Parcel £10.00c As above, but if we find that the dimensions* are outside the max allowed for the Parcel format we will charge a higher correction fee to reflect the greater additional handling costs
Incorrect Format – declared as Parcel but seen as Larger than Parcel £10.00c If an item is declared as a Parcel but we identify the dimensions* as being outside the max allowed for this format (as stated in the Terms & Conditions), we will charge a correction fee per item
Letter >100g (Over max spec weight) £0.50 The Royal Mail Letter specification states that the maximum weight allowed is 100g – we will charge you a fee per item if you post items on this service weighing* above this limit
Large Letter >750g (Over max spec weight) £3.50c The Royal Mail Large Letter specification states that the maximum weight allowed is 750g – we will charge you a fee per item if you post items on this service weighing* above this limit
RM48 Parcel >2kg (Over max spec weight) £10.00c The Royal Mail 48 ® Parcel specification does not allow items heavier than 2kg – we will charge you a fee per item if you post items on these services weighing* above this limit
2nd Class Account Mail (STL)  Parcel >1kg (Over max spec weight) £10.00c The 2nd Class Account Mail (STL) Parcel specification does not allow items heavier than 1kg – we will charge you a fee per item if you post items on this service weighing* above this limit
RM24 and 1st Class Account Mail (STL) Parcel >20kg (Over max spec weight) £10.00c The Royal Mail 24 ® Parcel and 1st Class Account Mail (STL)  specifications do not allow items heavier than 20kg – we will charge you a fee per item if you post items on these services weighing* above this limit
Incorrect weight declared – Large Letter See table 2.1 If the measured weight* of a large letter is found to differ from the weight declared on your posting documentation, we will charge a correction fee per item – this fee will vary according to the scale of difference observed
Incorrect weight declared – Parcel See table 2.2 As above, but for parcels

  

a. Revised price effective from 3rd April 2023. Was previously £3.50
b. Revised price effective from 3rd April 2023. Was previously £4.00
c. Revised price effective from 3rd April 2023. Was previously £7.50
d. Revised price effective and also applicable to Retail Letter Contract services from 3rd April 2023. Was previously £3.50

*Please note that for all items presented to us the measurement (dimensions and weight) of the item includes the complete outer packaging.

 

Table 2.1 - Charging scale for Incorrect weight declared – Large Letter

Observed weight difference* Revised Fee per item (effective from 04/04/2022) Prior Fee per item (up to 03/04/2022)
0-100g £1.25 £1.00
>100g £1.50 £1.25
>250g £1.75 £1.50
>500g £2.00 £1.75
>750g £2.25 £2.00

 
*difference between Maximum allowed weight for declared weight band and Measured weight

 
Table 2.2 - Charging scale for Incorrect weight declared – Parcel

Observed weight difference* Revised Fee per item (effective from 04/04/2022) Prior Fee per item (up to 03/04/2022)
0-1kg £4.00 £3.50
>1kg £9.50 £8.50
>2kg £15.00 £13.50
>5kg £20.50 £18.50
>10kg £26.00 £23.50
>20kg £31.50 £28.50

 
*difference between Maximum allowed weight for declared weight band and Measured weight

 

Incorrect Average Weight declared correction charges on Royal Mail 24® and Royal Mail 48® Average Daily Rate products only

If the average weight of a posting that customers present to us is different to what they tell us they’ve posted, it means we incur additional handling costs, which includes correcting documentation. To ensure the average weight is correct, customers are required to provide an accurate weight and pre-advice for each item*

*Excluding customers using our Basic Barcodes solution or Annual Flat Rate customers

  • These charges will cover the costs incurred when the average weight of a posting is mis-declared on customer posting documentation and information contained within barcodes compared to what is actually presented to us.
  • If we identify a discrepancy in the average weight of your posting for these products, we will apply an admin charge for each item in the posting as well as a correction charge for each item in the posting to cover the additional handling costs in addition to any postage cost that may have been incurred already. 
  • Correction Charges are detailed as per the tables below.
  • We will communicate any future changes 30 days in advance, via this page.

Details of the correction charges are available through the usual invoicing process, with detailed, line-level correction charge information available on the electronic invoicing platform, or where required by Royal Mail, provided manually via email.
 

Admin Charge Fee Charging basis

Sales Order underdeclared or mis-declared admin charge

£0.95*

If items differ in any way from what is declared, we will charge you a flat fee per item

 
*Revised price effective from 3rd April 2023. Was previously £0.85
 

Table 3.1 - Charging scale for Incorrect Average Weight declared – Large Letter

Observed average weight difference per item* Fee per item

0-100g

£0.60

>100g

£0.85

>250g

£1.10

>500g

£1.35

>750g

£1.60

 
*difference between Maximum allowed average weight for declared weight band and Measured average weight

 
Table 3.2 - Correction Charging scale for Incorrect Average Weight declared – Parcel

Observed average weight difference per item* Revised Fee per item (effective from 04/04/2022) Prior Fee per item (up to 03/04/2022)

0-1kg

 £2.75

£2.75

>1kg

 £4.00

£4.00

>2kg

 £5.25

£5.25

>3kg

 £5.25

£6.50

>4kg

 £5.25

£7.75

>5kg

 £5.25

£9.00**
>10kg £6.50 £15.25
>20kg £7.75 £27.75

 
*difference between Maximum allowed average weight for declared weight band and Measured average weight

**Thereafter, the charge increases by £1.25 for every additional kg of weight difference above 5kg up to a maximum charge of £27.75

 
Duplicate Barcode correction charges on Royal Mail 24® and Royal Mail 48® only, effective from 7 June 2021

If customers duplicate barcodes across more than one item (rather than using unique barcodes on each item), it means we incur additional handling costs, which includes correcting documentation.

  • From 7 June 2021, Royal Mail introduced duplicate barcode charges for Royal Mail 24® and Royal Mail 48® Large Letters and Parcels. These charges cover the costs incurred when individual barcodes are incorrectly used across multiple items.
  • If we identify items where the barcode used is a duplicate of one used previously, we will apply an admin charge per use as well as a correction charge per use to cover the additional handling costs. These charges are in addition to any postage cost that may have been incurred already.   
  • Charges are detailed as per the tables below. 
  • We will communicate any future changes 30 days in advance, via this page.
Admin Charge Fee Charging basis
Sales Order underdeclared or mis-declared admin charge £0.95* If items differ in any way from what is declared, we will charge you a flat fee per item.

 
*Revised price effective from 3rd April 2023. Was previously £0.85
 

Correction Charge Fee Charging basis
Duplicate Barcode correction charge £10.00* If any items use a duplicate barcode, we will charge you per use.

 

*Revised price effective from 28th November 2022. Was previously £2.50

 
If items customers present to us differ from what they tell us they’ve posted, it means we incur additional handling costs, which includes correcting documentation.

  • These charges will cover the costs incurred when items are underdeclared on customer posting documentation
  • If we identify a discrepancy in your Special Delivery Guaranteed posting, we will apply an admin charge per item as well as a correction charge per item to cover the additional handling costs in addition to any postage cost that may have been incurred already. 
  • Correction Charges are detailed as per the table below.
  • We will communicate any changes 30 days in advance, via this page.
     
Admin Charge Fee Charging basis
Sales Order underdeclared or mis-declared admin charge £0.95* If items differ in any way from what is declared, we will charge you a flat fee per item

 
*Revised price effective from 3rd April 2023. Was previously £0.85
 

Correction Charge Fee Charging basis
Underdeclared correction charge: Special Delivery £8.00 If more items are handed over than declared, we will charge you per item.
Incorrect Product code: Special Delivery £8.00 If the product code of any items handed over to us differs from that declared, we will charge you a correction fee per item

 

Incorrect Weight charges on Special Delivery Guaranteed, effective from 18 July 2022

If the weight of an item that a customer presents to us is different to the declared posting weight, it means we incur additional handling costs, which includes correcting documentation. 

  • These charges will cover the costs incurred when the weight of an item is mis-declared on customer posting documentation and information contained within barcodes when compared to what is actually presented to us.
  • If we identify a discrepancy in the weight of any items in your posting, we will apply an admin charge as well as a correction charge per mis-declared item to cover the additional handling costs in addition to any postage cost that may have been incurred already. 
  • Charges are detailed as per the tables below.
  • We will communicate any future changes 30 days in advance, via this page.
     
Admin Charge Fee Charging basis
Sales Order underdeclared or mis-declared admin charge £0.95* If items differ in any way from what is declared, we will charge you a flat fee per item

 
*Revised price effective from 3rd April 2023. Was previously £0.85
 

Table 4.1 - Correction Charging scale for Incorrect weight declared – Special Delivery Guaranteed
Observed weight difference* Fee per item
0-100g £2.10
>100g £3.10
>500g £4.10
>1kg £5.10
>2kg £7.10
>20kga £9.10

 
a. Revised weight effective from 3rd April 2023. Was previously >10kg

*difference between Maximum allowed weight for declared weight band and Measured weight - please note that for all items presented to us the measured weight of the item includes the complete outer packaging.

 
For Tracked customersa, items over 129 litres or exceeding the dimensions 610mm x 460mm x 460mmb will be subject to a surcharge of £10c per item. The 3 longest dimensions (length, width and height) of an item will be measured and then multiplied together to calculate its volume (please note, the measurements will include any packaging).

From 4th April 2022, Royal Mail Tracked 24 and 48 Letterboxable customers sending items weighing more than 1kg, exceeding the dimensions 353mm x 250mm x 25mm will be subject to a surcharge of £2.00 per item. If you send an item that is both oversize and overweight, you will be surcharged £2 for the overweight element and £2 for the oversize element making it £4 in total.

Where items are returned to the sender for the below reasons, your items will be scanned and you will be charged at your agreed contract rate.

  • Undelivered items that have not been collected, nor a Redelivery arranged within the 18-day holding period
  • Incorrect/incomplete address
  • Recipient moved (gone away)
  • Recipient refused

a. Effective from 3rd April 2023. Was previously Tracked High Volume only
b. Effective from 12th December 2022
c. Effective from 3rd April 2023. Was previously £7.50

 
Duplicate Barcode charges on Royal Mail Tracked 24 and 48 effective from 7 June 2021

If customers duplicate barcodes across more than one item (rather than using unique barcodes on each item), it means we incur additional handling costs, which includes correcting documentation.

  • These charges will cover the costs incurred when individual barcodes are incorrectly used across multiple items.
  • If we identify items where the barcode is a duplicate of one used previously, we will apply an admin charge per use alongside charging as per your contract rate for any unpaid postage 
  • Correction Charges are detailed as per the tables below. 
  • We will communicate any future changes 30 days in advance, via this page.
Admin Charge Fee Charging basis
Sales Order underdeclared or mis-declared admin charge £0.95* If items differ in any way from what is declared, we will charge you a flat fee per item.

 
*Revised price effective from 3rd April 2023. Was previously £0.85
 

Correction Charge Charging basis
Postage as shown against product code If any Tracked items use a duplicate barcode, we will charge you the unpaid postage

 
Duplicate Barcode charges on Royal Mail Tracked Returns 24 and 48 effective from 24 April 2023

If customers duplicate barcodes across more than one item (rather than using unique barcodes on each item), it means we incur additional handling costs, which includes correcting documentation.

  • These charges will cover the costs incurred when individual barcodes are incorrectly used across multiple items.
  • If we identify items where the barcode is a duplicate of one used previously, we will apply an admin charge per use alongside charging as per your contract rate for any unpaid postage 
  • Correction Charges are detailed as per the tables below. 
  • We will communicate any future changes 30 days in advance, via this page.
Admin Charge Fee Charging basis
Sales Order underdeclared or mis-declared admin charge £0.95 If items differ in any way from what is declared, we will charge you a flat fee per item.

 

Correction Charge Charging basis
Postage as shown against product code If any Tracked Returns items use a duplicate barcode, we will charge you the unpaid postage

 

 
Royal Mail is closing down these legacy Tracked Returns products (PT1, PT2, LM2, LHL & LHV) on 31 March 2021 and from 1 April 2021 they will no longer be available.

  • From 1 April 2021, Royal Mail will be introducing a flat £3.50 fee in addition to the item fee for customers who continue to receive items after this date. This additional fee will be automatically added to your item fee.
  • We will communicate any changes 30 days in advance, via this page.

International

 
International surcharges help us respond to the impact of the international market on key cost areas for our business, such as:

  • Fuel;
  • Conveyancing; and 
  • International delivery charges. 

International surcharges do not apply to International non-contract business and consumer services.

The International surcharge applies to the following:

  • International Business Tracked; 
  • International Business Tracked & Signed; 
  • International Business Signed; 
  • International Business Mail; 
  • International Business Parcels; 
  • International Business Parcels Returns; 
  • International Business Mail Response services - Local Look options.

An International surcharge (currently 6.5%*) is applied to the product price after any discounts or commissions and before any applicable VAT.

We will communicate any International surcharge rate by giving you no less than 14 days in advance, via this page.

 
*effective from 3 January 2023 due to unfavourable movements in Sterling Exchange rates. Was previously 4%

 
Details of charges are available through the usual invoicing process, with detailed, line-level charge information available on the electronic invoicing platform, or where required by Royal Mail, provided manually via email.
 

Unmanifested items on Tracked, Tracked & Signed and Signed

If customers present items to us additional to what they tell us they’ve posted, we incur additional handling costs, which includes correcting documentation. If we identify a discrepancy with your posting, we will apply an admin charge per item as well as a correction charge per item and/or any further charges required to cover the additional handling costs in addition to any postage cost that may have been incurred already.

  • Correction Charges are detailed in the table below, and are effective from Monday 22nd May 2023
  • We will communicate any future changes 30 days in advance, via this page.
Admin Charge Fee Charging basis
Sales Order underdeclared or mis-declared admin charge £0.95 If items differ in any way from what is declared, we will charge you a flat fee per item

 
 

Correction Charge Fee Charging basis
International Tracked Ltr/Lge Ltr Underdeclared charge £12.00 If more items are handed over than declared and these are identified as letters or large letters, we will charge you per item
International Tracked Parcel Underdeclared charge £19.00 If your underdeclared items are identified as parcels, we will charge you a fee per item that reflects the additional handling costs compared to large letters

 
If we find that the additional handling costs are not sufficiently covered by the correction charges, we may charge you at a higher rate to ensure we cover the additional costs associated with unmanifested items.
 

Unmanifested items on UnTracked and Economy

If customers present items to us additional to what they tell us they’ve posted, we incur additional handling costs, which includes correcting documentation. If we identify a discrepancy with your posting, we will apply an admin charge per item as well as a correction charge per item and/or any further charges required to cover the additional handling costs in addition to any postage cost that may have been incurred already.

  • Correction Charges are detailed in the table below, and are effective from Monday 22nd May 2023
  • We will communicate any future changes 30 days in advance, via this page.
Admin Charge Fee Charging basis
Sales Order underdeclared or mis-declared admin charge £0.95 If items differ in any way from what is declared, we will charge you a flat fee per item

 
 

Correction Charge Fee Charging basis
International UnTracked Lge Ltr Underdeclared charge £7.00 If more items are handed over than declared and these are identified as large letters, we will charge you per item
International UnTracked Parcel Underdeclared charge £16.00 If your underdeclared items are identified as parcels, we will charge you a fee per item that reflects the additional handling costs compared to large letters
International UnTracked Letter Underdeclared charge £2.50 If your underdeclared items are identified as letters, we will charge you a fee per item that reflects the lower handling costs compared to large letters

 
If we find that the additional handling costs are not sufficiently covered by the correction charges, we may charge you at a higher rate to ensure we cover the additional costs associated with unmanifested items.
 

Other Correction charges

If there are errors or omissions in the way postal items are presented to us, it costs us more to identify and handle these so we can deliver them. Errors and/or omissions may also incur charges from overseas postal operators if items are presented incorrectly. These charges are set out to clarify the charges for customer errors and/or omissions. To avoid these being incurred please ensure the details set out in our agreement are followed.

These charges will apply to all international products and customers. Please note that your items will only have one correction charge and one admin charge applied per item. These items may attract further charges when applied by overseas postal operators:

Identified error Solution Correction charge Admin charge

Item correction (Destination, weight, no. of items, format, size)

We may make reasonable efforts to address any identified error in a manner that we believe to be appropriate.

£1.30 per item

£0.95* per item

Barcode cannot be read or missing

We may make reasonable efforts to address any identified error in a manner that we believe to be appropriate.

£0.21 per bag/container

£0.95* per item

Incorrect cage cards

We may make reasonable efforts to address any identified error in a manner that we believe to be appropriate.

£0.25 per item

£0.95* per item

Storage costs for Royal Mail to retain Yorks awaiting collection

We may make reasonable efforts to address any identified error in a manner that we believe to be appropriate.

£5.00 per item

£0.95* per item

Customer collects York and or bag from Royal Mail

We may make reasonable efforts to address any identified error in a manner that we believe to be appropriate.

£3.00 per item

£0.95* per item

Incorrect Sales Order and/or Manifest

We may make reasonable efforts to address any identified error in a manner that we believe to be appropriate.

£27.95 per Sales Order/Manifest

N/A

Incorrect labels and or bag ties

We may make reasonable efforts to address any identified error in a manner that we believe to be appropriate.

£0.21 per bag/container

£0.95* per item

Overweight bags or trays

We may make reasonable efforts to address any identified error in a manner that we believe to be appropriate.

£0.68 per bag/tray

£0.95* per item

Overweight Cages and or Yorks

We may make reasonable efforts to address any identified error in a manner that we believe to be appropriate.

£0.68 per cage/york

£0.95* per item

Return York or Bag to customer by Royal Mail

We may make reasonable efforts to address any identified error in a manner that we believe to be appropriate.

£25.00 per item

£0.95* per item

Indicia missing or incorrect

Poster authorises Royal Mail to apply the correct indicia

£0.02 per machinable item

£27.95 per sales order

Indicia missing or incorrect

Poster authorises Royal Mail to apply the correct indicia

£0.08 per non-machinable item

£27.95 per sales order

Indicia missing or incorrect

Poster requests Royal Mail to return mail

£0.22 per kg

£27.95 per sales order

Indicia missing or incorrect

Poster to collect mail from Royal Mail

£0.16 per kg

£27.95 per sales order

Destination country not showing within address

Poster requests Royal Mail to return mail

£0.22 per kg

£27.95 per sales order

Destination country not showing within address

Poster to collect mail from Royal Mail

£0.16 per kg

£27.95 per sales order

Changing collection arrangements without 48 hours’ notice

N/A

£50

Cancellation of a booked collection without notifying Royal Mail

N/A

£100

Items not conforming to international postal regulations e.g. mail displaying non-UK return address

Poster requests Royal Mail to return mail

£0.22 per kg

£27.95 per sales order

Items not conforming to international postal regulations e.g. mail displaying non-UK return address

Poster to collect mail from Royal Mail

£0.16 per kg

£27.95 per sales order

Items not conforming to international postal regulations e.g. mail displaying non-UK return address

When errors are notified to us by the receiving country we will contact the poster and advise on the options

Charge will be advised at the time

The item is considered to be mis-sent because the address is incorrect or countries of destination for which the weight of the mail exceeds 3kg per mail dispatch or per day or any mixed mail guidance was not correctly followed in accordance with the User Guide

Items are redirected by the overseas postal operator to the correct destination.

These charges are aligned with international obligations and are currently priced per kg at:
Group 1: £5.63
Group 2: £6.04
Group 3: £6.60
Group 4: £7.87
Group 5: £8.46
Group 6: £9.84
Group 7: £10.42
These groups are defined by the UPU. These charges will be levied by the oversees postal operator to Royal Mail which we are passing on the sender.
To check which group applies to your items please see the additional table provided below. 
Please note these charges are aligned with the international obligations and may be updated from time to time. When they are updated we will notify you of any changes with 30 days’ notice via this webpage.

N/A

All other errors

Poster authorises Royal Mail to perform rework

Mail will be charged at the current International Mixed Mail Premium Unsorted rates applicable to its destination and format plus £0.01 per item

£27.95 per sales order

All other errors

Poster requests Royal Mail to return mail

£0.22 per kg

£27.95 per sales order

All other errors

Poster to collect mail from Royal Mail

£0.16 per kg

£27.95 per sales order

 

Please note these charges will incur VAT at standard rates.

*Revised charge effective from 22nd May 2023. Was previously £0.85

  

International obligation charges for incorrectly posted items

The table below identifies the countries that are assigned to the groups for incorrectly posted items that are identified by a overseas postal operator. These groups will be used to identify which charges may be applicable to your items in accordance with the correction charges table above:

Group 1

Austria AT
Belgium BE
Denmark DK
Eire IE
Finland FI
France exc. Dependencies FR
Germany DE
Greece GR
Guernsey GG
Iceland IS
Isle of Man IM
Italy IT
Jersey JE
Luxembourg LU
Netherlands NL
Norway NO
Portugal PT
Sweden SE
Switzerland CH

Group 2

Croatia HR
Czech Rep. CZ
Estonia EE
Hungary HU
Malta MT
Poland PL
Slovakia SK
Slovenia SI

Group 3

Botswana BW
Brazil BR
Bulgaria BG
Chile CL
China CN
Jamaica JM
Malaysia MY
Oman OM
Panama PA
Romania RO
Russian Federation RU
Serbia RS
Seychelles SC
Thailand TH
Turkey TR
Ukraine UA
Uruguay UY

Group 4

Canada CA
Gibraltar GI
Israel IL
Japan JP

Group 5

Anguilla AI
Aruba AW
Bahrain BH
Barbados BB
Bermuda BM
Brunei BN
Cayman Is. KY
Hong Kong HK
Montserrat MS
Qatar QA
Saudi Arabia SA
Singapore SG
South Korea KR
Tortola (British Virgin Islands) VG
United Arab Emirates AE

Group 6

Afghanistan AF
Albania AL
Ascension SH
Bangladesh BD
Colombia CO
Ecuador EC
Egypt EG
Eritrea ER
Ethiopia ET
Gambia GM
Georgia GE
Ghana GH
Guinea Rep. GN
India IN
Indonesia ID
Ivory Coast CI
Jordan JO
Kampuchea KH
Kenya KE
Laos LA
Malawi MW
Morocco MA
Myanmar (Burma) MM
Nepal NP
Pakistan PK
Philippines PH
Sri Lanka LK
St Helena SH
Tunisia TN
Uganda UG
Uzbekistan UZ
Vietnam VN
Zaire CD
Zambia ZM

Group 7

Australia AU
Falkland Is. FK
New Zealand NZ