# Bill UPS transportation charges to a third party
URL: https://support.starshipit.com/articles/1793117199123-bill-ups-transportation-charges-to-a-third-party
Canonical: https://support.starshipit.com/articles/1793117199123-bill-ups-transportation-charges-to-a-third-party
Markdown: https://support.starshipit.com/articles/1793117199123-bill-ups-transportation-charges-to-a-third-party.md
Updated: 2026-10-27

> For the complete documentation index, see [llms.txt](https://support.starshipit.com/llms.txt).

> Set the UPS transportation payer, override it on an outbound order, and check the billing details before shipping.

Choose who pays the transportation charges for outbound UPS shipments. You can set a default third-party UPS account or enter a payer for an individual order in UI 2.0.

## Before you begin

Make sure you have:

- A connected [UPS New API integration](/articles/360001297215-set-up-ups). These controls are unavailable for UPS Legacy.
- Permission to use the third party's UPS account for billing.
- The payer's UPS account number and two-letter billing-address country code.
- The payer's billing-address postal code when the account is in the US or Canada.
- Access to change your UPS courier settings.

Transportation charges and duties and taxes have separate payer settings. Use the transportation fields below for shipping charges; keep any duty and tax billing arrangement in its own fields.

## Configure the transportation payer

1. Go to **Settings > Couriers > [UPS](https://next.starshipit.com/settings/couriers/setup/ups)** and open **Advanced**.
2. Enter the **Transportation account country code** for the payer's billing address.
3. Enter the **Transportation account postal code**. This is required for US and Canadian billing accounts.
4. Choose the **Transportation payment type**:
   - **Sender** keeps the shipper as the default payer. Use this when only selected orders need third-party billing.
   - **Third Party** uses a third-party account by default. Enter that account in **Transportation billing account number**.
5. Click **Save**.
6. Reopen the settings and confirm the saved payment type and billing details.

Use the payer's billing address for these fields, even when the shipment is going to a different country. An order-level payer uses the same country code and postal code saved here.

## Set a payer on one order

1. Open an unshipped outbound order in **UI 2.0** and select a UPS service.
2. Find **Payer account #** in the order's **Additional details** billing area. A compact layout may show **Payer acct #**.
3. Enter the third party's UPS account number.
4. Save the order.
5. Reopen it and confirm the UPS service and saved payer before printing.

The order's payer overrides the default transportation account number. Check the saved billing country and postal code match that payer. When you change the carrier in UI 2.0, review and re-enter the payer for the newly selected carrier.

## Check which account will be used

| Shipment or setting | Transportation payer |
| --- | --- |
| Outbound order with a payer account entered | The order's payer account, using the billing country and postal code in UPS settings. |
| Outbound order with no payer entered and **Third Party** selected | The transportation billing account in UPS settings. |
| Outbound order with no payer entered and **Sender** selected | Your UPS shipper account. This is the default payment type. |
| UPS return shipment | Your UPS shipper account. The outbound third-party setting and order override do not apply. |

Clearing an order's payer restores the configured default. If **Third Party** remains selected in UPS settings, clearing the order field still uses that default third-party account.

For your next planned shipment, check the saved payer details before printing. Use the UPS billing record to confirm which account was charged.

## Troubleshooting

### A billing detail is missing or invalid

Check the transportation account number and two-letter country code. Add the billing postal code for US or Canadian accounts, then save and review the order again. For an order override, check its account number against the shared billing address in UPS settings.

### The payer field is unavailable

Check that the order uses an outbound UPS New API service. Refresh the order if the courier settings could not load. UPS Legacy and return orders do not offer this override.

### UPS rejects the billing account

Confirm the payer's account details and permission to use the account with UPS before retrying the shipment.

## Related articles

- [Set up UPS](/articles/360001297215-set-up-ups)
- [Configure additional UPS settings](/articles/90200000000131-configure-additional-ups-settings)
- [Set up UPS returns](/articles/90200000000130-set-up-ups-returns)