The $5.11 floor bites early
Anything declared between $101 and $300 runs into the minimum rather than the per-$100 rate. Below roughly $300 of value you are paying the floor either way, so if you are declaring at all, declare the real number.
UPS accessorials
What UPS charges to lift its $100 liability
UPS caps itself at $100 per domestic package and sells more in $100 steps at $1.70 each, with a $5.11 floor on the charge, per its published value-added services rates effective 2025-12-22. Declaring $500 therefore costs $8.50 at the published rate, which on a real Newark to Atlanta ground quote of $14.05 lands the pair at $22.55.
UPS tariff quotedPublished rate appliedReal ground quote
Priced in $100 steps
One quoted UPS Ground parcel, then the published charge for each level of declared value laid on top.
The rate, the parcel, and the arithmetic
UPS prints two numbers for this service: $1.70 per $100 of declared value and a $5.11 minimum charge. The parcel below is a real quote, 12 x 10 x 6 in at 5 lb from Newark, NJ 07102 to Atlanta, GA 30303, captured 2026-07-28. UPS Ground came back at $14.05, the full amount payable at checkout.
Rates from the UPS revised rates for value-added services and other charges, published on ups.com and effective 2025-12-22, fetched 2026-07-28. Liability language from the UPS Tariff/Terms and Conditions of Service, United States, same date.
SMKlog rates for the anchor parcel, quoted 2026-07-28
| Carrier | Service | Price | Quoted transit |
|---|---|---|---|
| UPS | Ground Saver | $13.52 | no window supplied on this rate |
| UPS | Ground | $14.05 | 2-3 business days |
| USPS | Ground Advantage | $14.02 | 8-9 business days |
| FedEx | Ground Economy | $14.31 | 6-7 business days |
| UPS | 2nd Day Air | $21.96 | 2-3 business days |
The published charge, applied to the $14.05 UPS Ground rate
| Declared value | Charge at $1.70 per $100 | What UPS bills | Rate plus charge |
|---|---|---|---|
| $200 | $3.40 | $5.11, the published minimum | $19.16 |
| $500 | $8.50 | $8.50 | $22.55 |
| $1,000 | $17.00 | $17.00 | $31.05 |
| $2,500 | $42.50 | $42.50 | $56.55 |
The right-hand column is the ground rate we were quoted plus the charge UPS publishes, not a single quoted total. UPS applies the accessorial when the label is created and follows its own rounding, so read the table as the tariff arithmetic rather than a receipt.
To increase UPS's limit of liability for loss or damage above $100, the Shipper must declare a value in excess of $100 for each Package or pallet in the applicable field for purchasing additional protection in the UPS Source Document or the UPS Automated Shipping System used and pay an additional charge.UPS Tariff/Terms and Conditions of Service, United States, section 56, ups.com, fetched 2026-07-28
The ceiling, and the goods UPS will not take at any value
Section 56.1 sets the maximum declared value at $50,000 per package and $100,000 per pallet. Above that a package stops being a pricing question: UPS classes anything worth more than $50,000 as an article of unusual value and lists such articles among the goods shippers are prohibited from tendering. The same class covers coins, cash, currency, bonds, postage stamps, money orders and negotiable instruments other than checks, plus any article more than half gold or platinum by weight in raw form.
SMKlog checkout stops short of that line by a wide margin. Bullion, loose stones, coins and cash are on our own restricted list and cannot be bought a label here, whatever value you would have declared.
A declaration is not a payout
UPS pays the lesser of actual cost, replacement cost at the time and place of loss, or repair cost, and it can refuse a damage claim outright if the original packaging is not made available for inspection. Keep the box until the file closes.
Cheques and cards are special cases
For a shipment containing checks, UPS limits itself to the cost of stopping payment and reissuing, capped at $100 per package, and it will not pay face value. Gift cards and tickets are limited to the cost of replacing the physical item.
UPS declared value questions
How much does UPS declared value cost?
$1.70 per $100 of declared value, with a $5.11 minimum charge, per the UPS revised value-added services rates effective 2025-12-22 and fetched from ups.com on 2026-07-28.
How much liability is included with a UPS label?
$100 per domestic package. The UPS tariff states plainly that the shipper agrees the released value of each domestic package is no greater than $100 unless a higher figure is recorded and the extra charge paid.
What is the most I can declare on a UPS package?
Section 56.1 of the UPS tariff sets $50,000 per package and $100,000 per pallet. Packages actually worth more than $50,000 are treated as articles of unusual value, which shippers are prohibited from tendering.
What does declaring $500 add to a UPS Ground rate?
At the published rate it is $8.50. Against the $14.05 UPS Ground quote we captured from Newark to Atlanta on 2026-07-28 for a 12 x 10 x 6 in box at 5 lb, that puts rate and charge together at $22.55.