Canada carrier fee guide
Purolator Additional Charges & Surcharges
For U.S., Canadian, and international courier shipments, review Purolator specialized-service fees, special handling surcharges, administrative charges, and shipping adjustments in one clear chart.
Read the fee before the fine print
See the fee, trigger, and important condition
Purolator publishes additional charges across specialized services, special handling, account administration, and shipping adjustments. This FreightXO guide condenses the charges most useful to working shippers. It is a reference, not a carrier quote or invoice calculation.
Purolator updates its courier fuel percentage monthly. Use the live carrier page for the percentage in effect on the shipment date Check the courier fuel surcharge.
Effective July 19, 2026, Purolator rounds each fractional courier-package dimension up to the next whole inch or centimetre for billing.
The supplied rate guide lists $27.60 per piece. Purolator's official September 2025 rate-adjustment notice lists $27.90. Confirm the applicable amount before shipping.
Additional charge chart
Purolator additional charges at a glance
Amounts reproduce the supplied Purolator Rate Guide effective September 1, 2025. Base transportation, taxes, duties, customs clearance, contractual rates, fuel, and other applicable charges remain separate unless noted.
Specialized service fees
These options cover signatures, controlled or regulated shipments, payment collection, returns, weekend service, and customs processing.
| Charge | Amount | Where it applies | Key condition |
|---|---|---|---|
| Adult Signature Required | $8.00 per shipment | Eligible shipments within Canada that require proof of age at delivery. | The recipient must present valid government-issued photo ID. The option is available through Purolator E-Ship Online and E-Ship Web Services. |
| Chain of Signature | $16.50 per piece | Approved shipments within Canada involving specified controlled drugs, firearms, government assets, or cannabis. | Only pre-authorized customers vetted by an authorized Purolator loss-prevention specialist may use the service. |
| Healthcare Plus | $10.00 per piece | Contract customers using select Purolator Express 9AM, 10:30AM, 12PM, and Express services. | A contractual service for shipments requiring added operational support and delivery compliance. |
| Customs clearance | $0 Express entry preparation; $10.00-$42.92 USD for listed U.S. Ground value bands; other fees vary | USA-bound and other international shipments originating in Canada when customs, broker, or government charges apply. | Transportation charges exclude customs clearance. The guide also lists per-entry, permit, disbursement, agency, and processing fees. |
| Dangerous Goods | $65.00 fully regulated; $14.00 limited quantity; $75.00 non-compliant per piece; $22.00 500 kg exemption; $8.00 UN1845 or UN3373; $4.50 limited-quantity signature | Eligible regulated shipments by classification and service availability. | Transport Canada rules, packaging, documentation, geography, and Purolator acceptance requirements apply. A Special Handling charge may also apply. |
| ExpressCheque | $14.00 per shipment | Eligible shipments within Canada prepared with most Purolator E-Ship solutions. | Purolator collects a non-cash payment at delivery. The service is not available through E-Ship Now. |
| Return Management Service | Return shipping charges apply | Return shipments within Canada using a return label created without an associated outbound shipment. | Charges apply when the return shipment enters Purolator's distribution network. |
| Saturday Service | $25.00 per shipment | Saturday delivery to eligible Canadian and U.S. destinations. Saturday pickup is available only within Canada. | Service availability, origin, destination, and guarantee restrictions apply. |
| Signature Required (Residential) | $6.20 per shipment | Residential shipments prepared with an eligible Purolator E-Ship solution when signed proof of delivery is requested. | A manual bill of lading defaults to a signature and is charged Residential Delivery instead. A receiver's Signature Not Required preference may override the request. |
Special handling surcharges
When several Special Handling types apply to one piece, the guide says Purolator applies only the highest applicable Special Handling surcharge. Dangerous Goods and peak surcharges may still be added where applicable.
| Charge | Amount | Where it applies | Key condition |
|---|---|---|---|
| Additional Handling | $23.50 per piece | Unpackaged, non-corrugated, banded, shrink-wrapped, irregular, cylindrical, oversized soft-pack, high-risk, or manually sorted pieces. | Purolator may also determine that a piece requires Additional Handling based on packaging, contents, or processing needs. |
| Flat Package | $2.00 per piece | Packages with a longest side over 18 inches and a shortest side no more than 2 inches. | Measurements in the guide are approximately 45 cm and 5 cm. Fractional dimensions now round up for billing. |
| Large Package | $99.00 per piece | Packages with total overall piece size between 130 and 165 inches. | Each Large Package piece has a minimum billable weight of 90 lb. Overall size is length plus twice the width plus twice the height. |
| Over Maximum Limit | $1,000.00 per piece | Pieces over 150 lb, over 165 inches in total overall size, or over 108 inches on the longest side. | Minimum billable weight is 120 lb. Purolator may refuse these pieces; the surcharge applies if a piece is found in the courier network. |
| Oversized | $27.60 per piece in the supplied rate guide | Pieces over 50 lb through 150 lb, or with a longest side over 48 inches through 108 inches. | Purolator's separate September 2025 rate-adjustment notice lists $27.90. Verify the applicable amount before shipping. |
| Residential Delivery Heavyweight | $50.00 per piece | Residential-delivery pieces over 70 lb through 150 lb. | This is a Special Handling surcharge for heavyweight residential pieces. Other applicable shipment charges may remain separate. |
Administrative charges
These charges relate to shipment data, billing instructions, invoice formats, payment issues, document requests, and account services.
| Charge | Amount | Where it applies | Key condition |
|---|---|---|---|
| Address Correction | $16.50 per piece | Pieces with an incorrect, incomplete, or illegible receiver address. | Applied when Purolator must correct or complete the address information. |
| Collect | $6.50 per shipment | Shipments where the receiver is selected to pay the shipping charges. | The payment instruction must be supported by the shipment and account setup. |
| Credit Card Retrieval | No charge through six months; fee may apply afterward | Requests for backup relating to a credit-card transaction. | The guide does not publish the amount charged after six months. |
| Credit or Refund Fee | 5% of the credit amount | Customer-generated invoice discrepancies that Purolator determines require an administrative fee. | Purolator reserves the right to review credit and refund requests before applying the fee. |
| Document Copies | Additional charge may apply | Extra paper documents or replacement copies of electronic shipment documents. | Some document copies remain available online at no charge. |
| Invoice Dispute Fee | $2.00 per disputed charge | Disputed charges that Purolator investigates and determines were correctly charged on the original invoice. | The fee is multiplied by the number of disputed charges found to be correct. |
| Invoice Reissue Fee | $25.00 per copy | Requests for a copy of a previously issued invoice. | Applies when Purolator provides the requested invoice copy. |
| Late Payment Charge | 6% of the total past-due balance and/or an administrative late-payment charge | Overdue customer invoices. | Purolator may apply the charge per invoice, per month, including previously assessed but unpaid late charges. |
| Manual Shipping | $4.25 per shipment | Manual bills of lading or bills of lading that Purolator must process manually. | Purolator's service guarantees do not apply to these shipments. |
| Missing or Invalid Account Number | $13.50 per shipment | Bills of lading prepared without an account number or with an incorrect account number. | Accurate account information must appear on the shipper-prepared bill of lading. |
| Multi-Invoice Charge | $3.25 per multi-format invoice | Enabled accounts receiving invoices in more than one format, such as EDI, PDF through ePost Connect, or paper. | Applies when the account receives more than one listed invoice format. |
| Returned Cheque Charge | $45.00 per returned cheque | Customer cheques returned unpaid. | The guide states that Purolator may apply the charge. |
| Paper Invoice Fee | $2.50 per invoice | Each paper invoice issued. | Electronic billing may avoid this paper-invoice charge. |
| Hard-copy Proof of Delivery | Additional charge applies | Requests for a hard-copy proof of delivery. | Electronic proof of delivery is available through listed Purolator channels at no charge. |
| Purolator E-Ship Server Subscription | $200.00 per month | Customers below the minimum shipment-per-day threshold that lease an E-Ship Server system. | The guide states that software, hardware, and remote support are included in the subscription. |
| Rebilling | $12.50 per shipment; $30.00 minimum | Customer-requested invoice changes or invoice corrections caused by customer shipment-data or bill-of-lading actions. | Examples include incorrect manifest data, a reused bill of lading, or use of a voided bill of lading. |
| Statement of Account | $25.00 per copy | Requests for a copy of an account statement. | Purolator's online billing portals offer self-serve access to paid and outstanding invoices. |
| Third Party | $6.50 per shipment | Shipments where a third party is selected to pay the shipping charges. | The third-party billing instruction must be supported by the shipment and account setup. |
Shipping charges & adjustments
These charges affect remote points, dimensional billing, declared value, fuel, multi-piece shipments, delivery attempts, redirection, and corrected shipment weights.
| Charge | Amount | Where it applies | Key condition |
|---|---|---|---|
| Beyond Point | Additional charge varies | Origins or destinations that Purolator considers remote or does not service directly. | The amount may depend on the origin or destination. Confirm service availability and pricing before shipping. |
| Cubing or Dimensional Weight | Transportation is billed at calculated dimensional weight when it exceeds scale weight | Express air-network shipments at 15 lb per cubic foot; Ground and non-air Express shipments at 12.4 lb per cubic foot. | Effective July 19, 2026, each fractional package dimension rounds up to the next whole inch or centimetre for billing. |
| Declared Value Surcharge | 4.75% of the declared value when it exceeds C$100 | Shipments with a declared value for Purolator liability purposes over C$100, up to C$5,000. | The shipper must expressly declare the value on the bill of lading to be entitled to submit a claim for that value. |
| Fuel Surcharge | Variable monthly percentage | All courier shipments regardless of destination or selected transportation mode. | Use Purolator's live fuel page for the shipment date. Taxes and customs-clearance charges are excluded from the fuel calculation. |
| Multipiece | For 5+ pieces: (piece count – 4) x 3% x applicable service rate | Shipments containing five or more pieces. | The percentage formula is applied to the applicable service rate. |
| Redelivery | $6.00 per shipment | Courier or Freight shipments requiring another delivery attempt when Purolator could not complete the first attempt through no fault of its own. | The charge applies to each subsequent delivery attempt. |
| Redirect | $6.00 per shipment | Courier or Freight shipments requiring an in-transit delivery-address change requested by an eligible shipper or receiver. | The requester pays the charge. Some shippers prohibit receiver redirection or require prior approval. |
| Residential Delivery | $4.65 per shipment | Destinations Purolator considers primarily residential or low in commercial density. | The charge does not apply to Purolator Express Evening or Purolator Ground Evening. |
| Reweigh | Additional charges may apply | Shipments, pieces, or pallets whose verified weight differs from the declared weight. | Purolator may reweigh on government-approved scales and rounds the measured weight up to the nearest whole number. |
Purolator customs, brokerage & clearance charges
Purolator states that its transportation rates do not include duties, brokerage fees, or other customs-clearance charges. The final amounts depend on the shipment, destination, broker, government requirements, and account arrangement.
| Charge | Amount | Where it applies | Key condition |
|---|---|---|---|
| Customs clearance and brokerage | Variable by shipment and brokerage arrangement | Shipments entering or leaving Canada when a customs broker or clearance service is required. | Purolator rates exclude brokerage and other clearance-related charges. The assigned broker, route, service, entry type, and account terms determine the amount. |
| Duties, taxes and customs fees | Variable government assessment | International shipments when customs or another government authority assesses duty, tax, tariff, or another import or export amount. | Value, commodity description, country of origin, export reason, HS code, and applicable trade agreements affect the assessment. |
| U.S. import clearance | Variable; additional charges may apply | Commercial shipments sent to the United States, including shipments that require informal or formal customs clearance. | Purolator states that U.S. imports can be subject to duties and full clearance procedures. Confirm the current service, broker, documentation, and charge with Purolator before shipping. |
Carrier source
Verify the carrier source before shipping
The supplied courier rate guide remains Purolator's linked public guide, but carrier charges and terms can change between guide releases. Review the current fuel page, current terms, and any later service alerts before shipping.
- Primary source
- Purolator Rate Guide
- Source effective date
- September 1, 2025
- The supplied Purolator Rate Guide is effective September 1, 2025. This page was reviewed August 1, 2026 against later official fuel, terms, and courier-measurement updates.
- Effective July 19, 2026, Purolator rounds each fractional courier-package dimension up to the next whole inch or centimetre for billing.
- When multiple Special Handling surcharges apply to one piece, the guide says only the highest applicable Special Handling surcharge is charged. Dangerous Goods and applicable peak surcharges can still be added.
- The supplied guide lists Oversized at $27.60 per piece, while Purolator's September 2025 rate-adjustment notice lists $27.90. Confirm the applicable amount with Purolator or the shipment quote.
- This page summarizes published carrier information. Purolator's current terms, guide, quote, contract, service eligibility, and invoice control the final charge.
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