How to Add Insurance to FedEx Shipment: Declared Value

To add insurance to a FedEx shipment, enter the value of the contents in the Declared Value field while you create the label, and FedEx adds a declared-value charge to that shipment. Technically FedEx doesn’t sell insurance: every package already carries $100 of FedEx liability, and declaring a higher value raises that limit, up to $50,000 for each package on most FedEx Express and FedEx Ground services.

The FedEx Service Guide puts it bluntly: “We do not provide insurance coverage of any kind.” What you buy is a higher liability ceiling, and FedEx’s exclusions, item caps and claim rules still apply. Our FedEx insurance guide to coverage and claims goes deeper on payouts; this page covers how to add the coverage and what limits it.

How Do You Add Declared Value to a FedEx Shipment?

You declare the value at the moment you create the shipment, because FedEx won’t change it afterward. FedEx’s declared value page lays out the online steps:

1. Log in to your FedEx account at fedex.com and start a new shipment.
2. Under Package & Shipment Details, enter the package weight, service type and package type.
3. Enter a dollar amount in the declared value field. Use the real repair or replacement value of the contents, not a round number.
4. Calculate the total shipping cost and review the declared-value charge before you pay for the label.

At a FedEx Office or other staffed FedEx location, tell the team member the value of the contents before the label prints. On a paper airbill there’s a declared-value section that the shipper fills in. FedEx’s terms say the shipper is responsible for completing that section accurately and that FedEx “cannot honor requests to change the declared-value information” once the shipment is tendered.

If one airbill covers several packages, write the total declared value for all of them. FedEx then divides that total evenly across the packages unless you can show a different split, so give a high-value item its own label.

How Much Coverage Does FedEx Include at No Charge?

Every FedEx package includes $100 of liability at no extra cost. For U.S. package services, the Service Guide says that unless you declare and pay for a higher value, FedEx caps its liability at $100 of declared value for each package. Above that, the declared-value charge grows with every additional block of value you declare.

Declaring a value doesn’t guarantee a payout of that amount. FedEx pays the lesser of the item’s repair cost, its depreciated value or its replacement cost, up to the declared value, and it’s up to the shipper to prove the actual damages. In practice a claim needs three things: proof of the loss or damage, proof that FedEx was at fault, and proof that the item was packed properly.

What Is the Maximum Declared Value on FedEx?

The ceiling depends on the service and the packaging. These limits come from the declared value section of the 2026 FedEx Service Guide for U.S. shipments:

Anything declared above these limits is void under FedEx’s terms, even if FedEx accepts the package and the charge appears on your invoice. If an item is worth more than the Envelope and Pak limit, ship it in a box instead. A skid that’s banded or shrink-wrapped into one freight handling unit gets one limit for the whole unit, not one limit for each carton on it.

Which Items Does FedEx Limit to $1,000?

Some goods are capped at a $1,000 declared value no matter which service you use or how much you declare. The FedEx Service Guide lists these categories:

• Artwork, collector’s items, antiques, and scale models or prototypes
• Jewelry, including costume jewelry, watches and their parts, and loose gems or stones
• Glassware and fragile goods such as mirrors, ceramics, porcelain, china and crystal, plus plasma screens
• Furs and precious metals such as gold and silver bullion
• Stocks, bonds, cash equivalents, gift cards, money orders and lottery tickets
• Collectibles such as coins, stamps, sports cards and memorabilia
• Film and photographic images, negatives and slides
• Guitars and other musical instruments more than 20 years old, or customized instruments
• Any item that is especially easy to damage, or whose market value is hard to determine
• Packages returned through the FedEx Ground Package Returns Program

For jewelry and watches, FedEx runs a contract program called FedEx Declared Value Advantage. Eligible shippers can declare up to $100,000 on a domestic shipment, or up to $25,000 for select international destinations. Coins and gold bars are excluded, and you have to enroll through FedEx first.

How Do You File a FedEx Claim on a Declared-Value Shipment?

You file claims online at fedex.com after logging in, starting with the tracking number. FedEx counts the claim windows from the ship date:

Have the purchase or manufacturer invoice ready as proof of value, along with photos of the box and the damaged item, serial numbers, and a repair estimate or a statement that the item can’t be repaired. Keep the original packaging and contents until the claim is settled, because FedEx may ask to inspect them. If a package simply never arrives, our walkthrough of what happens if FedEx loses your package covers the trace process before the claim.

Does FedEx Issue a Certificate of Insurance?

FedEx doesn’t issue a certificate of insurance for individual parcel shipments, because declared value is a limit on FedEx’s liability, not an insurance policy. Your proof of coverage is the declared value recorded on the shipment: it shows in the shipment details in your FedEx account, on your receipt, and in the label data tied to the tracking number. Keep that record with the item’s invoice, since a claim needs both.

A request for a “FedEx certificate of insurance” usually means one of two things:

• A buyer or marketplace wants proof the shipment was covered. Send the receipt or tracking record that shows the declared value. If you bought third-party insurance instead, the insurer provides the policy confirmation.
• A landlord, venue or vendor-onboarding team wants FedEx’s corporate liability certificate. That’s a business document about FedEx’s own insurance, not package coverage, so ask your FedEx account representative.

The difference between a carrier’s liability limit and real insurance is explained in our guide to what declared value means.

When Is Third-Party Insurance Better Than Declared Value?

FedEx itself points shippers to outside coverage: its terms say you may transfer the risk above the declared value to “an insurance carrier of your choice” by buying a policy. That route makes sense when your item falls in a $1,000-capped category, when it’s worth more than the service maximum, or when you ship valuables often enough that a standing policy is simpler than paying declared value on every label.

Read any policy’s terms before you rely on it, since coverage, packaging rules and claim steps vary by insurer. Declared value still has one advantage: the claim goes straight to FedEx with the tracking number, with no third party in between.

If you’re open to UPS or USPS instead, ParcelPath offers up to 85% off UPS and up to 89% off USPS with no subscription or per-label fees, and you can add Shipsurance coverage when you buy the label. You can compare live UPS and USPS rates for your package in the ParcelPath rate calculator, and our roundup of the 7 best shipping services and solutions compares carriers side by side.

Frequently Asked Questions

Does FedEx automatically insure packages?

No. FedEx doesn’t insure packages at all, but every FedEx package includes $100 of carrier liability at no extra charge. To protect an item worth more, you declare its value when you create the label and pay a declared-value charge. That raises FedEx’s maximum liability, up to $50,000 for each package on most Express and Ground services, with lower caps for certain items.

Can I add declared value after my FedEx package has shipped?

No. The FedEx Service Guide says the shipper is responsible for completing the declared-value section and that FedEx cannot honor requests to change declared-value information after the shipment is tendered. If you forgot to declare a value and the package hasn’t been picked up or dropped off yet, cancel that label and create a new one with the correct value.

What is the most I can declare on a FedEx Pak?

The FedEx Service Guide limits the contents of any FedEx Envelope or FedEx Pak to a $500 declared value, and it says goods worth more than that shouldn’t be shipped in them. For anything more valuable, use a box. FedEx Express and FedEx Ground boxes can be declared up to $50,000 unless the item falls in a $1,000-capped category.

How long do I have to file a FedEx damage claim?

For a U.S. package with damaged or missing contents, you have 60 calendar days from the ship date to file a claim at fedex.com. International damage claims have 21 days, and claims for lost or undelivered shipments have nine months. Keep the box and the item until FedEx settles the claim, since FedEx may ask to inspect them.

Sources

• FedEx: Declared value, how to add it and how claims are paid
• FedEx Service Guide 2026: Declared value and limits of liability (U.S. shipments)
• FedEx: File a claim, deadlines and required documents

Part of our FedEx Insurance guide. Related: 5 Proven Ways to Avoid FedEx Shipping Delays, 5 Reasons Why Is FedEx So Slow, 5 Steps When FedEx Delivered to Wrong Address.