Plans: Premium, Enterprise
Overview
When a shipment is lost or damaged, you can recover the cost by filing a claim with the carrier. Doing this manually takes time: you pull the affected orders, sign in to each carrier's portal, retype order and shipment details, attach proof, and track every case in a spreadsheet. Every carrier works differently, so the effort adds up to hours each week.
Carrier Claim brings that work into AfterShip. Your Exception Workspace flags claim-eligible shipments and shows how long you have left to file. AfterShip gathers the shipment, order, and item data the carrier needs, and the AfterShip Carrier Claims Chrome extension fills the carrier's claim form for you, so you submit in a few clicks instead of retyping everything. Once you file, the shipment shows Submitted with the date, so you can see which shipments still need a claim.
What carrier claim does
Flags shipments with a Lost or Damaged exception that are eligible for a carrier claim in your Exception Workspace.
Shows how many days you have left to file on the shipment.
Automatically opens the carrier's claim portal when you select File a claim.
Uses the Chrome extension to fill the carrier's form with the shipment, order, and item data AfterShip already has. You can access the form easily in the side panel.
Lets you retry the fill if the form or a field doesn't populate the first time.
You need to be logged in to the carrier portal to fill in or retry filling in the claim form.
Marks the shipment as Submitted once you file, so you can see which shipments still need a claim.
What stays under your control
You choose which shipments to file a claim for. AfterShip submits nothing automatically.
You review and submit the claim on the carrier's portal yourself. AfterShip fills the form, you confirm and send.
You can edit any field the extension filled before you submit.
Eligibility is AfterShip's guidance, not a carrier ruling. The carrier decides whether to accept a claim, and AfterShip never blocks you from filing one.
Before you start
Install the AfterShip Carrier Claims Chrome extension on the browser you use to file claims.
Make sure you can sign in to your UPS or USPS claim portal with your own carrier account.
Check the carrier's claim window on the shipment. Some carriers accept a claim only after a minimum number of days and before a deadline.
Claim eligibility
Requirements
AfterShip marks a shipment as eligible when all of the following are true:
Your plan includes Carrier Claim.
The carrier is UPS or USPS.
The shipment has an active Lost or Damaged exception.
Claim windows
Each carrier accepts claims only within a set window. All windows use calendar days, and the last day counts until the end of the day, US Eastern time.
Carrier | Service | Claim type | Window |
UPS (domestic and international) | All services | Lost or damaged | From the scheduled delivery date to 60 days after it |
USPS (domestic and APO/FPO/DPO) | All services | Damaged or missing contents | Up to 60 days after the pickup date |
USPS domestic | Priority Mail Express | Lost | Day 7 to day 60 after the pickup date |
| Priority Mail, Ground Advantage, Insured Mail, COD, Registered Mail |
| Day 15 to day 60 after the pickup date |
USPS military (APO/FPO/DPO) | Priority Mail Express Military | Lost | Day 21 to day 180 after the pickup date |
| Insured Mail, Registered Mail |
| Day 45 to 1 year after the pickup date |
| Insured Mail (Surface only) |
| Day 75 to 1 year after the pickup date |
Claim Statuses
Go to your Exception Workspace.
Filter by Carrier claim status to see shipments that are eligible, not eligible, or already submitted.
Open a shipment and find the Carrier claim section of the Shipment card. The line under the status tells you where the claim stands.
Status | What the card shows | What it means |
Eligible | Days left to file (for example, 43 days left) | The shipment is inside the carrier's claim window. File the claim now. |
Not eligible | Filing opens {date} | The carrier requires a minimum wait before it accepts a claim. You can file from that date. |
| Closed {date} | The carrier's claim window has passed. Carriers usually reject late claims. |
| We can't confirm coverage | AfterShip can't verify eligibility for this shipment. This happens with services that have no built-in coverage (for example, uninsured First-Class Mail or Media Mail), USPS international shipments, shipments missing a pickup date or UPS delivery date, and exception types other than Lost or Damaged. You can still file the claim manually. |
Submitted | Submitted on {date} | You filed the claim through the AfterShip Carrier Claims Chrome extension. Check the carrier's portal for the outcome. |
Note:
Statuses are for reference only. File a claim is available in every status, including Not eligible and Submitted, so you always decide whether to file.
AfterShip doesn't receive a status feed from the carrier, so the status doesn't change after Submitted. To see whether the carrier approved or denied a claim, check the carrier's portal.
File a carrier claim
Step 1: Find a Claim-eligible shipment
In your Exception Workspace, open a flagged shipment. In the Shipment card, the Carrier claim section shows how many days you have left to file (for example, 43 days left).
Step 2: Select file a claim
Select File a claim on the shipment.
If you haven't installed the extension yet, AfterShip prompts you to install it first.
Otherwise, the carrier's claim portal opens in a new tab and the extension panel opens on this shipment.
The first time you open the panel, review how the extension uses your data, select Agree and continue, then sign in to AfterShip.
Step 3: Confirm the shipment in the extension
If you started from File a claim, the panel already shows that shipment, so go straight to Step 4.
To work on a different shipment, open the AfterShip Carrier Claims extension. It lists your claim-eligible shipments with the days left to file. Select the one you want.
Step 4: Fill the carrier form
With the carrier's claim portal open, select Fill carrier form.
The extension fills the form with the shipment, order, and item details from AfterShip, then tells you how many fields it filled. Complete the remaining fields yourself.
If a field or the form doesn't populate, select Retry.
For USPS claims with several items, add the proof of value for one item, then select Retry to fill the next one.
Step 5: Submit on the carrier portal
Review the filled form, attach any required proof, and submit the claim on the carrier's portal as usual.
Step 6: Check the Claim in AfterShip
Return to AfterShip. The Carrier claim section on the shipment shows Submitted with the date you filed. Use this to see which shipments still need a claim. For the carrier's decision, check the carrier's portal.
What AfterShip Fills for You
For each claim, AfterShip provides the data the carrier's form needs, so you don't have to look it up:
Data | Where it comes from |
Tracking number and shipment details | The shipment in AfterShip Tracking |
Order details | The connected order |
Item value | The items on the connected order |
Claim reason (lost or damaged) | The exception on the shipment |
Troubleshooting
Situation | What you'll see | What to do |
The claim window has passed | The Carrier claim section shows Closed, followed by the date. | You can still start a claim, but carriers usually reject claims filed outside their window. |
The form didn't populate | Fields are empty after you select Fill carrier form | Make sure you're on the correct carrier portal page and signed in, then select Retry. |
Only some fields filled | The extension reports fewer filled fields than the form requires | Complete the remaining fields yourself before you submit. |
The carrier requires proof AfterShip doesn't have | The form still shows required fields after the fill | Attach the proof (photos, screenshots, or invoice) on the portal, then submit. |
AfterShip can't verify eligibility | The Carrier claim section shows We can't confirm coverage | Check the carrier's requirements for your service, then file the claim manually if it qualifies. |
FAQs
1. Does AfterShip submit the claim to the carrier for me?
No. AfterShip fills the carrier's form for you, and you review and submit it on the carrier's portal.
2. Which carriers are supported?
Currently, UPS and USPS are supported.
3. Can I edit what the extension filled in?
Yes. You can edit everything the extension fills on the carrier portal before you submit.
4. What does claim-eligible mean?
A shipment is claim-eligible when it's a UPS or USPS shipment with an active Lost or Damaged exception and it's inside the carrier's claim window. This is AfterShip's assessment, not the carrier's. File a claim stays available in every status, so AfterShip guides you without blocking you. The carrier makes the final call on whether it accepts a claim.
5. Where do I see whether a claim was approved?
On the carrier's portal. AfterShip marks the shipment as Submitted once you file, but it doesn't track the carrier's decision.
6. Why does my shipment show "We can't confirm coverage"?
AfterShip can't verify eligibility for some shipments, such as services with no built-in coverage (for example, uninsured First-Class Mail or Media Mail), USPS international shipments, shipments missing a pickup date or UPS delivery date, and exception types other than Lost or Damaged. You can still file a claim manually.
Key takeaways
Carrier Claim works for UPS and USPS shipments flagged as lost or damaged in your Exception Workspace, on Premium and Enterprise plans.
The Carrier claim section on a shipment shows the days you have left to file, and File a claim opens the carrier's portal with the AfterShip Carrier Claims Chrome extension alongside it.
Select Fill carrier form and the extension populates the carrier's form with your shipment, order, and item data. Complete anything it leaves blank, then select Retry if a field or the form doesn't populate.
You always submit the claim yourself on the carrier's portal, and you can edit any filled field first.
AfterShip marks the shipment Submitted with the date, but it doesn't track the carrier's decision. Check the carrier's portal for the outcome.