Three things the account unlocks; none of the three is a label.
How the three US carriers organize the number
| Carrier | What the number is called | Who typically holds it |
|---|---|---|
| USPS | Permit number (bulk mail); Business Customer Gateway CRID (commercial ops) | Businesses running direct mail, presort, or platform integrations |
| UPS | Account number, six characters after the two-letter carrier prefix | Any UPS shipper with a payment card and an address on file |
| FedEx | Nine-digit account number | Any FedEx shipper with a payment card on file, opened online |
| DHL Express | Ten-digit account number | US shippers with an international mailing profile |
A number issued to one entity is not portable. Adding a store, changing a billing address, or turning a household account into a company account creates a fresh number under the new profile.
What the number actually lets a shipper do
Print billed-to-me labels
An account number is what tells the carrier which invoice a label belongs against. A label bought through a marketplace or a third-party tool is billed against that platform's account, not the seller's; opening your own account is how you move the invoice back to yourself.
Schedule a pickup, hold packages
Recurring pickup contracts, hold-for-pickup and delivery signature options are all keyed to the shipper's account. A one-off pickup request from a residential address is available without an account through the carriers' consumer flows; a program of pickups needs one.
Third-party billing
When a vendor prints a label but wants the receiver or a broker to pay, the label carries the third party's account number in a dedicated field. That is how a customer receiving a return authorization can print a prepaid label that bills back to the retailer.
Two things the number is not: a way to unlock a hidden retail discount, and a promise of any specific rate. Carrier rate tables published for account holders sit alongside published retail rates; the applicable rate depends on volume, contract history and program enrollment, not on the presence of an account number.
When a small shipper does not need one
A person who ships one thing a week can do the whole job without opening a carrier account. A marketplace covers the label and the billing. A shipping-tool label pulls a rate from a carrier's public API and rides the tool's account to invoice, not the seller's. A postal counter takes cash for USPS. Opening a fourth account layered on top of those is what invites the “why do I have a two-hundred-dollar balance for one label” email six months later.
The moment an account pays off is when the volume is regular enough that a daily pickup saves the drive to the drop-off point, or when the shipper needs their own dashboard to reconcile invoices, or when a customer needs to bill back to a specific party. Any one of the three is a real reason to open an account; none of the three is worth opening one before it applies.
Third-party billing, in one paragraph
Every carrier lets a label bill against an account that is not the shipping party. UPS calls it Bill to Third Party or Bill to Receiver; FedEx uses the same terms. The mechanics are the same: the label carries the third party's account number in the billing field, the carrier checks that the account is in good standing, and the invoice posts to that account instead of the shipper's. If the receiver rejects the shipment or the account is closed, the charges fall back to the shipper of record. That is the risk the shipper is running on someone else's account number, and it is worth being explicit about with a receiver before the label is printed.
Where these rules come from
- USPS Business Customer Gateway, Sign In, and USPS PostalPro on BCG accounts and CRIDs. Read 2026-08-11.
- UPS, Billing, Invoicing and Payment — account numbers, third-party billing setup, invoice access. Read 2026-08-11.
- FedEx, Open a FedEx Account — nine-digit account issuance, added-to-fedex.com login, small business enrollment. Read 2026-08-11.
Carriers update the account signup flow periodically, and program-specific offers rotate. Treat the mechanics above as the shape of the account systems; the current signup screen is the source of truth for exact fields and rates.
Common questions
What is a shipping account number?
It is the identifier a carrier assigns to a billable relationship. Every UPS or FedEx label written against that account posts to a shipper invoice, and any pickup, address save, dashboard report or refund claim is tied to the same account number.
Does USPS use account numbers?
USPS accounts are tied to the Business Customer Gateway and to permit imprint accounts. A residential customer buying postage online does not have one. A business runs its bulk mail against a permit number that behaves the same way an account number does.
Do I need a shipping account number as a small seller?
Usually not. A marketplace label, a third-party shipping tool label or a counter transaction all move packages without one. The account becomes useful once you need scheduled pickups, third-party billing, a shipper dashboard or an alternate billing arrangement.
How is a shipping account number different from a tracking number?
A tracking number identifies one specific parcel. An account number identifies the person or company that is going to be billed for it. A shipment can have one tracking number and one billing account, or one tracking number and a third-party billing account paying instead.
How do I open one?
UPS opens a free My UPS account online, then upgrades it to a shipping account with a payment card on file. FedEx does the same through fedex.com. USPS opens a Business Customer Gateway account and, for bulk mail, a permit imprint at a local Business Mail Entry Unit.