FedEx Process

Information for FedEx Shipping 

  • All FedEx shipments should be processed online using FedEx.com
  • Departments must set up a SpeedType in BFS for your FedEx charges. A valid SpeedType is required in FedEx.com to ensure your shipping charges are posted automatically to the correct chartstring.
  • Some campus departments may have specific internal workflow procedures for FedEx processing. Please consult with your department’s business or administrative coordinator.
  • Do not ship hazardous materials via FedEx. See the Hazardous Materials Shipping Program for more information.

Using the UC Berkeley FedEx Account

To begin, you must have a FedEx.com user ID. If you need to obtain a FedEx.com user ID, send an email to Accounts Payable Customer Support at disburse@berkeley.edu with the following information:

  • FedEx account – required only if department has an existing, separate FedEx account number
  • Employee Name
  • Employee ID – used as the FedEx user name
  • Email address – must be berkeley.edu
  • Telephone number
  • Department name

New users will be added to the UCB FedEx master account (unless a separate account number is specified, as outlined above). In approximately 3-5 business days, new users will receive an email confirmation directly from FedEx.com with an invitation to set up your user account and password.

Next, refer to the 6-steps outlined below to process your shipment:

How to process your FedEx shipment

Step 1: Enter Shipping info at FedEX.com (Include SpeedType)

Login to FedEx.com with your User Name and password, and select “Create a Shipment”. Complete the online form by entering your recipient and shipment information. In the Billing Details section, you must enter a valid SpeedType in the "Your Reference" field (please refer to the sample FedEx Shipment Form). The SpeedType allows your shipping charges to be posted automatically to the correct chartstring.

Step 2: Print shipping label and send package

Step 3: BFS receives electronic file from FedEx

FedEx transmits an electronic file of transactions weekly which is loaded to BFS so there are no wasteful paper invoices.

Step 4: BFS creates and auto-approves the vouchers

There is no staging period for chartfield changes.

Step 5: Voucher information is loaded into BAIRS

Please note, if an incorrect SpeedType is used, resulting in an incorrect chartstring in the General Ledger, you will need to process cost transfers via financial journals to correct the chartstring.

Step 6: Payment is issued to FedEx according to our payment terms

Diagram showing 6-step FedEx shipping process

Reports

Users can create transaction reports on FedEx.com for shipments processed in the past 45 days. Click on “Reports” in the FedEx.com menu for more information.

Prepaid labels for incoming shipments

If your department is paying the shipping costs on an incoming shipment from an address in the United States, you can create a prepaid label for this shipment as follows: login to FedEx.com, click on the gray “Prepare Shipment” tab, select “Create Return Shipment”, and enter the shipment information including the SpeedType.

In the “Package and Shipment Details” section, you have the option to print the label or you can email the completed prepaid label directly to your shipper.

FedEx.com does not allow prepaid shipping labels for international addresses due to customs requirements and security restrictions.

What if there is a need for a paper airbill?

FedEx.com is the preferred method for processing shipments. If an exceptional situation requires departments to use a pre-printed or handwritten airbill, it is very important to include a FedEx account number and the SpeedType so that the invoice will be included in the electronic file that we receive from FedEx.

If you receive a paper invoice for a non-online FedEx shipment, it should be paid via a department bluCard. The electronic invoicing and payment process does not apply with paper invoices. In addition, information such as the tracking number, sender name and address, and recipient information will not be available in the system on paper invoices. Shipment transaction reporting will be limited to the voucher information captured in BAIRS reports.