# Parcel Insurance

Adding insurance to your shipments ensures you are financially protected against loss or damage that could occur while the shipment is in transit. While some carriers provide default loss/damage coverage, if you need to cover a shipment valued more than the default amount or your carrier provides no default coverage at all, ShipStation V2 API allows you to do so.

There are two types of insurance you can apply to a shipment in ShipStation V2 API:

* **Official parcel insurance from ShipStation** 
**ParcelGuard**: The discounted insurance rates are available to US-based accounts once you have [enabled ShipStation Carriers](/using-shipstation-carriers). You can add ParcelGuard to insure shipments for any carrier.
**XCover**: The discounted insurance rates are available to UK-based accounts once you have [enabled ShipStation Carriers](/using-shipstation-carriers). You can add Xcover to insure shipments for any carrier.
* **Carrier**: Carrier insurance is insurance available via the carrier selected for the shipment. Select this option if you want to add the carrier-provided insurance to the shipment. Any claim you file for the shipment would be done through your carrier's claims process. 
*Please note that not all carriers support adding carrier insurance*. If you are unsure if your carrier supports carrier insurance, check the carrier guide or contact the carrier directly.


You can add insurance to a shipment when getting a rate, [creating a shipment](/shipments/create), or [purchasing a label](/create-labels). You'll set the `insurance_provider` property at the shipment level and the `insured_value` property at the package level. For shipments with multiple packages, you'll need to set the `insured_value` for every package in the shipment.

## Enable ParcelGuard or XCover Insurance

If you have a US-based ShipStation V2 API account and wish to use our discounted parcel insurance provider, ParcelGuard (US) or XCover (UK), you'll need to enable ShipStation Carriers in your account if you haven't already.

1. Log in to your ShipStation account and make sure you are in the Production environment.
2. Go to either the **Carriers** or **Insurance** page.
3. Click the **Enable ShipStation Carriers** button.
4. Confirm you have read and agreed to the terms and conditions and click the **Enable services** button.


## Adding Insurance to a Shipment

To add insurance to a shipment, include the following properties in your request:

### Shipment-Level Property

| Property | Type | Description |
|  --- | --- | --- |
| `insurance_provider` | *enumerated string* | The insurance provider to use. Valid values:  `none` - No insurance  `shipsurance` - ShipStation insurance (legacy value)  `parcelguard` - ParcelGuard insurance (US)  `xcover` - XCover insurance (UK)  `carrier` - Carrier-provided insurance  `third_party` - Insurance arranged outside ShipStation |


### Package-Level Property

| Property | Type | Description |
|  --- | --- | --- |
| `insured_value` | *object* | The insured value for this package. Object includes 2 properties: `currency` and `amount`. |
| `insured_value.currency` | *string* | Currency code (e.g., "usd", "gbp") |
| `insured_value.amount` | *number* | The insured value amount |


## Example Request

**POST /v2/labels**

## Carrier-Specific Insurance Support

Not all carriers support carrier-provided insurance. Check your carrier's documentation guide to see if carrier insurance is supported. Common carriers that support carrier insurance include:

- UPS
- FedEx
- DHL Express
- Canada Post


If your carrier does not support carrier-provided insurance, you can use ParcelGuard (US) or XCover (UK) to insure your shipments.

## Related Guides

- [Create Labels](/create-labels)
- [Create Shipments](/shipments/create)
- [Using ShipStation Carriers](/using-shipstation-carriers)