Flat fee vs percentage: how does freight audit pricing work?
Last reviewed 2026-07-01
Most freight auditors charge a contingency fee, a percentage of what they recover, so the more they find the more you pay and you keep only part of your own money. A flat fee is a fixed monthly cost regardless of recovery, so every dollar found stays with you.
- Contingency pricing takes a percentage of every dollar recovered.
- A flat fee is fixed, so you keep 100% of the recovery.
- Contingency can cost more over time on high-volume, high-recovery accounts.
- A flat fee aligns cost with the work, not with your losses.
How contingency pricing works
A contingency auditor takes a cut of everything recovered. It is easy to start because there is no upfront cost, but it scales with your losses, and you hand over a share of money that was always yours.
How a flat fee works
A flat fee is a fixed monthly cost priced to the volume and cleanliness of your data, not to the outcome. You keep every dollar recovered, and the cost is predictable month to month.
Which costs less
On steady, high-recovery accounts a percentage compounds quickly. A flat fee is usually cheaper at scale and easier to budget, which is why it favors shippers with consistent volume.
Common questions
Why do most auditors use contingency?
It is easy to sell with no upfront cost and it maximizes their upside on large recoveries. The tradeoff for you is giving up a share of money that was always yours.
Is a flat fee riskier for me?
You see the recoverable dollars in a free review first, so you know the number before you pay anything. After that the flat fee is fixed and predictable.
What determines the flat fee?
The volume and cleanliness of your data. The tidier your invoicing, the less work involved and the lower the fee.
See your own number, free
A free three-month review reconciles your real data and shows you exactly what is recoverable. You keep the findings.
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