Skip to content
Deduction Decoder

Deduction Decoder is software. It is not a law firm and not a collection agency, gives no legal advice, does not contact buyers or file on your behalf. Not affiliated with or endorsed by UNFI, KeHE, Walmart or Amazon; names are used only to identify the documents the tool reads.

Walmart OTIF fines (code 99): what they are and how to dispute them

An OTIF fine is Walmart charging you 3% of the cost of goods on every case that missed its On-Time or In-Full goal. On a remittance it usually shows up as claim code 99. It is not an Accounts Payable deduction: Walmart bills it as an Accounts Receivable invoice, and if the invoice is left unpaid the amount is netted from a later payment. That is why you dispute it in EIPP (HighRadius), not in APDP.

FactDetail
Goals (set in early 2024)90% on time for prepaid freight, 98% collect ready for collect freight, 95% in full for everyone
Charge3% of cost of goods on each non-compliant case
BillingEvaluated monthly, billed quarterly
Where to disputeEIPP / HighRadius (Accounts Receivable), or your merchant team. Not APDP
New suppliersA three-month grace period: fines are waived but still tracked on the OTIF scorecard
DeadlineThe sources we read publish no single official window. Contest projected charges in the OTIF app before the monthly data-freeze date, and dispute an invoiced fine as soon as it posts

How the fine is counted

  • On time, prepaid: the load must arrive inside the delivery window on the PO. Early and late both count as misses.
  • Collect ready: the order must be ready when Walmart's carrier arrives. Collect POs are expected to be routed within 24 hours of receipt or by 4 PM Central, whichever comes first.
  • In full: cases received against cases ordered, per PO line. System-generated orders are measured against the original quantity, manual orders against the adjusted quantity. The 95% goal applies separately to each merchandise alignment (Food, Consumables, and so on).

8th & Walton gives this example: a PO for 100 cases arrives on the right day but 15 cases short. The 3% charge applies to the 15 missing cases. If the same PO had also arrived a week late, the 85 late cases would be charged as well.

Which OTIF fines are worth disputing

Disputes win when the record shows the miss was not yours:

  • Your ASN shipped quantity is higher than what the OTIF app says was received.
  • A receiving error at Walmart: an overage on one PO and a matching shortage on another.
  • The appointment, the PO or the window was changed on Walmart's side, or the carrier's timestamps show arrival inside the window.
  • Events outside your control (SPS cites weather, for example).

If the order really was short or late on your side, a dispute rarely succeeds. Fix the cause instead: carrier, fill rate, or routing timing.

File the dispute in EIPP

  1. Open EIPP, then the Open tab (unpaid) or the Closed bills tab (paid).
  2. Tick the invoice(s), click Dispute, and choose the dispute reason.
  3. Enter the disputed amount without commas, and state the facts in the comments: PO, cases, timestamps, and what the record shows.
  4. Attach the proof: PO, ASN (EDI 856), BOL, signed POD, appointment confirmation, carrier check-in times. Up to 10 files per dispute (pdf, xlsx, csv, doc, msg, images).
  5. Save. The dispute gets a Deduction ID and stays New until a HighRadius reviewer approves or rejects it.

Find the code 99 lines in your remittance

Drop your Walmart remittance export into Deduction Decoder. It separates OTIF lines (filed in EIPP) from APDP codes like 22, adds up what is disputable and puts every deadline in your calendar. The file is read in your browser and never uploaded. No file at hand? Try the Walmart sample on the audit page.

Sources: SPS Commerce, ["How to dispute Walmart OTIF chargebacks"](https://www.spscommerce.com/community/articles/how-to-dispute-walmart-otif-chargebacks) (updated May 2024) and ["Walmart's OTIF performance metrics"](https://www.spscommerce.com/community/articles/walmart-otif-metrics); 8th & Walton, ["Walmart OTIF: a supplier's guide"](https://www.8thandwalton.com/blog/walmart-otif) and ["Handy OTIF charges schedule"](https://www.8thandwalton.com/blog/handy-otif-charges-schedule); SupplyPike, ["What can I dispute in APDP?"](https://help.supplypike.com/en/articles/3449561-what-can-i-dispute-in-apdp). Walmart revises the goals regularly: the scorecard in Retail Link prevails. Not legal advice. Not affiliated with Walmart.