For CPG brands selling through UNFI
UNFI deducts. We check every line and get the invalid ones reversed.
We audit your UNFI remittances line by line, file the disputes, escalate the ones the audit firms stonewall, and appeal the denials. You pay 20% of what comes back. Nothing else.
- 12 monthsto dispute a deduction. After that it is gone.
- 30–45 daysis UNFI's own resolution window for most disputes.
- One sign-offon the plan. Then we file everything worth filing.
How it works
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You add us as a user.
Your admin adds a user in the UNFI Dispute Center. No password sharing. Send us 12 months of remittances and backup, and your broker's promo planners.
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We audit every line.
Each deduction gets one verdict, backed by a document: valid, disputed, or backup requested. We leave valid deductions alone and go after the rest.
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We file, escalate and appeal.
You sign off on the plan once. We file every line worth filing, chase the backup, push the ones that stall, and appeal the denials. A denied dispute costs you nothing.
| Reference | Line | Amount | Verdict |
|---|---|---|---|
| WRDC0726••••• | Annual advertising agreement, Jul–Sep quarterMatches the agreement | $750.00 | Valid |
| 0626URMP••••• | Retailer TPR proposal + UNFI feeMatches the deal on file | $190.00 | Valid |
| FBB0526WR••••• | Freight billbackPart of it is unsupported | $1,260.55 | $63 disputed |
| MCB20260829 | Weekly chargeback report, 20% MCBNo deal on file for that month | $54.25 | Disputed |
| MCB20260912 | Weekly chargeback report, billed at ~10%Billed above the agreed rate | $46.39 | Half disputed |
| SASIF2026••••• | Audit-firm freight-shortage claimChallenged; UNFI reversed it | $296.06 | Overturned |
| •••SLOTURMR | Slotting feeNever authorized | $179.52 | Disputed |
| SSAW••••• | Supplier support allowance, 2.5%Ties to the invoice | $49.57 | Valid |
Where the money leaks
Most of it is not fraud. It is promo lines nobody checked against the deal your broker actually submitted.
- Promotions billed that were never submitted, billed above the agreed rate, or pulled in months with no deal.
- Free fills and turnover orders billed without the paperwork to back them.
- Double-funded promotions. The same discount taken twice, on the invoice and again as a chargeback.
- Freight-billback fees that appear in no agreement.
- Audit-firm claims. Post-audit "lost allowance," price-difference and freight-shortage claims that never enter the Dispute Center, and that most brands never contest.
- Allowance leaks on your own invoices. Discounts given on cases you never shipped.
Pricing
- No retainer. No minimum. No setup fee.
- Free first look. Send 12 months of remittances. We tell you what is disputable and roughly how much.
- Recovered means posted. Our fee is due when UNFI posts the credit to your account, not when we file.
- We do not charge for: the audit, backup requests, appeals, lines that stay denied, or valid deductions we tell you to leave alone.
Not sure it is worth it? That is what the free look is for. Send 12 months of remittances and we tell you the number before you decide anything. No minimum, no obligation.
Who is behind this
A UNFI supplier. Deduction Disputes grew out of a natural-products brand that has shipped to UNFI since 2017, after the owner audited the brand's own deductions line by line, filed the disputes, and contested the audit-firm claims directly with UNFI. Six of six were overturned within two weeks.
The person who did that does the work on your account. No hand-off to a junior, no software that files on its own.
Questions brands ask
How long does UNFI take to pay an approved dispute?
UNFI's own guidance: most disputes are resolved within 30–45 days, and once a dispute is approved, allow 7–10 business days for the credit to post to your UNFI account. The cash arrives with your next cheque, net of any open charges.
How far back can I dispute?
12 months from the date the deduction was taken against a payment. Older deductions cannot be disputed, so the first look starts with the newest cheques.
Can a third party file disputes for me?
Yes. Any onboarded supplier or broker user linked to your supplier company can submit disputes, with no limit on users. Brokers file this way routinely. You add us the same way.
Do you need my myUNFI login?
No. Your admin adds a user. We never ask for passwords, and we never share yours.
Which claims are outside the Dispute Center?
Audit-firm claims (SAS, SASIF, PRGX), AP cash-terms items, short payments, prepaid payments, unpaid invoices and detention fees. UNFI routes each of these outside the Dispute Center. We handle those too.
What happens when a dispute is denied?
UNFI allows one appeal per denied or partially approved dispute. We file it with the added evidence. If it stays denied, you owe nothing on that line.
Is my brand too small for this?
No minimum. Send the remittances and the free look tells you what is there. If the number is small, you will hear that from us first, and it costs you nothing to find out.
What do you need from me on day one?
A vendor-admin login to add us as a Dispute Center user, the last 12 months of UNFI check remittances, UNFI's deduction backup emails, your broker's promo planners or deal book for the same period, and your invoices to UNFI or your EDI 810 archive. The open-payables export from UNFI Insights helps but is not required.
Do you handle UNFI's conventional division too?
The audit is the same. The filing route is not: UNFI's conventional division (the former SuperValu business) runs a separate accounts-payable process outside the Natural Dispute Center. If your brand ships through both, tell us on the free look.
What about KeHE?
Not yet. UNFI first. Ask us anyway; if you are on both, it helps to know.
Are you affiliated with UNFI?
No. Deduction Disputes is independent. We are not affiliated with UNFI, KeHE, SAS Recovery, PRGX or any distributor or audit firm. We are not a law firm and not a collection agency.
Get a free deduction check
Tell us your brand and roughly what UNFI deducted last year. We reply within one business day.