> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://shipmagic-docs.speedysquirrelhq.com/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.
# Rate Descriptions
> Add supporting text and dynamic delivery dates beneath a shipping rate
Every rate has an optional **Description**, shown beneath the rate name at checkout. It's where you set delivery expectations — and it supports dynamic dates, so the text stays accurate without anyone editing it.
## Adding a description
The **Description** field sits directly under **Rate name** in the rate dialog. Anything you type appears at checkout beneath the method name.
```text theme={null}
Rate name: Standard Shipping
Description: Delivery in 3-5 business days
```
## Dynamic dates
Rather than a vague duration, you can show real dates. There are three placeholder forms, differing in **which days they count**:
| Placeholder | Counts | Skips |
| - | - | - |
| `{{today+N}}` | Calendar days | Nothing |
| `{{today+Nwd}}` | Weekdays | Saturday and Sunday |
| `{{today+Nsd}}` | Six-day week | Sunday only |
`N` is any number, so `{{today+1}}`, `{{today+7wd}}`, and `{{today+14sd}}` all work. `{{today}}` on its own renders today's date.
### Choosing the right form
Match the placeholder to the days you actually dispatch:
* **`wd`** — you work Monday to Friday. The right default for most stores.
* **`sd`** — you also dispatch on Saturdays.
* **plain `+N`** — genuinely every day including Sundays, or a short offset where the distinction doesn't matter.
### How the date is rendered
All three render in the same fixed format — abbreviated weekday, abbreviated month, and the day with an ordinal suffix:
```text theme={null}
Tue, Apr 3rd
```
Dates are calculated in your **store's timezone**.
### Examples
```text theme={null}
Description: Order today, delivered by {{today+5wd}}
```
```text theme={null}
Description: Arrives between {{today+2wd}} and {{today+4wd}}
```
A concrete date outperforms a duration. "Arrives by Tue, Apr 3rd" is something a customer can check against their own calendar; "3–5 business days" makes them do the arithmetic — and they will assume the worst end of the range.
## Building in your handling time
The offset counts from **today**, not from dispatch. If you pick and pack the next working day, add that day yourself.
**None of the three forms know about public holidays.** Over a long weekend or a seasonal shutdown, every quoted date runs optimistic — `wd` will happily count a bank holiday Monday as a working day.
## Descriptions vs. carrier estimates
Carriers like FedEx and Shiprocket return their own delivery estimates, which ShipMagic passes through to checkout.
Those estimates measure **transit time from collection**, not from when the customer ordered — so they're optimistic whenever you don't dispatch same day.
If carrier estimates consistently promise more than you deliver, switch on **Hide estimated delivery dates** on the carrier rate and write your own description with a realistic offset instead.
## Translating descriptions
Descriptions can be translated per language along with the rate name. See [Adding Translations for Shipping Rates](/adding-translations-for-shipping-rates).
Dynamic date placeholders work inside translated descriptions too — the date format follows the customer's locale.
## What to write
**Say when it arrives.** The single most useful thing a description can do.
**Name the carrier if it helps.** "Delivered by Royal Mail" reassures where the brand is trusted.
**Explain an unusual rate.** If a surcharge applies to bulky items, saying so pre-empts a support ticket.
**Keep it short.** Checkout is not the place for a paragraph — one line is the target.
## Related
Localise rate names and descriptions.
Change the method name itself via a customization.
Suppressing carrier delivery estimates.
The full rate dialog reference.
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