Duties Taxes to UK Customs

Duties Taxes to U.K. Customs

Duties and Taxes to U.K. Customs When buying goods from outside the E.U., you must pay duties and taxes to U.K. Customs to release your products. The vast majority of shipments are subject to U.K. Duty and VAT, which are the two main costs you should understand before importing from overseas.  Goods sent as a gift over £39 in value are liable to import VAT, and Customs Duty also becomes payable if the value of the goods is over £135. To qualify as a gift: the customs declaration must be completed correctly. In addition, the gift must be sent from a private person outside the EU to a private person(s) in this country.

Who pays the import duty in the UK?

In practice, import duty is levied when imported goods first enter the country. Thus, in the United States, when a shipment of goods reaches the border, the owner, purchaser, or a Customs broker (the importer of record) must file entry documents at the port of entry and pay the estimated duties to Customs. Finally, We offer cheap Cargo services to European countries, India, China, the USA, Canada, Australia, Bangladesh, Pakistan, the UAE, Qatar, and others. Would you mind filling out the courier form to send a courier? And visit our office. You don't need to worry if you are far from our office. You can send it to our office address. Once we receive it, then we will do require paperwork and send it. Likewise, If you are looking for courier and cargo-related packing stuff, please visit this website and buy boxes, tape, wrapping, etc. Courier and Cargo packing stuff. For regular updates, please visit our social media.

What is UK Duty

For example, it depends on the products and custom value declaration. Also, different, different items have different duty ratings/percentages. So check it out for more info on Gov Info. And it implements the same for other countries as well.

U.K. Duty

The amount of U.K. Duty required to pay depends on the declared value of the goods and the type of product you’re importing. Each product is given a different duty rating/percentage. To find out the rate you’ll have to pay for your product. You can ask us, find the most appropriate heading for your goods, or use the online tariff at U.K. Customs.

VAT on an import

When a shipping quote says “plus U.K. Duty & VAT”, I don’t think the VAT is on the shipping price; it’s on the taxable import. If you buy goods from outside the E.U., you won’t pay VAT to the supplier, but that doesn’t mean you won’t have to pay it. The taxable import on which VAT is payable is the amount you pay for your goods, the shipping cost, and the U.K. Duty. So you are effectively paying VAT on everything that it costs for you to buy the goods and get them into circulation in the U.K.

Duty and VAT Estimator

We’ve simplified the calculations, so it’s easy for you to estimate the U.K. Duty & VAT you’ll have to pay and give you an example to work. In reality, HMRC uses a figure called a “VAT Value Adjust” and doesn’t work from the full shipping quote (which also affects the U.K. Duty), but for a good estimate, you can follow this example or use our calculator:

If you pay your supplier USD 3000 (let’s call it £2000) for your goods, the U.K. Duty rating for these particular goods is 3.5%, and the shipping quote is £300, then:

UK Duty = 3.5 % of £2000 = £70.00

VAT = 20 % of (UK Duty [£70] + Shipping [£300] + Cost of the goods [£2000]) = £474.00

Therefore the total duties and taxes payable to import these goods would be £544.00 (£70 for U.K. Duty and £474 for VAT) in addition to the £300 shipping cost.

• How to Pay Duty and VAT If you’re uncertain about how to pay the Duty and VAT you owe to HMRC for your import, don’t be. However you import your goods, the company that does the customs clearance will most likely contact you to confirm how much you owe and how to pay it. For example, when importing with Shippo, we’ll declare your goods to customs and pay the U.K. Duty and VAT to release your consignment. We’ll forward the exact U.K. Duty and VAT figures to your freight invoice. You’ll then pay the Duty and Import VAT and the shipping via bank transfer in one fell swoop before delivery! The service includes this facility (most companies charge an extra fee). It’s not dissimilar when importing samples or smaller consignments via the postal service or a courier company. You will probably have paid the shipping cost upfront, so you’ll have the Duty and VAT to pay. Royal Mail, Parcelforce etc., will contact you to pay your shipment's Import Duty and VAT. They’ll typically wait about three weeks for you to pay the costs, after which they can return the goods to the sender.
• Duty and VAT on sample products: There is no definitive answer as it depends on a few factors. Usually, there would be duty costs when importing goods from China, India, Taiwan, and the USA, but there are some cases where Duty and VAT relief are granted. Duty and VAT relief can be given on a sample of a product if:
  • Once imported, they can only be used as sample products.
  • Are of negligible value (less than £15 for businesses or £34 for gifts)
  • They are intended to gain orders for the commercial product they represent (i.e. are not fully functional). Customs may change their exact figures. Still, at the time of writing, goods with retail value (goods value + shipping cost + duty + insurance) of more than £15 are liable to VAT. There is a higher threshold for U.K. Duty, and goods with a commercial value of more than £135 dutyless duty (less than £7) are also liable to U.K. Duty. The exact figures can be found here on HMRC’s site.
  • It is not as simple as telling customs that the goods are a sample. Customs set out requirements for importing ‘sample products’ and may seize the goods if they are unmet. The conditions when importing a product from overseas for sample purposes are to do one or more of the following:
    • have your supplier tear, perforate, slash or deface the product
    • Ensure the product is permanently marked; products that are excluded from duty relief include:
    • Products that can be used as anything other than samples
  • “Import VAT” in Demystifying Detail VAT on an import from outside the E.U. is not only charged on the Cost of buying goods. You’ll pay VAT on all the costs to purchase and get them to you in the U.K. When buying products outside the E.U., your supplier won’t ask you to pay VAT. Before jumping up and down with excitement, this isn’t the loophole you’ve been waiting for to get one over on HMRC! If you have to pay VAT when buying the same products in the U.K., you’ll have to pay it on the import, but it’s a bit more complicated than that. HMRC try to make VAT a fair playing field for all. If you buy a taxable product from the shop at the end of your street, you must pay VAT on the retail price. However, this price includes all the costs to get that product onto the shelf. As a result, import VAT is not as simple as paying VAT on your overseas supplier’s price. Ahh, my brain hurts. Please give me an overview! When importing products from outside the E.U., here’s how you should estimate the VAT that you’ll have to pay once the goods are cleared through U.K. Customs: VAT on Taxable Import = 20 % of ([Cost to buy your goods] + [U.K. Duty] + [Shipping Cost & Insurance]) Here’s an example for you to establish the approximate figure. If goods are bought from China for £5000, they are subject to £250 UK Duty. The shipping quote to your door is £500, then the VAT due would be approximately £1150: VAT = 20 % of (£5000 + £250 + £500) = £1150. The detailed explanation, In reality, the principle above is correct, but the way it’s worked out is slightly different. This is because any two companies importing identical products purchased for the same amount should pay the same Duty and VAT figures. It wouldn’t be fair if one company was in the Scottish Highlands and another was next door to the port in Felixstowe or Southampton. The company next to the port of arrival may pay £200 less for shipment delivery than the company in the Highlands. 
  • That would mean a £40 difference in the VAT they paid…  HMRC have thought of this already! Rather than the whole door-to-the-door shipping cost for the VAT calculation, HMRC uses VAT Value Adjustment. When calculating the VAT that has to be paid, the shipping cost to get the goods to the E.U. border is taken (only part of the shipping quote). This is then added to a VAT Value Adjust figure that depends on the shipment size. It’s supposedly an average of the U.K.
  • Charges to clear and deliver the goods into E.U. circulation. Less than container load (L.C. L) shipments have £170 for the VAT Value Adjustment figure. Full container load (FCL) shipments have a £550 VAT Value Adjustment figure, and Airfreight shipments have a £100 minimum figure. And relax. That’s the tricky bit out of the way! When importing from within the E.U., VAT travelling within the E.U. is not liable for VAT in the same way as it’s a single market. HMRC have more information about VAT within the E.U., but the only VAT that a shipping company will charge when importing products from within the E.U. is VAT on the carriage itself. What about me? I’m VAT registered. If you’re registered, you still have to pay the VAT as detailed above, but you can claim back any VAT you pay when importing goods (for your business) to the U.K. 
  • You can do this through your average VAT return under standard rules. HMRC will generally send you a certificate (form C79) as evidence that you’ve paid import VAT. C79 certificates are issued monthly. You can find more information about the VAT payable on imports here. HMRC view the ‘E.U.’ as the VAT (fiscal) territory of the E.U., which is different from the Customs territory of the E.U. The countries and territories that comprise the E.U.’s VAT (fiscal) territory are listed here.
  • When importing goods to the U.K. from China, India, the USA or anywhere else outside of the E.U., you will need a tariff code to declare the products to U.K. customs. Customs tariff classification codes (sometimes referred to as H.S. codes, commodity codes or TARIC codes) define and allocate a duty rating to each imported product.  
  • The link to HMRC’s GSP page.
  • Source: shippo