UK Import Duty Calculator
This free Import Duty Calculator will calculate the customs charges with the UK import Tax to know how much you might need to pay when bringing goods into the UK.
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How to calculate import duty in the UK?
If you need to pay import duty on a parcel, you'll be contacted by Royal Mail (or your courier) and instructed on how to pay. You'll usually have 3 weeks to pay any charges, before they send parcel back.
If the parcel is from outside the EU, you may be charged VAT, customs, or excise duty on it. This also applies to gifts and goods from the EU if they're above a certain value.
Use this import duty calculator to calculate the duty to check how much tax you might have to pay before you receive an invoice.
How to use the import duty calculator?
This import duty calculator makes it simple to calculate the expected duty that might accure when bringing goods into the UK. Use the steps in the table to easily calculate duties.
The free import duty calculator will determine if duty is owed for that commodity code automatically. It will either return "Estimated duty-free" or a customs duty rate (cents/kg). The import duty calculator will compute and deliver an estimate of the total customs duty due.
Please note, that these are estimates only. The information is based on the UK Tariff. Wise is not responsible for the incorrect interpretation of the information or for any errors and omissions that may result as a consequence of the information displayed in this tool.
| Step | Field | Actions to calculate UK import duty |
|---|---|---|
1 | Shipment Origin | Select the country of import from the list. |
2 | Shipment Destination | This import duty calculator only applies to imports into the UK. |
3 | Cost of the imported goods | Add the estimated value of the product. |
4 | Shipping Costs/Insurance | Add any fees you are paying in shipping and insurance for the product. |
5 | Type of goods | Select the type of goods if it’s a gift, excise goods or ‘other’ that you are shipping. |
6 | CIF OR FOB | Select if you will include shipping and insurance costs when calculating the value on which duty and taxes will be calculated (CIF) or if you do not wish to include these (FOB). |
7 | Commodity code OR product description | Type in a specific product or try to get as close as possible with your description or you can also type in the exact commodity code. If more than one product or commodity code is related to that word, a drop-down list will appear. Simply browse and select the commodity code description that best fits your product. |
What does the customs duty calculator not do?
This calculator will not assist you in determining where your items originate and which Rules of Origin apply. Furthermore, the calculator will not inform you of any quotas or special procedures that may be available to reduce your overall tax burden.
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How do you calculate import duty in the UK?
Imagine you need to import a shipment of umbrellas from China to the UK. The goods cost £15,000, and the shipping and insurance costs £7,000.
1 | The shipment is worth more than £135, and the goods can't be considered gifts, so you'll need to pay a specific import duty rate. |
2 | To find out how much you'll need to pay, you'll need to check the commodity code for umbrellas, and apply the import duty rate for that code — 4.5%. |
3 | Tax will be due on the cost of the goods and shipping, which in this case is £22,000 (£15,000 + £7,000). |
4 | 4.5% of £22,000 is £990 (22,000 ✖ 0,045). So for the goods, shipping, and import duty, you'll pay £22,990 in total. As it’s from outside the EU, you’ll also need to pay VAT on this amount. |
How to pay import tax?
If you need to pay import tax on a delivery, UK customs will automatically let Royal Mail or your courier know, and they’ll contact you. They’ll tell you how much you need to pay, and when it’s due, so you won’t need to worry about calculating it yourself (unless you think a mistake has been made).
To save time, you can usually get your supplier to send the shipping invoice before the delivery. This means you can let Royal Mail or your courier know beforehand, and pay the charges before the goods arrive in the UK.
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Import duty: your questions, answered
If you’re buying goods for sample purposes only, and don’t intend to sell them, you can save on import duty and VAT. To qualify, there are some criteria that the goods need to meet:
- They need to be of negligible value
- They need to be used solely for getting future orders for the same product
- If the price of the products, shipping, duty, and insurance comes to more than £15, then you’ll still need to pay VAT. And if that total is above £135, you’ll need to pay UK duty as well.
Use the free import duty calculator to check how much tax you might have to pay
