What is the difference between a formal and informal entry?

US Customs requires a formal entry for most commercial shipments valued above the formal entry threshold, which involves a bond and full documentation. Lower-value shipments can clear as informal entries with simpler paperwork and lower broker fees.

What is an ISF filing?

The Importer Security Filing, or ISF 10+2, must be filed for ocean imports at least 24 hours before loading at origin. Brokers charge a separate fee to prepare and transmit it, and late or missing filings can trigger CBP penalties.

How is the single-entry bond priced?

A single-entry bond is typically priced at a few dollars per thousand of the entered value plus duties and taxes, subject to a minimum. This tool estimates it from your entered value; a continuous annual bond is an alternative for frequent importers.

Why is ABI transmission a separate line?

ABI is the electronic interface brokers use to transmit entry data to CBP. Some brokers bundle it into the entry fee while others itemise it, so the toggle lets you model either quoting style when comparing brokers.

Are these the actual fees I will pay?

They are indicative market ranges to help you sanity-check a quote. Real fees vary by broker, port, and shipment complexity, and government charges like the merchandise processing fee are separate, so always confirm the full quote.

What is the Customs Broker Fee Estimator?

Estimate total US customs brokerage costs by stacking common line items such as ISF filing, entry preparation, single-entry bond, ABI transmission, and exam handling, scaled to a formal or informal entry, so importers can compare broker quotes. It runs free in your browser on Gera Tools, with nothing uploaded.

Customs Broker Fee Estimator

Name: Customs Broker Fee Estimator
Creator: Gera Tools
License: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

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Customs brokerage quotes are a stack of small line items, and it is hard to tell whether a quote is fair without breaking it down. This estimator itemises the common fees for a US Customs entry — ISF, entry prep, bond, ABI, exam handling — scaled to a formal or informal entry, so you can compare brokers on a like basis.

How it works

Fees are stacked from your selections, with the bond scaled to entered value:

bond        = max(min bond, entered value × bond rate per 1000)
total       = entry prep + (ISF) + bond + (ABI) + (exam) + extra HTS lines

Formal entries carry a higher entry-preparation fee and require a bond; informal entries skip the bond and use a lower entry fee. Optional services are added only when their toggle is on.

Understanding each fee line

ISF 10+2 filing — Required for all ocean cargo, filed at least 24 hours before loading at the port of origin. Brokers charge separately for this because it is a distinct filing from the entry itself, submitted through a different system. Late or missing ISF filings can result in US Customs and Border Protection penalties and potential cargo holds.

Entry preparation — The core brokerage service: classifying goods under the Harmonized Tariff Schedule (HTS), preparing the CBP Form 7501 entry summary, and coordinating with the carrier and port. Formal entries take more work than informal ones, which is why the fee is higher.

Single-entry bond — An insurance instrument that guarantees the importer will pay duties and comply with CBP requirements. It is sized to the entered value plus estimated duties and taxes, which is why this tool scales the bond to your shipment value. Frequent importers typically switch to a continuous bond (annual) once the single-entry cost exceeds the continuous bond premium.

ABI transmission — The Automated Broker Interface is the electronic channel brokers use to file entry data with CBP. Some brokers include this in the entry fee while others itemise it. The toggle lets you model both approaches.

Exam handling — CBP may select a shipment for a physical or document exam. The exam itself is government-ordered, but brokers charge for coordinating the release of cargo to the exam site, liaising with CBP, and arranging re-stuffing after inspection. Exam fees can vary significantly.

Extra HTS lines — Each distinct product in a shipment needs its own HTS classification line on the entry. Brokers typically charge per additional line beyond the first.

Worked example

For a formal ocean import of $40,000 entered value with ISF, a single-entry bond, ABI transmission, and two extra HTS lines: the entry prep sits in the formal range, ISF adds its flat fee, the bond is calculated from the value, ABI adds a small per-entry charge, and the two extra lines add their per-line amounts. The resulting brokerage estimate gives you a baseline to compare against a real broker quote. Expect some variation by port: fees at Los Angeles/Long Beach can differ from those at Chicago O’Hare or New York/JFK because of local handling costs.

What is not included

The government Merchandise Processing Fee (MPF) and Harbor Maintenance Fee (HMF) are charged by CBP directly and are separate from the broker’s invoice. Any duty, antidumping, or countervailing duty owed to CBP is also additional. These should be modelled in a landed cost calculation alongside the brokerage estimate.