Harbor Maintenance Fee (HMF)

What is the Harbor Maintenance Fee (HMF)?

The Harbor Maintenance Fee (HMF) is assessed by U.S. Customs for products imported via ocean through U.S. ports.

If a shipment is transporting via ocean to a Canadian port, and routed through Canada into the U.S., it will not be subject to the HMF.

How is the HMF calculated?

The HMF is calculated at 0.125% of the cargo value that was declared on the commercial invoice, with no minimum or maximum.

When applicable, the HMF appears on your invoice as a Customs charge. It will not be included in your quote, since at that stage, we don't yet know the total value of your shipment; however, if you wish, you may estimate it using the calculation above.

Note: The HMF is assessed for both dutiable and duty-free products.

Who pays the HMF and when?

The importer of record typically pays the HMF, and Customs collects it through the entry. The fee applies to cargo arriving by ocean at U.S. ports and doesn't apply to air shipments. Your customs broker usually files the payment with the entry, so check your invoice for the charge.

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