U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) has announced increases to several customs user fees for fiscal year 2027. The changes take effect October 1, 2026, so now is the time to review how they may affect your import costs and budgeting.
In its notice, published in the Federal Register on July 31, 2026, CBP confirmed it will raise Consolidated Omnibus Budget Reconciliation Act (COBRA) user fees by 38.32% to adjust for inflation. These adjustments are mandated by the Fixing America’s Surface Transportation Act (FAST Act), passed in 2015, which requires CBP to update fees and their corresponding limits whenever inflation warrants a change.
Why the fees are changing
Each year, CBP compares the Consumer Price Index for All Urban Consumers (CPI-U) against the prior year to decide whether an adjustment is needed. If the increase tops 1%, CBP must adjust the fees. For fiscal year 2027, the CPI-U rose 2.84%, which triggered the update. When measured against the base year, that translates to the 38.322% adjustment factor applied across the affected fees.
Fees paid via the 7501/entry summary
These are the changes most likely to affect your day-to-day filings:
- Merchandise processing fee (MPF) minimum: $34.58 (previously $33.58). Note: the MPF ad valorem rate of 0.3464% is unchanged.
- MPF maximum: $670.86 (previously $651.50)
- Informal MPF, automated, for entry or release not prepared by CBP personnel: $2.77 (previously $2.69)
- Dutiable mail fee: $7.61 (previously $7.39)
Other affected user fees
Here are the additional fees, along with their annual caps where they apply:
- Commercial truck arrival: $7.60 / $138.32 annual cap (previously $7.35 / $134.33)
- Rail car arrival: $11.41 / $138.32 annual cap (previously $11.08 / $134.33)
- Commercial vessel arrival: $604.47 / $8,237.06 annual cap (previously $587.03 / $7,999.40)
- Barge and other bulk carrier arrival: $152.15 / $2,074.83 annual cap (previously $147.76 / $2,014.96)
- Private vessel or aircraft first arrival/calendar year prepayment: $38.04 (previously $36.94)
- Commercial vessel or aircraft passenger arrival: $7.61 (previously $7.39), or $2.67 (previously $2.59) from a U.S. territory
- Customs broker permit: $190.88 (previously $185.38)
Additional MPF-related fees
- Express consignment carrier/centralized hub facility, per individual waybill/bill of lading: $0.48 minimum, $1.38 maximum (previously $0.47 / $1.34)
- Surcharge for manual entry or release: $4.15 (previously $4.03)
- Informal entry or release, manual; not prepared by CBP personnel: $8.30 (previously $8.06)
- Informal entry or release prepared by CBP personnel: $12.45 (previously $12.09)
What this means for you
Small fee changes add up, especially across high shipment volumes. Building these updated amounts into your fiscal year 2027 planning now helps you avoid surprises and keeps your compliance program a step ahead. If you’d like a clearer picture of how these adjustments may affect your total landed costs, we’re here to help you break it down.