Courier customs fees explained
A courier customs invoice mixes two kinds of money: what the government charges, which is set by law, and what the carrier charges for handling it, which is set by its own published tariff. Only the second is worth arguing about.
Since duty-free de minimis treatment ended in August 2025, far more parcels generate a bill, and most recipients see the total without any breakdown of what it is made of. The government portion is duty plus the Merchandise Processing Fee, and the Harbor Maintenance Fee if the goods came by sea. Everything else — advancement, disbursement, brokerage, storage — belongs to the carrier.
That matters because carrier fees are published and therefore checkable. If a line does not match the schedule for your shipment date, that is a dispute you can actually win.
By carrier
- DHL customs fees
DHL Express advances duty and tax to CBP on your behalf and bills you for it, plus a charge for the advance itself.
- UPS customs fees
UPS acts as broker by default on international shipments to the U.S.
- FedEx customs fees
FedEx advances duty and tax to CBP and recovers it from the recipient along with an advancement fee and, where applicable, clearance charges..
- USPS customs fees
International mail follows different procedures from courier shipments.
Specific fees and charges
One page per charge, because the answer to "what is a disbursement fee" is not the answer to "can I avoid brokerage".
- What is DHL's Duty Tax Paid fee?DHL
It is DHL's charge for paying your duty to U.S.
- DHL customs invoice: what each line meansDHL
A DHL customs invoice mixes government charges with DHL's own.
- What is the UPS brokerage fee?UPS
It is what UPS charges for preparing and filing your customs entry, as your broker.
- What is the UPS disbursement fee?UPS
It is UPS's charge for paying your duty to Customs on your behalf before delivery — a percentage of the amount advanced, subject to a minimum.
- Can you avoid courier brokerage fees?UPS
Sometimes, and only before the shipment clears.
- What is the FedEx advancement fee?FedEx
It is FedEx's charge for paying duty and tax to Customs on your behalf before delivery — a percentage of the amount advanced with a minimum charge.
- What is a FedEx clearance entry fee?FedEx
It applies when a shipment needs more than routine clearance — a formal entry, a correction to the declaration, or review by an agency other than Customs.
- USPS customs charges: how postal shipments differUSPS
International mail clears under different procedures from express courier shipments.
- How to dispute a customs invoice
Split the invoice first.
- Customs storage fees: why a held shipment gets expensive
Once a free period expires, held shipments accrue storage daily.
Related
- Customs bill explainer
Separate the government lines from the carrier lines on an invoice you have already received.
- Customs duty versus brokerage fee
FY2026 government fee figures, and why the formal-entry minimum should never appear on a small parcel.
- Can I refuse a customs charge?
What you can dispute and what you cannot.