About this tool
The customs value is the figure HMRC uses to charge duty and import VAT. It is usually the price paid, plus certain extras. Getting it wrong can mean paying the wrong tax, so this wizard walks you through it.
First it works out which valuation method is likely to apply, by asking whether the goods were sold for export to the UK and whether buyer and seller are related. Then it builds the value item by item: freight, insurance, commissions, packing, assists, royalties and the deductions allowed. It shows the declaration code beside each line and gives you a worksheet to keep. Importers and agents use it for anything beyond a simple invoice.
It uses HMRC’s valuation guidance and monthly exchange rates. It never invents a number: where information is missing, it says what is needed.
How this was worked out
What the tool does with your answers, in order.
Answer whether the goods were sold for export to the UK, whether there is a price, and whether buyer and seller are related.
The wizard shows the likely valuation method, and routes you to the other methods where the sale test fails.
Enter the price paid or payable in its currency, with the Incoterm and invoice date if you have them.
Pick each addition you paid on top of the price, such as freight, insurance, packing, assists and royalties, and enter the amounts.
Pick any deductions that are shown separately in the price.
Copy the customs value and declaration codes, or download the valuation worksheet.
Worked example: Method 1, transaction value with five additions
- Price paid£10,000.00
- Freight to the UK border£850.00 (AK)
- Insurance£70.00 (AK)
- Packing£80.00 (AD)
- Tooling you supplied£300.00 (AF)
- Royalty£200.00 (AI)
- Customs value£11,500.00
Illustrative figures that show the working, not statements about real tariff rates.
Your questions, answered.
Short answers about the Customs Valuation Wizard.
What is customs value?
It is the value HMRC uses to calculate Customs Duty and import VAT. Normally it is the transaction value: the price paid or payable for the goods when sold for export to the UK, adjusted for certain costs. Freight and insurance to the UK border are usually included, depending on your delivery terms.
What are the six valuation methods?
Method 1 is the transaction value. If it cannot be used, you try method 2 (identical goods), 3 (similar goods), 4 (deductive), 5 (computed) and finally 6 (fall-back). Methods 4 and 5 can be swapped at the importer’s request. Each later method needs more evidence, which the wizard lists.
What counts as an assist?
An assist is something the buyer supplies, free or at reduced cost, that is used to make the goods. Examples are materials, components, tools, dies, moulds and design work done outside the UK. Their value is added to the customs value, and you should document how you apportioned it.
Are royalties part of customs value?
Sometimes. Royalties and licence fees are added only if they relate to the goods being valued and you must pay them as a condition of the sale. The wizard asks that question and shows a warning when you add a royalty, because the test is easy to get wrong.
What if the buyer and seller are related?
Related parties can still use the transaction value if the relationship did not influence the price. If it did, other methods apply. If you are not sure, the wizard does not guess: it shows a Check with the evidence you would need, and you should keep that evidence with your entry records.
Where does the data come from?
The method and rules follow HMRC’s customs valuation guidance. Foreign amounts are converted at HMRC’s monthly customs exchange rate. The question set and declaration codes are authored by CDUK from CDS guidance. Each result shows the rate period used and the date checked.
What does the wizard not cover?
It does not decide your valuation for you or replace advice on complex cases. It mentions, but does not model, simplified valuation for perishable goods. Declaration codes should be checked against current CDS completion instructions before you file. It does not model Northern Ireland.
Data sources
- HMRC customs valuation guidance United Kingdom · monitored
- HMRC monthly customs exchange rates United Kingdom · monthly; checked daily from the 15th
- GOV.UK: CDS tariff guidance (code lists) United Kingdom · monthly check
United Kingdom · data checked 3 Oct 2026. UK government data is reused under the Open Government Licence v3.0.
Guidance only — not adviceWhat this tool is, and is not
This tool gives general guidance and indicative figures based on the information you enter and on official data available at the date shown. It is not legal, tax, customs or financial advice, it is not a ruling or a decision by any customs authority, and it does not recommend any course of action, guarantee, amount, route, supplier or service.
Customs authorities decide the classification, value, origin, charges and guarantee amounts that apply. You remain solely responsible for your declarations, guarantees, shipments and transactions, and for checking every figure against HMRC’s published guidance and the official sources before you rely on it or act on it.
Rates, rules and data can change without notice, and the results may be incomplete or inaccurate. To the fullest extent permitted by law, Customs Declarations UK accepts no liability for any loss, cost, penalty, delay or damage arising from the use of, or reliance on, this tool or its results.
