What are the specific operational steps involved in agency export settlement under the latest import and export regulatory requirements for 2026?
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I am a small factory engaged in cross-border home goods exports. I just launched cross-border e-commerce B2B business in the European market at the end of 2025.
Previously, I handled the entire process of customs declaration, exchange settlement and tax refund on my own. Last month, due to inconsistent document logic on customs declaration, not only did the tax refund delay by 22 days, but also nearly 8000 yuan was deducted as exchange rate loss difference due to exchange rate fluctuations.
Calculated, the entire shipment basically made no profit. Now I plan to find a professional agency company to be responsible for the settlement link of the entire export process, and want to know how the agency export settlement operates specifically, what materials I need to provide for cooperation, what is the normal settlement cycle, how various service fees, taxes and tax refunds are calculated, and whether there will be hidden charges outside the contract?
EmilyYears of service：3Customer Rating：5.0
Client Success AdvisorStart a Chat
The entire agency export settlement process starts when you sign a formal entrustment agreement with the agency company. First，it enters the pre-document review link. You need to provide five core materials: sales contract，packing list，invoice，waybill，and exchange settlement receipt copy. The agency company will simultaneously verify the consistency of the four flows，confirm the logical matching degree of all documents，and avoid logical loopholes triggering tax correspondence.
The core settlement nodes are divided into three links. First is exchange settlement and collection: after the overseas funds arrive at the agency company's account，you only need to provide the corresponding customs declaration information，and the exchange settlement transfer can be completed within 1 working day. The exchange settlement rate is based on the central bank's mid-price of the day，and no additional point difference will be charged. Second is cost accounting: the agency service fee is generally charged at 0.6%-1.2% of the export value. All fees will be clearly stated in the entrustment agreement in advance，and there are no hidden charges. Actual expenses such as customs declaration fees and logistics fees will be verified with formal invoices.
Finally is tax refund settlement: when all documents are complete，Category A agency enterprises can advance the tax refund to you within 3 working days after customs declaration，without waiting for the tax department's approval to arrive，which can greatly shorten your capital turnover cycle. If tax correspondence occurs，the agency company will be responsible for submitting supporting materials to the tax department，and you only need to cooperate in providing corresponding production vouchers and outbound slips.
Plans for abnormal situations will also be agreed in advance. If overseas funds are delayed in arrival，tax refund approval is delayed，etc。the agency company will synchronize the reasons and processing progress within 3 working days，and there will be no unreasonable fund detention. All fund flows can be queried in real time in the public account system，with full traceability.
RobertYears of service：6Customer Rating：5.0
Warehouse Management AdvisorStart a Chat
The tax refund link of agency export settlement needs to focus on the completeness of document filing. In addition to basic customs declarations and exchange settlement receipts, you also need to retain materials such as goods outbound slips, domestic transportation vouchers, cross-border logistics track proofs, etc. The value, quantity and time logic of all materials must be completely matched to avoid triggering tax correspondence.
If tax correspondence occurs, all supporting materials must be submitted within 15 working days, otherwise the tax refund qualification will be suspended and the already refunded tax will be required to be returned. For tax refund declarations across months, mark in advance to avoid delayed tax refunds due to mismatch of declaration cycles.
DanielYears of service：8Customer Rating：5.0
Legal AdvisorStart a Chat
The exchange settlement link must ensure that the overseas payer is exactly the same as the contracted purchaser, and third-party payment is prohibited, otherwise it will trigger abnormal early warning from foreign exchange management departments and lead to account freezing. The arrival speed of CIPS settlement is 2-3 working days faster than SWIFT in 2026.
You can guide European customers to prioritize CIPS RMB cross-border payment, which can not only avoid exchange rate fluctuation risks, but also shorten the exchange settlement cycle. After exchange settlement is completed, timely submit international balance of payments declaration, and all declaration data must match the value and trade terms of the customs declaration.
DavidYears of service：3Customer Rating：5.0
Business Development AdvisorStart a Chat
Customs declaration information is the core basis for all settlement links. When declaring customs, ensure that the difference between the declared value and the actual contract amount is within 5%, and the commodity code classification must fully correspond to the 2026 version of the Customs Import and Export Tariff to avoid valuation disputes.
If there is a valuation objection, submit supporting materials such as factory invoices and cost accounting statements within 7 working days, otherwise the customs will levy tax according to the assessed value, which will directly affect subsequent tax refund accounting. The exchange settlement verification copy of the customs declaration must be retained separately as a core voucher for subsequent exchange settlement and tax refund.
OliviaYears of service：5Customer Rating：5.0
Senior Customs AdvisorStart a Chat
You can choose different settlement modes according to your own capital turnover situation. If there is greater capital pressure, you can choose the tax refund advance mode. Although the service fee will increase by about 0.2%, you can get the tax refund in advance to revitalize cash flow.
If your shipment volume is stable at more than 10 shipments per month, you can agree a stepped rate with the agency company. The higher the shipment volume, the greater the discount on service fees, which can reduce the overall settlement cost. If you choose FOB trade terms, you do not need to bear additional cross-border logistics costs, and the cost structure will be clearer during accounting.
WilliamYears of service：10Customer Rating：5.0
International Logistics AdvisorStart a Chat
When signing the agency export agreement, clearly define the division of responsibilities of each party, focusing on clauses such as settlement cycle, cost details, tax refund arrival time, and responsibility division for abnormal situations, to avoid subsequent disputes. Clearly stipulate that if the tax refund is delayed or exchange rate loss increases due to the agency company's operational errors, the corresponding loss shall be borne by the agency company.
The agreement shall also add force majeure clauses. If settlement delays occur due to uncontrollable factors such as policy adjustments, port congestion, etc., both parties shall jointly handle them according to the agreed plan to avoid one-sided accountability.
SarahYears of service：3Customer Rating：5.0
Foreign Exchange AdvisorStart a Chat
Fees such as service fees, customs declaration fees, logistics fees, etc. generated from agency export settlement can be deducted as input costs. You can ask the agency company to issue special VAT invoices for deducting the enterprise's VAT payable.
The tax refund preferential policies for small and medium micro foreign trade enterprises in 2026 remain effective. Enterprises with annual export volume less than 5 million US dollars can enjoy the preferential treatment of accelerated tax refund approval.
The agency company will help you apply for the corresponding policy benefits, and no additional materials are needed from you. Pay attention to avoid capital backflow. The flow of all settlement funds must fully comply with the four flows consistency requirements to avoid triggering tax risks.