Which accounting subjects shall the storage fees incurred in import agency business be recorded for accounting calculation
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I am a full-time financial staff of a cross-border trade agency company, and I am recently in charge of the accounting treatment for multiple batches of import agency businesses. I have encountered confusion over the port demurrage storage fees after overseas goods arrive at the port, the safekeeping fees of contracted warehouses, and the temporary storage fees before goods pickup.
I only handled the accounting of self-operated import business before, and I have never been sure about the booking subjects of storage fees under the agency mode: shall such fees be recorded as sales expenses, main business costs, or separately collected into agency service costs? What are the differences in accounting treatment for the scenario where our company pays the fees in advance and then settles with the principal?
Have the 2026 new cross-border fiscal and tax regulations adjusted the accounting rules for agency import storage fees? I am worried that wrong subject selection will cause tax compliance risks, and affect subsequent reconciliation of current accounts and settlement with principals, hoping to get targeted practical guidance.
OliviaYears of service：5Customer Rating：5.0
Senior Customs AdvisorStart a Chat
Combined with the 2026 cross-border trade fiscal and tax compliance requirements，the booking subjects of agency import storage fees shall be determined specifically in combination with the business mode and settlement method，and accurate accounting shall be conducted by distinguishing different scenarios.
For storage fees paid in advance by the agency and fully collected from the principal，including third-party incurred fees such as port demurrage storage fees and public warehouse safekeeping fees，the fees shall be collected through the subject of "Accounts Receivable - Advances Paid for Principals" first，and offset against this subject after the corresponding funds are actually received. Such fees do not belong to the agency's own operating costs，so they do not need to be recorded into the agency's profit and loss accounts，and only need to be accounted for as current accounts to avoid overstating the agency's revenue and cost.
For the storage costs borne by the agency itself，such as the rent of self-owned warehouses and labor expenses incurred for providing temporary storage turnover services to principals，the corresponding fees shall be recorded into the subject of "Main Business Cost - Import Agency Service Cost"，and the corresponding input VAT can be declared for deduction in accordance with the deduction rules for general VAT payers.
In the 2026 cross-border agency business compliance guidelines jointly updated by the Customs and the State Taxation Administration，it is clearly required that agencies shall retain full sets of documents including storage agreements，port demurrage storage fee bills，and inbound and outbound records，which can quickly prove the authenticity of the business in case of subsequent tax verification. In addition，the liable party for storage fees and the settlement method shall be clearly specified in the service agreement signed with the principal，so as to avoid accounting confusion and tax risks from the source.
If the principal bears the storage fees and pays the storage service provider directly，the agency only needs to record the collection and payment current accounts in the accounts，and does not need to include such fees into its own cost accounting to avoid duplicate booking.
SarahYears of service：3Customer Rating：5.0
Foreign Exchange AdvisorStart a Chat
The subject accounting of agency import storage fees shall be associated with the documents in the customs declaration link. After the 2026 integrated customs clearance reform, port demurrage storage fees shall be declared and reported corresponding to the sundry expense items of the import customs declaration.
If the storage fees fall into the category of sundry expenses declared on the customs declaration, they shall be matched with the sundry expense items of the customs declaration documents in the accounts, to avoid the inconsistency between documents and accounting records. If the storage fees are not included in the customs declaration, they shall be collected into the corresponding cost subjects separately, and it shall be noted that the cost division between the agency and the principal shall be clearly specified in the customs declaration entrustment agreement, otherwise the Customs may include the storage fees into the scope of price verification, which will affect the tax base of import duties.
In addition, in the 2026 cross-border agency business document electronic system, the payment vouchers of storage fees shall correspond one-to-one with the sundry expense items of the import customs declaration. If there is inconsistency between the fees and documents, it may lead to modification or deletion of the customs declaration and delay the goods pickup.
The agency shall confirm the liable party of storage fees with the principal before the goods arrive at the port, and complete the document filing in the system in advance, so as to ensure the consistency between the accounting records and customs clearance procedures. At the same time, the full set of original vouchers of storage fees shall be retained for subsequent verification by the tax authorities and the Customs.
EmilyYears of service：3Customer Rating：5.0
Client Success AdvisorStart a Chat
The subject accounting of agency import storage fees shall be combined with the logistics route and goods ownership nodes. In 2026, the free demurrage period policies of major ports around the world have been uniformly adjusted to 10 days, and the liable party shall be clearly defined for the port demurrage fees incurred when exceeding the free demurrage period.
If the port demurrage fees are paid in advance by the agency, they shall be recorded into the subject of "Accounts Receivable - Advances Paid for Principals", and offset against this subject after the principal makes the payment. If the principal pays the storage service provider directly, the fees do not need to be included in the agency's accounting scope.
The transit storage fees shall be accounted separately from the storage fees of direct shipment goods. The transit storage fees belong to the intermediate link cost. If the agency bears such fees, they shall be recorded into the subject of "Main Business Cost - Import Agency Service Cost", and if the principal bears such fees, they shall be treated as collection and payment on behalf of others.
The agency shall sign a clear service agreement with the storage service provider at the logistics solution design stage, specifying the fee standard, payment method and liable party, so as to avoid subsequent accounting disputes. At the same time, the agency shall track the storage status of the goods, remind the principal to arrange goods pickup in time, avoid additional port demurrage and storage fees, and affect the overall business cost.
JohnYears of service：6Customer Rating：5.0
Export Tax Rebate AdvisorStart a Chat
The tax treatment of agency import storage fees shall be combined with the relevant provisions of value-added tax and enterprise income tax. In 2026, the scope of input VAT deduction is further expanded.
If the agency bears the storage fees and obtains legal VAT special invoices, the input tax can be deducted in accordance with relevant regulations. If the storage fees are of the nature of collection and payment on behalf of others, the agency shall issue a VAT ordinary invoice to the principal, and such collected funds do not need to pay VAT.
In terms of enterprise income tax, the storage fees borne by the agency can be deducted before tax, and the full set of fee vouchers, business contracts and storage service agreements shall be retained, which can prove that the fees are directly related to the import agency business in case of subsequent tax inspection.
In addition, the storage fees borne by the principal shall be included in the tax base as the procurement cost of imported goods. If the principal is a general VAT payer, the input tax can be deducted with the VAT special invoice of storage services.
In the 2026 issued cross-border agency business tax compliance guidelines, it is clearly required that agencies shall account for storage fees separately in their books, and shall not confuse them with other business costs of their own, otherwise it may cause tax risks, leading to non-deductible input tax or restricted pre-tax deduction proportion of enterprise income tax.
EllaYears of service：10Customer Rating：5.0
Senior Financial AdvisorStart a Chat
The compliance of receipt and payment of foreign exchange for agency import storage fees shall be combined with the relevant provisions of cross-border payment. In 2026, the CIPS and SWIFT cross-border payment systems have realized interconnection, and the agency can pay the storage fees paid in advance to overseas storage service providers directly through the CIPS system, or pay through the principal's account.
If the agency pays the fees in advance, it shall be clearly marked as "Agency Import Storage Advance Payment" in the foreign exchange receipt and payment declaration, to avoid being classified as trade in services revenue which affects the statistical data of the enterprise's trade in services receipts and payments.
In addition, the full set of documents including foreign exchange receipt and payment vouchers, storage service agreements and import customs declarations shall be retained, to ensure the authenticity and consistency of the foreign exchange receipt and payment. Relevant supporting materials can be quickly provided in case of subsequent verification by the foreign exchange administrative authorities.
If the principal pays the storage fees directly, the payment shall be marked as "Imported Goods Storage Fees" in the foreign exchange payment declaration, to ensure the purpose of foreign exchange receipt and payment is consistent with the actual business, and avoid the inconsistency between foreign exchange receipt and payment and customs declaration.
In the 2026 cross-border agency business compliance monitoring system launched by the foreign exchange administrative department, the foreign exchange receipt and payment of storage fees shall correspond one-to-one with the sundry expense items of the import customs declaration. If the amount of foreign exchange receipt and payment is inconsistent with the sundry expense amount on the customs declaration, it may be included in the monitoring scope and trigger a compliance investigation.
SophiaYears of service：7Customer Rating：5.0
Senior Customs AdvisorStart a Chat
The accounting of agency import storage fees shall be combined with the legal clauses of the trade contract. In the 2026 standardized clauses of international trade contracts, it is clearly required that the liable party for storage fees and the settlement method shall be clearly specified in the contract.
If not clearly specified in the contract, it may cause fee disputes between the principal and the agency, even lead to legal proceedings, and affect the cooperation relationship between the two parties.
In addition, the storage service agreement shall clearly specify the storage fee standard, payment time and liability for breach of contract. If the storage service provider fails to provide services as agreed or charges extra fees, the agency can claim for compensation against the storage service provider in accordance with the agreement to reduce its own economic losses.
At the same time, it shall be clearly specified in the agency agreement that if the storage fees increase due to the principal's reasons, the principal shall bear full responsibilities, to avoid unnecessary losses of the agency.
In the 2026 issued "Compliance Guidelines for Cross-border Agency Business", it is clearly required that agencies shall retain the full set of trade contracts and storage service agreements, which can be used as important supporting materials in case of subsequent legal disputes. At the same time, attention shall be paid to the legality of contract clauses, which shall not violate the relevant laws and regulations of cross-border trade, otherwise the contract may be identified as invalid and cannot protect the legitimate rights and interests of both parties.
RobertYears of service：6Customer Rating：5.0
Warehouse Management AdvisorStart a Chat
The accounting of agency import storage fees shall be combined with the relevant requirements of on-site customs inspection. The key points of 2026 on-site customs inspection include the storage status of goods and the authenticity of fee vouchers.
If the Customs finds that the storage time of the goods exceeds the free demurrage period during inspection, the agency shall provide the payment vouchers of storage fees, service agreements and inbound and outbound records to prove the authenticity and rationality of the fees.
In addition, if the storage fees are involved in customs price verification, the full set of supporting materials shall be provided to prove the direct relevance between the storage fees and the imported goods, so as to avoid the Customs including the storage fees into the dutiable value of imported goods, increasing the tax base of import duties and raising the import cost of the enterprise.
Before on-site inspection, the agency shall sort out and prepare the full set of documents of storage fees in advance to ensure the consistency between the documents and actual business.
If the documents are inconsistent or missing, it may lead to temporary seizure of goods, delay the pickup time and generate extra storage fees. At the same time, the agency shall cooperate with the Customs in the inspection work, answer the Customs' questions in time, and ensure the smooth completion of the inspection procedures.
CharlotteYears of service：4Customer Rating：5.0
Currency Exchange AdvisorStart a Chat
The accounting of agency import storage fees shall be combined with the overall planning of the supply chain. In 2026, the inventory linkage strategy of the supply chain has been widely applied, and the agency can reduce the overall cost by optimizing the storage plan.
For example, selecting public warehouses close to ports to shorten the short-distance transportation distance of goods and reduce storage fees; meanwhile, signing long-term cooperation agreements with storage service providers to obtain more favorable fee standards and longer free demurrage period.
In addition, the agency can arrange the pickup time reasonably through the inventory turnover analysis of imported goods, so as to avoid port demurrage fees incurred when exceeding the free demurrage period. If the agency bears the storage fees, it can reduce the storage time of goods and lower the storage cost by optimizing the supply chain procedures, to improve the overall profitability of the business.
According to professional supply chain planning suggestions, agencies can establish a refined accounting model for storage fees, link storage fees with the revenue of import agency business, realize the accurate matching of cost and revenue, and improve the accounting accuracy of the enterprise and profitability. At the same time, the supply chain layout shall be adjusted in combination with the 2026 cross-border trade policies, to reduce the overall logistics and storage costs, and enhance the market competitiveness of the enterprise.