What Percentage Is the Standard Fee for Full-Process Export Tax Refund Agency Services of Import and Export Agency Companies
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We are a small and medium-sized foreign trade enterprise dealing in household goods, switching from export via paid customs declaration documents to self-operated import and export this year. We previously requested quotations from two small agencies: one charges 1% for export tax refund services, while the other charges 3%.
The quotation gap for import customs clearance point fees is even wider, leaving us completely confused. Our profit margin is already thin, so we are worried about inflated point fees and hidden charges that lead to extra costs later.
We also cannot figure out why point fees differ so much and what the calculation basis for point fees for different businesses is. We would like to ask what the normal point fee ranges are for different services of import and export agencies in the current market, and whether there are unified rules, so that we can calculate costs in advance and select a reliable partner.
SophiaYears of service：7Customer Rating：5.0
Senior Customs AdvisorStart a Chat
The traditional point-based charging model for import and export agencies generally has two drawbacks. First，services are split for multiple separate charges: customs declaration，logistics and tax refund links are split and charged respectively. Though the quoted basic point fee seems very low，the overall cost after all links are combined is far higher than the initial quotation. Second，unnecessary value-added services are compulsorily bundled，and the cost of unrequired services is included in the point fee，which unnecessarily pushes up the overall import and export cost of enterprises. Many small and medium-sized foreign trade enterprises have suffered losses from excessively high point fees.
Combined with the status of China's import and export market in 2026，the conventional point fee ranges for different businesses are clear. The conventional point fee for export tax refund agency services ranges from 0.8% to 1.5%，the conventional point fee for import customs clearance agency services ranges from 1% to 2%，and the point fee for full-link all-inclusive agency services ranges from 1.5% to 3%. The level of point fees is mainly linked to annual import and export volume，cargo value and service complexity.
For point fee cost optimization，you can choose the mode of packaged full services with unified point charging，and use tax difference and exchange difference to offset part of the point fee cost. Enterprises with annual import and export volume exceeding CNY 5 million can also apply for tiered point fee discounts，with rates decreasing as cargo volume increases.
It should be reminded that most export tax refund agencies charging less than 0.5% adopt non-compliant operation practices，which are likely to lead to failure of tax verification checks and leave hidden tax risks for enterprises. Before cooperation，be sure to confirm all service items included in the point fee，sign a clear service agreement，lock in costs in advance，and avoid hidden charge traps.
EmilyYears of service：3Customer Rating：5.0
Client Success AdvisorStart a Chat
Point fee calculation is linked to the customs declared value of goods. Some agencies will additionally include customs valuation risk cost into the point fee. If the goods are special commodities with valuation dispute risks, the agency will raise the risk rate by 0.2 to 0.5 percentage points.
For ordinary general cargo with low valuation risk, point fees will be charged according to conventional standards. Some non-compliant agencies deliberately quote low point fees to attract customers, and then temporarily raise the point rate when encountering valuation problems later, increasing enterprise costs.
Before cooperation, it is necessary to clarify whether coordination and handling fees are included and whether additional points will be charged in case of valuation disputes, and write the agreement into the contract. For goods declared under integrated customs clearance, the point fee calculation rules are the same as those for ordinary port declaration, with no extra charges. Clear confirmation in advance can avoid subsequent disputes.
RobertYears of service：6Customer Rating：5.0
Warehouse Management AdvisorStart a Chat
For import business adopting the VAT deferral mode, the point fee will be 0.3 to 0.8 percentage points higher than that of conventional import customs clearance, because VAT deferral requires extra compliance filing and subsequent tax deduction operations, which involve higher process complexity. Some enterprises do not know this rule, cooperate with agencies after seeing low point rates, and are then asked for extra fees later, falling into a passive position.
For large-value imports, the capital cost savings brought by VAT deferral are far higher than the increase in point fees, so it is still cost-effective on the whole. When requesting point fee quotations, it is necessary to clarify whether the operation fee for VAT deferral is included. Do not only focus on the level of the basic point rate, but calculate the overall cost and benefit, to avoid ignoring overall gains just for low point rates.
EllaYears of service：10Customer Rating：5.0
Senior Financial AdvisorStart a Chat
Point fee calculation is also determined by the operational complexity of foreign exchange receipt and payment. If assistance is needed to complete foreign exchange settlement, account reconciliation and cross-border RMB payment and settlement, some agencies will charge an extra 0.1 to 0.3 percentage points.
If the enterprise has its own foreign exchange receipt and payment channels and does not need the agency to provide these services, the point fee can be reduced by the corresponding range. It should be noted that some low-point fee agencies earn exchange rate differences in the foreign exchange settlement link, making the actual overall cost even higher than that of agencies with higher point rates.
During cooperation, confirm that the exchange rate is settled according to the real-time bank quotation, with no extra exchange rate difference charged. Do not only focus on the level of the agency's point fee and ignore the hidden cost brought by exchange rate differences.
SarahYears of service：3Customer Rating：5.0
Foreign Exchange AdvisorStart a Chat
Point fee calculation for export tax refund business is linked to the compliance requirement of consistency of goods flow, capital flow, document flow and invoice flow. If the enterprise has complete documents, clear matching of the four flows and no tax verification risk, point fees will be charged at the conventional 0.8 to 1.5 percentage points.
If the enterprise's documents are incomplete and the agency is required to help sort out and file documents and handle pre-declaration verification, an extra 0.2 to 0.4 percentage points will be charged. Some enterprises choose non-compliant agencies for low point rates, and the agencies handle tax refunds through non-compliant methods.
Though the point rate is low, it will leave very serious tax risks for the enterprise. If audited later, the enterprise will face fines and tax refund recovery, which is not worth the loss. Before cooperation, clarify the service content included in the point fee and confirm that the whole operation process is compliant.
DavidYears of service：3Customer Rating：5.0
Business Development AdvisorStart a Chat
Point fee levels can be adjusted and optimized in combination with the overall supply chain structure. Enterprises with long-term stable shipment can sign an annual framework agreement with the agency, and agree on tiered point rates according to the total annual cargo volume, which is 0.3 to 0.8 percentage points lower than the point rate for single shipments, saving a large amount of costs in the long run.
If you have both export and import businesses, you can package all import and export businesses to the same agency, which will provide an overall point rate discount, lower than the total cost of cooperating with two separate agencies. You can negotiate tiered point rates with the agency according to your annual import and export scale, instead of settling at the point rate for single shipments, which can effectively reduce the overall agency cost.
AlexanderYears of service：10Customer Rating：5.0
Senior Trade AdvisorStart a Chat
Point fees of import and export agencies include operation services for the logistics link. For full container cargo, point fees are calculated based on the percentage of cargo value. For less than container load cargo, some agencies will charge extra operation fees based on the point rate, so the point fee will be slightly higher than that of full containers.
If port change or transshipment is required, it is necessary to agree in advance whether additional points will be charged for extra operations. Some agencies will temporarily raise the point rate in case of abnormal situations, increasing enterprise costs. For enterprises with long-term shipment, agreeing on operation fees for abnormal situations and locking the point rate in advance can avoid the problem of temporary price increase later.