What is the Harbor Maintenance Fee (HMF)?

The Harbor Maintenance Fee (HMF) is a U.S. customs fee assessed on imported and domestic cargo arriving at U.S. coastal ports. The fee helps fund the maintenance and dredging of federal harbors, ports, and shipping channels to ensure safe and efficient navigation.

The HMF is collected by U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) and deposited into the Harbor Maintenance Trust Fund, which is managed by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers.

Key Details of HMF:

• Fee Rate: 0.125% (or 0.00125) of the declared commercial value of imported cargo
• Applied To:
  – Ocean imports into U.S. ports
  – Certain domestic cargo moved between ports
• Not Applied To:
  – Air cargo
  – Overland imports (e.g., truck or rail from Canada or Mexico)
  – Exports (exempt since 1998)

Example in Practice

A company imports $100,000 worth of goods via the Port of Los Angeles. The Harbor Maintenance Fee (HMF) would be $125 (0.125% of $100,000), paid at the time of entry through CBP.

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