Import Duty & GST Calculator (Australia)
Duty on the FOB customs value, then 10% GST on the VoTI — Australia's distinctive two-base assessment.
Australia's quirk: duty uses the FOB customs value (freight excluded), but GST uses the VoTI — value PLUS duty PLUS transport & insurance. Most general goods carry 5% or 0% duty; many FTAs (China, Japan, Korea, US, UK, CPTPP) zero it for originating goods.
Sources & references
- ABF — customs value and import declarations
- ATO — GST on taxable importations (VoTI) and deferral scheme
Duty rates, fee amounts and tax structures change with budgets and notifications — figures computed here use the structure described and YOUR entered rates, as a planning estimate. Confirm the live rate for your HS code and any exemptions with your customs broker before relying on the total.
Disclaimer: This tool is for general informational and estimation purposes only and is not professional financial, tax, accounting or legal advice. All figures are estimates — verify with a qualified professional before making decisions. Read the full disclaimer.
Australia runs the most distinctive two-base assessment in major-economy customs: duty applies to the FOB customs value (international freight EXCLUDED), but the 10% GST applies to the VoTI — Value of the Taxable Importation — which adds the duty AND the overseas transport and insurance back in. Freight thus escapes duty but not GST, a structure this calculator models exactly because generic CIF calculators get Australia wrong in both directions.
About Import Duty & GST Calculator (Australia)
The duty layer is mercifully simple: Australia's general tariff tops out at 5% for most manufactured goods (textiles/clothing lines and vehicles have their own histories), and an unusually wide FTA web — ChAFTA, JAEPA, KAFTA, AUSFTA, A-UKFTA, CPTPP, AANZFTA, and the India ECTA — zeroes duty for originating goods on most lines. For many importers the realistic duty question is 'which agreement', not 'what rate'; the GST-on-VoTI math then dominates the actual payment. GST's 10% is creditable for GST-registered importers (and the deferral scheme lets monthly-reporting businesses defer import GST to the BAS — no cash at the border, the Australian analogue of UK PVA). The biosecurity layer is the other Australian signature: import charges are often the small line next to treatment, inspection and packing-declaration costs that DAFF's regime can add — budget the compliance, not just the tariff.
How to use Import Duty & GST Calculator (Australia)
- 1Set each input — customs value (fob), duty rate, overseas freight + insurance (t&i), gst — using your own figures.
- 2The estimate recomputes instantly as you type; no submit button, no waiting.
- 3Review the line-item breakdown to see how each component contributes to the total.
- 4Click “Copy quote” to paste the itemised result into an email, quote or audit note.
Why use Import Duty & GST Calculator (Australia)?
- ✓Itemised line-by-line breakdown, not just a single opaque total
- ✓Copy-ready output for emails, quotes and audit notes
- ✓Recomputes live as you type — compare scenarios in seconds
- ✓Free and private — nothing you enter leaves your browser
Frequently asked questions
Why does Australia calculate duty on FOB but GST on more?+
Statutory design: the customs value (Customs Act) is FOB-based — the goods' price at export, freight excluded — while the GST law defines the taxable importation's value (VoTI) as customs value + duty + transport/insurance. The effect: a A$40,000 FOB shipment with A$3,200 freight at 5% duty pays duty of A$2,000 but GST of 10% × A$45,200 = A$4,520. The calculator separates the two bases precisely because they differ.
Can I defer GST on Australian imports?+
Yes — the Deferred GST Scheme lets approved importers (monthly BAS lodgers) defer import GST to their activity statement, where it's simultaneously claimable: no border cash, net-zero through the return for full-credit businesses. Approval is via the ATO. For regular importers it's near-universal practice; the GST line of this calculator becomes accounting rather than payment.
Which FTAs zero Australian duty?+
A long list for originating goods: China (ChAFTA), Japan, Korea, the US, UK, CPTPP members, ASEAN/NZ (AANZFTA), India (ECTA, phasing), and more. Each has origin rules and documentary requirements (certificates or declarations). With a 5% general ceiling the stakes per shipment look small — but 5% on every import forever funds a lot of origin paperwork. Check the specific agreement's tariff outcome for your line; many phase to zero over schedules.
What's the import threshold for GST in Australia?+
A$1,000: above it, full border assessment (this calculator). At or below, no border duty/GST — but since 2018 overseas sellers/marketplaces with A$75k+ Australian turnover must charge GST at the point of sale on low-value imported goods. So the GST is collected either way; the threshold just moves the collection point from the border to the checkout.
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