Government Asks If Asking About Harbor Fees Is Worth It
Published Date: 11/26/2025
Notice
Summary
The U.S. Customs and Border Protection is bringing back the paperwork for the Harbor Maintenance Fee and wants your thoughts by December 26, 2025. This affects businesses that use ports and pay fees to keep harbors clean and safe. No big changes in cost, but they’re making sure the info they collect is clear and easy to handle.
Analyzed Economic Effects
3 provisions identified: 1 benefits, 2 costs, 0 mixed.
Quarterly HMF Forms Reinstated
CBP is reinstating the paperwork for the Harbor Maintenance Fee using CBP Form 349 and CBP Form 350. Form 349 is estimated to have 846 respondents filing 4 times per year (0.5 hours per response, total annual burden 1,692 hours); Form 350 has 23 respondents filing 4 times per year (0.5 hours per response, total annual burden 46 hours). Recordkeeping is estimated for 869 respondents with 1 response each (0.166 hours, total annual burden 144 hours).
Harbor Maintenance Fee: 0.125% Charge
The Harbor Maintenance Fee (HMF) is charged at 0.125 percent of the value of commercial cargo loaded or unloaded at Army Corps–designated ports. CBP is required to collect the HMF from importers, domestic shippers, and passenger vessel operators; it also applies to the total ticket value of embarking/disembarking passengers and to cargo admissions into a Foreign Trade Zone under 19 CFR 24.24.
Electronic Filing Option Available
CBP Forms 349 and 350 are available at CBP's forms webpage and may be completed and filed electronically at www.pay.gov. CBP uses the information on these forms to verify that HMF payments are timely and accurate.
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