The financial treatment framework for agency fees of imported equipment

In agency services,for the equipmentfee recording,it is necessary to establisha dual - compliance framework: It must meet the requirements of corporate accounting standards and comply with customs supervision regulations.In 2025,the General Administration of Customs announced in its No.12 Notice that if the agency service fees involve the valuation of equipment,they must be separately listed in the payment vouchers.

Decomposition of the five - step recording process

• Step1:Determinethenatureoftheexpense
  • Thepureagencyservicefee(customsdeclaration,transportation)isrecordedunder"SellingExpenses-AgencyFee".
  • Combinedfeesincludingtechnicalservicesneedtobesplitforaccounting
• Step 2: Handle the payment voucher
  • Thebankpaymentslipmustindicate"Agencyservicefee
  • Forforeigncurrencypayments,theyneedtobeconvertedatthemiddleexchangerateonthepaymentdate
• Step 3: Connect with tax treatment
  • ThecertificationtimelimitforspecialVATinvoicesisshortenedto90days(newregulationin2025)
  • Foradvance-paidexpenses,acopyoftheoriginalvouchermustbeobtainedandstampedwiththeofficialsealoftheagency
• Step 4: Correspond to customs declaration
  • Confirmwhethertheagencyfeeisincludedinthedeclareddutiablevalue
  • Conductaspecialreviewoftherelevanttermsofroyalties
• Step 5: Adjustment for annual settlement
  • CalculationofEnterpriseIncomeTaxWithheldandRemittedforCross-borderServiceFees
  • Pre-assessmentoftheRisksinDeterminingPermanentEstablishments

Comparison of Typical Accounting Treatment Scenarios

• Scenario1:PureAgencyServicesunderFOBTerms

An enterprise pays an agency fee of 80,000 yuan for importing a CNC machine tool:

Debit: Selling Expenses - Agency Fee 80,000

Credit: Bank Deposit 80,000

New Key Points of Taxation Processing in 2025

• TheElectronicfilingsystemforcross-borderservicefeesisfullylaunched
• Concurrentmaterialsneedtobesubmittedforthepaymentofagencyfeesinrelatedpartytransactions
• Thefilingmaterialsfornon-tradeforeignexchangepaymentsareincreasedProofofServiceResultsItem

Warnings on Common Compliance Risks

The customs inspection cases in 2024 showed that 27% of the declaration errors stemmed from improper handling of agency fees.A certain companyimporting enterprise,due to including the agency fee in the original value of the equipment,resulted in:

• Supplementarypaymentof420,000yuanincustomsdutiesandvalue-addedtax
• Paymentof98,000yuaninlatefees
• Downgradingofthecustomscreditrating

Suggestions on the Selection of Professional Agency Services

High - quality foreign trade agents should providea trinityServices:

• Guidanceonthestandardizationofbankdocumentsintheforeignexchangepaymentlink
• Compliancereviewoftaxtreatment
• Pre-eventriskwarningforcustomsdeclaration