Getting Started
Logging Your First Shipment
Before You Begin
Shipment logging requires the Professional or Enterprise plan. You should have at least one product in your portfolio before logging a shipment.
How to Log a Shipment
- Go to Shipments in the sidebar and click Log Shipment.
- Fill in the shipment header:
- Shipment Date -- Defaults to today.
- Supplier -- The vendor or exporter name.
- Shipment Reference -- Your internal reference number (optional).
- Entry Port -- e.g., "Port of Vancouver" or "Toronto Pearson Airport".
- Transport Mode -- Air, Sea, Rail, or Road.
- Add line items (1 to 50 per shipment):
- Product -- Select from your product portfolio.
- Quantity -- Number of units.
- Value for Duty (CAD) -- The customs value of this line item.
- Click Save Shipment.
Understanding the Duty Calculation
TariffTrail automatically calculates the following for each line item:
| Component | Description |
|---|---|
| MFN Duty | Value for Duty multiplied by the MFN rate from the Canadian Customs Tariff (reduced to CUSMA preferential rate if claimed and eligible) |
| Surtax | Value for Duty multiplied by the applicable surtax rate (0% if no surtax applies) |
| GST | 5% of (Value for Duty + MFN Duty + Surtax) |
| Landed Cost | Value for Duty + MFN Duty + Surtax + GST |
Provincial sales taxes (PST/HST) are not included because they vary by province and are typically assessed at the point of sale, not at the border.
Dataset Version Stamps
Every calculation is logged to the audit trail with the dataset versions active at the time:
- Tariff dataset version (e.g., T2026-R3)
- Surtax registry version (e.g., S2026-047)
- CUSMA dataset version (e.g., C2020-R1), if applicable
These stamps allow you to prove that a determination was correct based on the data available at the time, even if the data has since changed.
Viewing Shipment Details
Click any shipment row on the Shipments page to see the full breakdown, including per-line-item duty calculations, surtax determinations, and the total landed cost.
Tips
- Log shipments as they arrive. Building a consistent shipment history strengthens your audit trail and gives you accurate duty trend data in the Duty Summary report.
- There is no shipment limit on any paid plan. Each shipment can contain up to 50 line items.
- If you entered a wrong HS code on a logged shipment, you cannot directly edit the audit trail. Instead, correct the product's HS code and re-run the calculation. TariffTrail creates a new superseding audit record linked to the original.
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This article provides compliance information only. It does not constitute legal advice or customs brokerage services.
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