3230-040A Quota and Electronic Payments (ACH)

Published CBP guidance; operative status and applicability must be assessed from the retained publisher edition.

CUSTOMS DIRECTIVE
ORIGINATING OFFICE: FO:TP:Q DISTRIBUTION: S-01
CUSTOMS DIRECTIVE NO. 3230-040A
DATE: OCTOBER 18, 2001
SUPERSEDES: 3230-040, 6/1/99
REVIEW DATE: OCTOBER 2003
SUBJECT: QUOTA AND ELECTRONIC PAYMENTS (ACH)
1 PURPOSE. To establish a uniform, national policy for processing quota-
class merchandise with electronic payments (ACH).
2 POLICY. It is the policy of the U.S. Customs Service that the processing
of quota-class merchandise with ACH will be handled in essentially the same manner at
all locations.
3 AUTHORITIES/REFERENCES. 19 CFR 24.25; 132 and 142.13(b).
4 RESPONSIBILITIES.
4.1 Directors, Field Operations, are responsible for ensuring that the

provisi ons of this Directive are carried out effectively and uniformly throughout their

areas of responsibility.

4.2 Port Directors are responsible for ensuring that the provisi ons of this

Directive are followed and uniformly applied. They are also responsible for the

dissemination of the contents of this Directive to personnel within their jurisdiction.

5 PROCEDURES.
5.1 General

5.1.1 An ABI filer may elect to use ACH statement processing for entry

summaries, entry/entry summaries, and warehouse withdrawals for consumption of

quota-class merchandise. If a filer i s authorized for ACH payment and an entry/entry

summary has been transmitted and is scheduled for statement processing and ACH

payment, the filer may submit the summary to Customs for quota input and cargo

release processing prior to payment. Customs will not accept checks or cash for

payment of ABI statements containing summaries for quota-class merch andise.

5.1.2 Customs personnel will proce ss quota entry summaries, entry/entry

summaries, and warehouse withdrawals for consumption through the ACS Quota

Module using function code QSUP within 6 hours or less of the official time of

presentation. Quota status cannot be granted on prefiled entry/entry summaries.

5.1.3 A filer cannot delete quota summaries from a preliminary statement if the

quota has been accepted in the ACS Quota Module. The filer must request Customs to

perform the deletion. Concurrently, Customs cannot delete a quota summary in

accepted status from the preliminary statement using the DSAC function code without

first removing the quota accepted status. This is accomplish ed by using the functions

QSCO.

5.1.4 If the quota is rejected, held, or not input, it is possible for a filer to delete a

summary from a statement and change it to a single payment, but only by using the ABI

“HP” (statement add/delete) transaction.

5.1.5 A re-transmission of the quota summary cannot be done by a filer i f the

quota has been input into the quota system, even if it has not been accepted. Customs

can, if necessary, remove the quota lines from the quota system using the function

QSCO and then the filer may re-transmit the data.

5.1.6 After the quota transaction is processed and accepted through the quota system,

the entry/entry summary will not be returned to the filer for re-submission with the ABI

statement. If the reviewing Import Specialist did not indicate that the entry summary

was to be returned after processing, the entry/entry summary will be scheduled for

liquidation via function ALQL. Filers may be advised to submit a photocopy of the first

page of the CF-7501 with their ABI Statement. These procedures apply to tariff rate

quota merchandise released using entry or Immediate Delivery Procedures and

followed by an entry summary.

5.1.7 After the preliminary statement is printed, a filer cannot delete quota

summaries from statement. Customs, however, retains the ability to both remove quota

lines from the quota system using the QSCO function code and to delete quota

summaries from statement using the DSAC function.

5.1.8 Each day, ports should generate daily final statement printouts that are

indicative of payment authorizations performed by filers the prior day. Customs

personnel will proceed to correlate preliminary statements for quota summaries

submitted by filers with the final statement.

5.1.9 If Ports have established “bullseye” procedures, Customs personnel in

these Ports will use these proce dures to route for additional review or liquidate quota

entry summaries in accepted status.

5.1.10 For both absolute and tariff-rate quotas, if ACH payment is not made, the

quota accepted status must remain in the quota module and a request for redelivery

(CF-4647) must be issued, within 30 days from quota acceptance.

5.1.11 For both absolute and tariff-rate quotas, if the quota accepted status

exceeds 30 days and the ACH payment is not made, the entry summary will be treated
as presented without payment of duties. Custom personnel will initiate liquidated
damages in accordance with established procedures.
6 MEASUREMENT.
6.1 Number of quota-class entry summaries scheduled for ACH payment
appearing on the B08 Report (Late Report: These Entry Releases Have No Follow-Up
Summaries) that remain unresolved after 14 days.
6.2 Number of quota-class entry summaries scheduled for ACH payment
appearing on the B07 Report (ACS List of Unpaid Entries Report) that remain
unresolved after 14 days.
Assistant Commissioner
Office of Field Operations