Thank you for joining this webinar.
Today we’ll be looking at how to use your customs financial accounts, also known as the Financial
Dashboard – including the following main accounts: • cash account
• duty deferment account • general guarantee account
Additionally, please note that throughout this video we will be using dummy data.
We’ll be showing you screenshots from the Customs Declaration Service and GOV.UK.
Please note that HMRC is constantly improving the digital experience of our customers
so you may find that some of these screenshots will be slightly different to those you'll see
in the Customs Declaration Service. Let’s start by looking at cash accounts.
Cash accounts are replacing the flexible accounting system (FAS) on the Customs
Handling of Import and Export Freight (CHIEF). When you subscribe to the Customs Declaration
Service, you’ll automatically be issued with a cash account.
This account can be used: • at all customs locations
• to allocate funds to clear declarations in chronological order.
Additionally, you can also pay funds into your own cash account
as well as authorise your agent to use the account on your behalf using a standing authority.
To make payments into your cash account you simply transfer from your bank account
to the new Customs Declaration Service bank account using one of the following:
• Faster Payments • CHAPS (Clearing House Automated Payments System)
• BACS (Bankers’ Automated Clearing System) When transferring funds you’ll need to use
the reference ‘CDSC’ followed by your cash account number.
On the Customs Declaration Service, you have the ability to amend the declaration
during the 10-minute ‘dwell time’ after the declaration has been submitted.
Unlike CHIEF, please note that you won’t be able to change the method of payment
once your declaration has been accepted. Therefore, you need to ensure you choose
the correct method of payment before submitting any declaration.
Once you’ve subscribed to the Customs Declaration Service, log in to your Government Gateway account
If you haven’t already, you can subscribe to the Customs
Declaration Service by following the easy step-by-step guidance on GOV.UK
Alternatively, you can also watch our short video ‘How to subscribe
to the Customs Declaration Service’. When you log into your customs financial
accounts for the first time, you’ll be presented with your home screen.
You’ll be able to see details of your cash account including your account number.
When paying into any account you need to use
‘CDSC’ followed by your account number as the reference number.
To find out more information on paying into your cash account, select the ‘top up’ option
In your cash account, you also have the option to view your cash account statements.
Select ‘view cash account’. On this screen, you’ll see
statements of up to 6 months – which is the default number of months displayed.
Please note that if you’re a first-time user, no statements will appear.
If you would like to view statements older than 6 months,
you would need to scroll down the page and select the link, ‘request older statements’
Let’s move on to the duty deferment account. With the duty deferment account,
it’s important to ensure you have set up a new Direct Debit instruction.
If you need further guidance on how to set up new Direct Debit instructions,
please refer to our webinars on this topic.
However, please do not cancel the outstanding CHIEF direct
debit instructions as it will be used to settle any outstanding CHIEF payments.
The Customs Declaration Service duty deferment account has a new top up feature
which lets you make an early payment for the current month
This gives you more available funds if you’re close to exceeding your balance.
To find out how to make a top up payment select the ‘top up’ link
and follow the on-screen prompts.
The final type of account we’ll be looking at today is ‘general guarantee accounts’.
Different guarantees are available to support your chosen method of payment.
A general guarantee account allows you to provide multiple guarantees from the same account,
rather than needing to provide separate guarantees.
You can check the balance activity on your account for declarations you’ve made previously
and view your securities by selecting ‘view general guarantee account’.
To view your securities in more detail you can select the ‘Movement Reference Number code’ link.
The MRN is a customs identification number that’s created each time a declaration is
submitted for importing or exporting goods. The MRN is the Customs Declaration Service
equivalent of what was known as an entry key in CHIEF.
For further information, please go to GOV.UK
We hope you found it useful. Thank you for watching