The department may request payment of initial assessment and inspection fees for import declarations upfront, when the full cost of the service can be determined prior to its delivery.
Assessment of import declarations will not occur until the upfront payment is received.
The department exempts clients who are approved AIMS Account Clients from the requirement to make upfront payments for assessment of import declarations.
The benefits of becoming an AIMS Accounts Client include streamlined billing for regular clients requesting a large number of departmental clearances and the ability for your company to receive services from the department without having to pay the initial service fees upfront.
Criteria for becoming an approved AIMS Account Client
Clients who wish to become an AIMS Account Client must comply with the following criteria:
- Companies must lodge on average more than 500 entries per year that require departmental clearances
- The company (including all associated companies) must not have overdue debt greater than $1,000 at the time of the request.
- The company (including all associated companies) must have an exemplary payment history with the department over the last 12 months.
Applying to become an AIMS Account Client
If you believe that your company meets the criteria described above and you wish to apply to become an AIMS Account Client please forward the following details to the Accounts Receivable and Debt Management Team at ARhelpdesk@aff.gov.au:
- Your entity’s account number (e.g. URN/COM ######)
- If your company has multiple account numbers, please ensure they are all provided
- There is no overdue debt on the entity’s ABN
- Contact details for the primary account manager within your entity responsible for payment of tax invoices issued by the department
Client Responsibilities
As an AIMS Account Client, entities must ensure that amounts owing to the department are paid when they become due and payable, per the payment due date on the invoice.
Please be advised that the AIMS Account Client status may be revoked, if the overdue amounts are not paid in a timely manner. You will be required to pay the initial assessment and inspection fees upfront.
Further information
Please contact ARHelpdesk@aff.gov.au if you have any questions about becoming an AIMS Account Client.