On October 21, 2011, the President signed H.R. 2832, which included the following trade legislation:
MERCHANDISE PROCESSING FEE (MPF) rate increase
Previous MPF rate of 0.21% has been increased retroactive to October 1, 2011, to 0.3464% through June 30, 2014. Minimums/maximums remain the same at $25.00/$485.00 for commercial shipments, and $2.00 for informal entries. Because the rate increase is retroactive, and because Customs electronic systems were first programmed to accept the higher rate on November 5, we could not pay the higher rate to them as part of our usual entry payments for shipments released before November 5, 2011. Therefore, for the shipments released between October 1 and November 5, 2011, US CBP will be issuing bills directly to importers for the difference in rates. Bills from US CBP are due and payable upon receipt so, please pay immediately to stay in good standing with Customs, and to avoid interest charges from CBP. (It is not expected that they will bill if amount is less than $20.00). For shipments released after November 5, 2011, we will be paying to US CBP as part of our usual entry payments on your behalf.