Match the notification to the parcel before acting
Royal Mail’s current security guidance distinguishes notification channels. It says customs-fee notices may arrive by SMS or email when the sender supplied contact details, alongside a grey fee card. For underpaid postage, Royal Mail says it leaves a grey card instead of requesting payment by text or email. The channel cannot settle authenticity on its own.
Our recommendation is to compare the notice with the expected order, recipient details and parcel reference using Royal Mail independently. A notification is neither a payment receipt nor proof that a message is genuine. Keep it with the order records and describe any mismatch precisely. A sender can help identify the shipment, but an unexplained message should not become an instruction to pay simply because a parcel is expected.
Separate postage shortfalls from import charges
Royal Mail’s fee page separates unpaid postage from customs charges. Insufficient postage belongs to the postage category; it is not import VAT or Customs Duty. For incoming postal goods, Border Force assesses import charges for HMRC. Royal Mail explains that it pays relevant VAT and duty on the recipient’s behalf and recovers those amounts, with a separate carrier handling fee.
GOV.UK explains that the delivery company sends a bill identifying the fees due. Import VAT and Customs Duty have different rules, and the guide distinguishes Great Britain from Northern Ireland. Our recommendation is to record the breakdown and compare it with the goods description, value and receipt, rather than applying one tax rate or a remembered exemption to every UK parcel.
Enter the payment service through Royal Mail directly
After checking the parcel and fee category, open Royal Mail’s official website independently and find Pay a Fee. The page provides guest and account routes and identifies the notice details needed. Follow the instructions for the item, including any separate instructions for a full customs declaration. The page contains such exceptions, so do not assume that every import charge uses the same online payment process.
Our suggested record includes the fee reference, category, amount shown by the official service and any payment confirmation you receive. If a reference is rejected, or a payment record and notice disagree, use Royal Mail help reached from its website. Report the unresolved step instead of treating a failed lookup as proof that no fee is due.
Route a tax calculation query separately from a carrier fee
For an imported postal item received through Royal Mail or Parcelforce, GOV.UK identifies BOR286 for incorrectly calculated Customs Duty or import VAT. Other couriers and freight companies have a different route, C285. This distinction concerns the actual delivery channel. A Royal Mail reference on one stage of a commercial shipment does not establish that BOR286 covers the whole shipment or its separate clearance invoice.
The tax application addresses duty and VAT. A query about Royal Mail’s handling fee, notice or payment administration should go to Royal Mail; this routing follows the separate charging roles explained on its fee page. Our recommendation is to state whether you question tax, carrier administration or both. A tax adjustment request does not establish that a handling fee will be repaid, and an application does not guarantee approval.
Keep the evidence required for the postal tax route
The BOR286 form currently linked by GOV.UK instructs the recipient to pay customs charges before completing it, warning that otherwise the parcel will return to the sender. It requests an explanation of the disputed calculation, the customs charge label, declaration and value evidence such as an invoice or receipt. Returned goods require relevant return evidence too. Follow the current form rather than assuming a query suspends payment or retention arrangements.
Our suggestion is to preserve legible copies of charge and declaration documents, purchase records and payment confirmation before disposing of packaging. Identify each parcel and charge reference separately when several orders are involved. The form specifies the submission destination and rejects incomplete applications or missing supporting evidence. Follow its instructions for your circumstances; a tracking screenshot alone is not the complete evidence set.
Agree the payer and keep merchant records consistent
For a China–UK order, our recommendation is to check who agreed to cover import taxes and carrier fees before asking the recipient for further payment. Retain the order terms and ask the seller or logistics provider to explain the booked import arrangement. Record a recipient notification, completed payment and customs query as separate events, supporting a clear enquiry without treating them as interchangeable evidence of clearance or delivery.
GOV.UK’s document guidance asks recipients to check that goods are declared correctly by the sender, with rules reflecting the destination. Ask for accurate goods and value records when a declaration is disputed. Our shipment-document and tracking guides help organise that enquiry. Apply these checks to the relevant UK postal process; a consolidated commercial import may have different records and responsibilities requiring confirmation from the provider.
Official references
References reviewed on 2026-10-07. Check current product and help terms before booking or making a claim.
- Royal Mail: Pay a Fee
- Royal Mail: Scam Advice — customs and underpaid postage notifications
- GOV.UK: Tax and customs for goods sent from abroad — Tax and duty
- GOV.UK: Report incorrect Customs Duty or VAT on items imported by post (BOR286)
- HMRC and Border Force: BOR286 form and evidence requirements
- GOV.UK: Tax and customs for goods sent from abroad — Overview
- GOV.UK: Tax and customs for goods sent from abroad — Documents