CBP's New PSC Payment Rule: What Changed, What It Locks You Out Of, and What to Fix Before Your Next Filing

CBP issued CSMS #69428352 on August 3, 2026, reminding the trade community that Post Summary Correction payments are moving fully electronic. Effective August 5, 2026, any increase in duties, taxes, or fees resulting from a PSC must be paid through the Automated Clearinghouse. The change was formally announced in Federal Register Notice 91 FR 41053 on July 6, 2026, and testing for it began in mid-July.

This post covers the two payment paths, the consequence of leaving a PSC unpaid, how interest gets handled, the ACH mechanics themselves, and what to check if you are not already enrolled.

What is changing

Since 2017, PSC payments could be deposited locally at the port of entry listed on the entry summary. That guidance, from Federal Register Notice 82 FRN 2385, is now superseded. As of August 5, check and cash payments for PSC-related increases are no longer accepted anywhere. Every increase has to move through ACH.

The requirement fits a broader shift CBP has been making toward electronic payment across the board. It follows the mandate that took effect in February 2026 requiring all CBP refunds to be issued electronically as well, under Executive Order 14247. Between the refund mandate and this PSC payment change, cash and paper are steadily being removed from CBP's payment processes in both directions.

Two payment paths, no partial payment

Filers have two options when a PSC increases the amount owed. Pay in full at the time the PSC is submitted, through ACH. Or wait for CBP to issue a bill reflecting the full increase at liquidation.

Partial payment is not accepted under either path. You cannot submit a portion now and the remainder later. It is full payment at filing, or full payment at the bill CBP sends at liquidation.

The lockout consequence

This is the detail most likely to catch an active filer off guard. If you choose to wait for the bill at liquidation, and the original PSC increase remains unpaid, ACE will not allow a subsequent PSC to be filed on that entry. The unresolved increase blocks further correction until it is resolved.

For most filers making a single correction per entry, this changes little. For filers who correct entries in stages, adding new information as it becomes available, this is a real operational constraint. A PSC filed with an unpaid increase sitting against it effectively closes the door on further edits to that entry until the balance is cleared. Build that into your correction workflow rather than discovering it when a second PSC gets rejected.

Interest is handled separately, and cannot be prepaid

Interest on PSC-related increases follows its own timeline, independent of the underlying duty payment. You cannot pay interest before liquidation. CBP calculates it and bills it after liquidation as a distinct step. Do not attempt to estimate interest and fold it into your ACH payment at the time of filing. It is not part of that transaction, and CBP handles it automatically once liquidation occurs.

How the ACH payment process actually works

The mechanics run through the Automated Broker Interface. The filer submits payment authorization via ABI, one ACH payment authorization per statement. CBP does not receive payment until that explicit authorization is submitted; simply filing the PSC is not sufficient on its own.

CBP first sends the filer a preliminary payment statement through ABI. If an entry summary is deleted, CBP issues a revised statement reflecting the change. Once the authorization is submitted, ABI sends a confirmation of acceptance, or generates error messages that need to be resolved before the payment goes through.

A final statement typically issues on the first business day following processing and serves as the official payment receipt. On the banking side, the ACH processor routes the payment data to the filer's bank, and the account is typically debited two business days after CBP accepts the initial payment authorization. CBP provides a specific payment format for filers to share with their financial institution, covering CBP routing and account numbers, payer ID, settlement date, payment type, and document details.

One operational note: ACH transactions have to originate at least one day before the settlement date and are non-reversible once submitted. There is no way to pull back a payment authorization after the fact, which makes it worth double-checking the statement amount before authorizing.

A carve-out for suspended entries

Certain suspended entries remain eligible for PSC filing beyond the standard 300-day timeframe, when the specific suspension conditions CBP has set out are met. If you manage entries that fall into extended suspension, confirm your specific situation qualifies rather than assuming the standard 300-day window applies.

What to do now

If you are not currently enrolled in the ACH Debit or ACH Credit program, enroll before you need it for a PSC rather than at the point of filing. CBP's Automated Clearinghouse page on cbp.gov has the enrollment details, and questions can go to ACH-CUSTOMS@cbp.dhs.gov.

Review your internal PSC workflow against the lockout rule specifically. If your process involves filing an initial PSC and following up later with additional corrections as new data comes in, confirm that the first correction gets paid, either at filing or promptly at the liquidation bill, before you plan a second filing on the same entry.

And build the interest timing into your expectations rather than your payment process. It arrives as a separate bill after liquidation, not as part of what you pay when you file.

We are helping clients confirm ACH enrollment and adjust PSC workflows ahead of the August 5 effective date. If you want a review of your current process, reach out to your ShipTech account manager.