Duty-Free Exemption Calculator
| Rule | Detail |
|---|---|
| Standard exemption | $800 per person — 48+ hours abroad, not used in past 30 days |
| Island tier | $1,600 per person from USVI, American Samoa, Guam |
| Short trip | $200 per person when 48-hour rule is not met |
| Family pooling | Household members returning together may combine |
| Alcohol | 1 liter per adult 21+, within exemption |
| Tobacco | About 200 cigarettes per adult |
Rules: CBP Help, family grouping of exemptions — each family member is entitled to the $800 or $1,600 exemption and household members returning together may combine them. The flat duty on the excess runs historically around 3 percent; luxury categories carry specific rates. Declare everything — penalties for undeclared goods dwarf the duty. Related: PreCheck vs Global Entry, passport processing time calculator, TSA liquids calculator.
The customs form's most useful number hides in plain sight: every returning resident gets an $800 duty-free exemption — $1,600 if you are coming back from the U.S. Virgin Islands, American Samoa or Guam — and families returning together can pool theirs. Two parents and two teenagers from a Caribbean trip declare $3,200 of goods before anyone pays a cent of duty, which is exactly why the airport line asks how many traveled together.
The allowance is not a door prize for every landing: the standard $800 requires 48 hours outside the country and has not been used in the previous 30 days, and it is a personal rule — mailing your purchases home does not carry it, because the exemption covers only what travels WITH you. Enter your party size and trip type and see the pooled number, plus what the flat duty looks like on whatever runs past it.
How to use
- Enter the number of family members returning together on the same flight.
- Pick the trip type — standard $800, or the $1,600 tier for the U.S. Virgin Islands, American Samoa and Guam.
- Enter the total value of foreign purchases and read the pooled allowance, the amount past it, and the rough flat-duty estimate.
Frequently asked questions
How does the family exemption pooling work?
Each family member living in one household carries their own $800 (or $1,600 island-tier) exemption, and CBP lets the allowances combine when you return together — a family of four from St. Thomas holds a $6,400 pooled allowance. Babies count; every body at the counter is an exemption.
What are the 48-hour and 30-day rules?
The standard $800 personal exemption asks for at least 48 hours outside the country and no use of the exemption in the previous 30 days. Skip either condition and the allowance drops to $200 of goods — the short-trip rate that catches cruise passengers and weekend shoppers.
How much alcohol and tobacco can I bring back?
One liter of alcohol per adult 21 or older, within the exemption, and roughly 200 cigarettes — the island tiers allow a bit more alcohol. Anything above the alcohol line owes duty and federal tax even when the goods value still fits the exemption.
Do mailed purchases count against the exemption?
No — the personal exemption covers only items you carry with you. Mailed and shipped goods travel under separate duty-free thresholds with their own paperwork, which is why souvenir-shippers at the airport counter still hand you a customs form.
What happens if I go over the allowance?
The overage owes a flat rate of duty, historically around 3 percent on the excess value — the calculator shows that estimate — and concentrated luxury categories can carry higher specific rates. Declare everything: CBP can seize undeclared goods and assess penalties that dwarf a 3 percent duty.