Accounting for import duty and import VAT: Account 3333, Account 33312.

Before diving into journal entries, accountants must distinguish clearly between the three accounts that commonly appear in import transactions: Account 3333, Account 33312, and Account 133.

Simply put, Account 3333 reflects the business's import duty obligations to the state budget. When import duty is payable, the accountant credits Account 3333. When the business pays the duty, the accountant debits Account 3333 to reduce the payable obligation. General accounting guidelines also note that Account 3333 is used for export/import duties payable, paid, and outstanding.

Account 33312 is a detailed sub-account used to track VAT on imported goods. This is a tax arising at the import stage and must be distinguished from Account 133. Account 33312 reflects the payable import VAT obligation, whereas Account 133 reflects the deductible input VAT if the business meets the deduction conditions.

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Before making entries, accountants should not rely solely on the supplier's invoice. The invoice usually reflects the purchase price based on trade terms, whereas the import duty and import VAT must be based on the customs declaration, HS code, taxable value, and applied tax rates.

A minimum set of data that the accountant needs to verify includes:

If you are not yet clear on how to determine the tax amount before recording, you can refer to the guide on how to calculate import duty to understand the relationship between the HS code, customs value, import duty rates, and import VAT.

This is the most critical part of import accounting. Depending on the timing, accountants will record the import duty, import VAT, and tax payments using different accounts.

When importing goods, raw materials, tools, or fixed assets, the import duty is usually added directly to the cost basis of the related inventory, materials, or assets.

For import VAT, accountants must separate it into two cases: deductible and non-deductible.

If the business declares VAT under the deduction method and the imported goods support VAT-taxable activities, the import VAT is usually recorded in Account 133 to track deductions. Meanwhile, Account 33312 is still used to record the payable import VAT liability.

Conversely, if the import VAT is not eligible for deduction, it is not recorded in Account 133. This tax amount is capitalized directly into the value of the corresponding goods, materials, or assets.

After the business actually pays the taxes into the state budget, the accountant records a reduction in the tax payable liabilities.

Suppose a business imports a shipment with the following details:

The above example only focuses on accounting entries. To see how to determine tax amounts before recording, please refer to the [calculating import duty guide](/insights/cach-tinh-thue-nhap-khau).

If the business is refunded or reduced in import duties, the accountant needs to determine if that tax relates to inventory in stock, goods sold, fixed assets, or overpayment. Depending on the nature of the transaction, the tax refund may reduce inventory value, reduce cost of goods sold, reduce asset cost, or be tracked as a receivable.

For entrusted imports, distinguish between the entrusting party and the trustee. The entrusting party records the tax liabilities associated with the imported goods. The trustee should only track payments made on behalf, collections, or receivables under the contract, and should not record it as their own tax liability if the nature is just paying on behalf.

Common errors in accounting for Account 3333 and Account 33312 include: confusing import duty with import VAT, recording VAT in Account 133 before it is eligible for deduction, failing to track details for each customs declaration, neglecting to update payment entries after receiving receipts, or relying solely on invoices without matching the taxable value on the declaration.

Additionally, from the 2026 fiscal year, businesses must verify the accounting regime they apply and the chart of accounts on their software. Circular 99/2025/TT-BTC guiding corporate accounting regimes took effect on January 1, 2026, according to information published in the Official Gazette. In practice, accountants should cross-reference with current regulations and internal corporate guidelines.

For businesses importing many shipments, accountants must reconcile data between HS codes, tax rates, taxable value, import VAT, customs declarations, payment receipts, and accounting entries. If the initial data from the HS code lookup or tax calculation is incorrect, accounting for Account 3333, Account 33312, and reconciling Account 133 can easily become mismatched.

GEXIM supports standardizing import duty data from the stage of HS code lookup, rate determination, to preliminary tax calculations. As a result, the import-export department and accountants can share a single source of data for verification, minimizing discrepancies during bookkeeping.