It is calculated in order: FOB, CIF, Ad Valorem, IGV and IPM, perception, local costs and financial cost. With the total you get the cost per unit and the money you need on the day of clearance.
Goal: Calculate CIF, Ad Valorem, IGV, IPM and perception in order, and separate what is cost from what leaves your cash on clearance day.
Calculating the landed cost in your warehouse means walking the cargo leg by leg and adding up. Always start from documents: the supplier's proforma or invoice, the freight and insurance quote, and the rates of your customs agent and your carrier. Work in dollars up to the CIF value and switch to soles at the end. Use one row for each cost, one column for the total and another for the cost per unit.
The order matters because each figure is the base for the next. First, CIF value = FOB + freight + insurance. Second, Ad Valorem = CIF × the rate of your subheading. Third, IGV and IPM = (CIF + Ad Valorem) × 18%, which in 2026 is 15.5% + 2.5%. Fourth, the perception: the rate (3.5% as a general rule) on the CIF plus the import taxes. If your product pays ISC, it goes in before the IGV. At the end you add the local costs and the financial cost.
Almost everything you quote is in dollars, but part of what you pay is expressed in soles. For the perception, SUNAT uses the weighted average selling exchange rate published by the SBS on the date the declaration is issued. To plan before buying, use the BCRP reference exchange rate and add a safety margin. A more expensive dollar raises almost all of your cost; a cheaper one lowers it.
With the total you calculate two indicators. The unit cost is the total cost divided by the units you will be able to sell, not counting damaged or missing ones. The import factor is the total cost divided by the total FOB: it tells you how many times the FOB your real cost represents. It is useful for quickly estimating a similar purchase, but it changes with the product, the freight and the volume. It does not replace the detailed calculation.
Build two columns. Under “cost” go the amounts that make up your final cost. Under “cash” go those that leave your account on the day of clearance. If you have a tax credit, the IGV, the IPM and the perception are under “cash” but not under “cost”: you recover them later, when you file your monthly IGV. Many first-timers get into trouble not because the import is expensive, but because they did not set that money aside. Local services also carry IGV: ask for quotes with the IGV itemized.
| Item | How it is calculated | Data you need |
|---|---|---|
| FOB value | Units × unit price | Supplier's proforma or invoice |
| CIF value | FOB + freight + insurance | Freight quote and insurance policy |
| Ad Valorem | CIF × subheading rate | National subheading and its tariff |
| IGV + IPM | (CIF + Ad Valorem + ISC if any) × 18% | Rates in force for the year |
| Perception | Rate × (CIF + import taxes) | The rate that applies to you: 3.5%, 5% or 10% |
| Local costs | Sum of quotes, without IGV | Customs agent, terminal, transport, bank |
| Financial cost | Cost × annual rate × days ÷ 360 | Your financing rate and the days in the cycle |
| Unit cost | Total cost ÷ sellable units | Actual count in your warehouse |
Result: Each kettle costs S/ 28.58 landed in the warehouse, against S/ 21.00 for its FOB: an import factor of 1.36. Also, the company needs about S/ 29,955 available on the day of clearance, in addition to the payment to the supplier.
2026
SUNAT collects the IGV perception on imports before the goods are delivered. When the declaration is numbered, a Collection Settlement - Perception Certificate is issued, expressed in soles. The importer declares and pays monthly in PDT 621 and records what was collected in order to deduct it from the IGV it has to pay. It does not apply to imports by the National Public Sector or to importers that are withholding agents.
Include the perception in your clearance cash and keep the certificate to deduct it in your monthly return.
Source: SUNAT – Preguntas frecuentes: percepciones en la importación
2026
SUNAT states that, to calculate the perception on imports, the weighted average selling exchange rate published by the SBS is used. The reference date is the date the declaration is issued. If there is no publication that day, the last published exchange rate is taken. That is why your cost in soles depends on the date of the declaration and not on when you paid the supplier.
When you schedule your clearance, check that day's exchange rate and recalculate your amounts in soles.
Source: SUNAT – ¿Cuál es el tipo de cambio que se utiliza? (percepción en la importación)
2025
The BCRP daily series of the interbank selling exchange rate went from S/ 3.754 on 02/01/2025 to S/ 3.364 on 31/12/2025, a drop of 10.4%. The high of the year was S/ 3.782 (13/01/2025) and the low S/ 3.361 (11/11/2025). An importer with costs in dollars saw its cost in soles fall; a year with a rise would have done the opposite.
Calculate with a reference exchange rate and test a scenario with a change of 5% to 10%.
Source: BCRP – Serie diaria PD04638PD: tipo de cambio interbancario venta (S/ por US$)
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