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Import Landed-Cost Calculator (Excel) — duty, excise, IDF, RDL, VAT and clearing, worked out

Most import losses happen before the goods land: a price that looked fine in USD becomes a loss once duty, excise, IDF, RDL, VAT, clearing and transport are added. This calculator builds the whole stack the way KRA does — CIF, then each tax in the right order — and turns it into a single landed cost per unit and the selling price you need to hit your target margin. Two scenarios sit side by side so you can compare air vs sea, or Supplier A vs Supplier B, before you commit a shilling.

Get it — KES 100 · Excel (.xlsx) ↓Pay once via M-Pesa (Kenya) · yours to keep · opens in Excel or Google Sheets

What's inside

Full Kenya tax stack in the correct order: CIF → Duty → Excise → IDF → RDL → VAT
Two scenarios side by side — air vs sea, or supplier A vs B
Landed cost per unit and the selling price you need for your target margin
Type-in-yellow, read-the-green: inputs and results visually separated, formulas locked
Editable rates for any HS code; profit per unit and total profit worked out
Works in Excel or Google Sheets, on a laptop or your phone

The tabs

Start Here (guide + colour legend)
Calculator (two scenarios, side by side)

Yellow cells only. You type in the yellow cells; the rest are locked formulas. Gridlines are off and it prints clean on A4.

You type only the yellow cells — exchange rate, FOB cost, freight, insurance, the tax rates for your HS code, clearing and transport, units and target margin. Everything else is a locked formula: CIF, duty on CIF, excise on CIF-plus-duty, IDF and RDL on CIF, and VAT on the running total — the correct sequence, not a flat percentage. A wrong rate is a one-cell fix, and the maths can't be broken by accident.

The bottom of each scenario is what actually matters: total landed cost, cost per unit, and the selling price that delivers your margin — with profit per unit and total profit spelled out. Change a supplier or a shipping mode and the comparison updates instantly, so you buy the option that actually makes money.

Do it online instead

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Frequently asked questions

Are the tax rates correct for Kenya?

The workbook ships with the common defaults — 25% duty, 2.5% IDF, 2% RDL, 16% VAT and 0% excise — and computes them in KRA's order. Duty, excise and some levies vary by HS code, so confirm your item's rates and type them into the yellow cells; the totals update instantly.

Can I compare two suppliers or shipping methods?

Yes — that's what the two scenario columns are for. Fill Scenario A and Scenario B (e.g. air vs sea, or two suppliers) and read the landed cost per unit and required selling price for each, side by side.

Will it work in Google Sheets and on my phone?

Yes. Upload the .xlsx to Google Drive and open it with Google Sheets. It has no macros, so it opens on a cheap laptop or the Sheets mobile app.

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