U.S. set to launch tariff refund portal on April 20
American companies seeking refunds for billions of dollars in now-invalid U.S. tariffs can start filing claims from April 20, after President Donald Trump’s administration announced the launch of a new online processing system.
U.S. Customs and Border Protection said on Tuesday that the first phase of its Consolidated Administration and Processing of Entries tool will go live next Monday through the Automated Commercial Environment Secure Data Portal, giving importers and customs brokers an electronic way to request repayments.
In its notice, the agency said the new CAPE tool will help “simplify International Emergency Economic Powers Act duty refund requests made pursuant to court order.”
The move comes after the U.S. Supreme Court paused the refunds of about $166 billion in tariffs paid by importers in February, saying that the International Emergency Economic Powers Act, the law used to justify these tariffs, was unlawful.
Rather than handling repayments shipment by shipment, CBP said the new system was designed to group refunds together for each importer, including any interest owed.
“CAPE is designed to consolidate refunds of IEEPA duties, including interest, rather than processing refunds on an entry-by-entry basis,” the agency said.
The first phase will cover selected goods entries that are either still under processing or were completed within 80 days, while more complex refund cases will be added in later phases.
To receive payments, importers of record and authorised customs brokers must first ensure they have an ACE Secure Data Portal account, upload their bank account details, and submit what CBP calls a CAPE Declaration.
According to the agency, the CAPE process begins with the importer or the customs broker who originally handled the shipment filing the CAPE declaration in the ACE portal.
Once accepted, CBP said it would remove the tariff number tied to the unlawful IEEPA duties, recalculate the correct amount owed, and then process the refund.
The agency urged companies planning to file claims to prepare in advance of the launch by confirming portal access and enrolling in automated bank refunds.
CBP added that it would continue to issue messaging via the Cargo Systems Messaging Service “to ensure the trade community is informed and prepared to utilise this new tool.
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