US tariff refunds start
A U.S. trade-court judge ordered importers to begin receiving refunds for tariffs collected after a February Supreme Court ruling, with the refund process set to start April 20. The move follows fresh litigation that is also challenging President Trump’s latest global tariffs in the Court of International Trade. (freemalaysiatoday.com (chicagotribune.com)
U.S. importers will be able to start filing for some tariff refunds on April 20, after a trade-court judge pushed the government to begin paying back duties the Supreme Court said were unlawful. (cbp.gov) (thompsonhinesmartrade.com) The refunds cover tariffs collected under the International Emergency Economic Powers Act, a 1977 law the Supreme Court said on February 20, 2026 did not authorize broad import duties. Judge Richard Eaton of the U.S. Court of International Trade then ordered U.S. Customs and Border Protection on March 4 to refund those duties. (hklaw.com) (skadden.com) Customs will run the process through a new online tool called Consolidated Administration and Processing of Entries, or CAPE, inside its Automated Commercial Environment portal. Importers of record and authorized customs brokers must file a CAPE declaration and have bank information on file for electronic refunds. (cbp.gov) (kpmg.com) The first phase is narrow. Customs said it will handle certain unliquidated entries and certain entries liquidated within 80 days, while other non-final entries may also be included depending on status. (cbp.gov) (straitstimes.com) That means many companies will not get money back immediately. Customs and outside trade lawyers said more complicated cases, including finally liquidated entries, are being left for later phases. (cbp.gov) (thompsonhinesmartrade.com) The sums are large. Skadden said the court’s order covers about $165 billion in unlawfully collected duties, paid by more than 330,000 importers across more than 53 million entries. (skadden.com) The refund rollout is unfolding as a separate court fight targets President Donald Trump’s replacement tariffs. A three-judge panel of the same trade court heard arguments on April 10 over a 10 percent global tariff Trump imposed under Section 122 of the Trade Act of 1974, which took effect on February 24. (usnews.com) (pbs.org) The challengers in that case include 24 mostly Democratic-led states and two small businesses. The Trump administration argues the new tariff is a lawful response to a persistent U.S. trade deficit. (usnews.com) (chicagotribune.com) For importers, the immediate deadline is simpler than the legal fight. April 20 is when the first refund window opens, and the next court checkpoint comes on April 14, when Customs must update Judge Eaton on its progress. (thompsonhinesmartrade.com) (cbp.gov)
