U.S. opens tariff refunds
- The U.S. opened an online system for businesses to claim refunds on tariffs the Supreme Court struck down. - Repayments are expected to total roughly $166 billion tied to those invalidated tariffs. - Officials say refunds will mostly flow to importers, not consumers, shifting administrative burdens onto firms. (nytimes.com)
U.S. Customs and Border Protection opened an online claims system on April 20 for businesses seeking refunds on tariffs the Supreme Court voided in February. (cbp.gov) The new process covers duties imposed under the International Emergency Economic Powers Act, the law the Court said did not authorize the Trump administration’s “reciprocal” and drug-trafficking tariffs. The Supreme Court issued that ruling in *Learning Resources, Inc. v. Trump* on February 20, 2026. (supremecourt.gov) Customs is running the program through the Automated Commercial Environment portal, using a filing process called CAPE, short for Consolidated Administration and Processing of Entries. In the first phase, Customs said claims are limited to certain unliquidated entries and some entries filed within 80 days of liquidation. (cbp.gov) To file, an importer or customs broker must upload a comma-separated values file listing the entry numbers tied to the refund request. After the portal validates the filing, the user receives a CAPE claim number to track the case. (cbp.gov) The setup shows where the money is expected to go first: to the companies that paid the duties at the border, not directly to shoppers who may have absorbed higher prices later. Customs built the system around importer and broker accounts already operating inside its trade portal. (cbp.gov) The agency also designed the refunds as consolidated payments rather than thousands of separate checks tied to individual entries. Customs said CAPE is meant to include both refunded duties and interest in a single process. (cbp.gov) Refunds will be paid electronically in most cases through Automated Clearing House, the bank-transfer network Customs adopted for duty repayments this year. The agency said businesses must enroll for electronic refunds through the portal to receive those payments automatically. (cbp.gov) The portal opening is the first operational step after a Supreme Court decision that cut off one of the administration’s broadest emergency-tariff tools. Now the legal fight has shifted into paperwork, deadlines and proof of what each importer paid. (supremecourt.gov; cbp.gov)
