US tariff refund portal

The U.S. opened an online claims portal on April 20 for businesses seeking refunds on tariffs the Supreme Court threw out in February. (cbp.gov, supremecourt.gov) U.S. Customs and Border Protection said the system, called Consolidated Administration and Processing of Entries, or CAPE, runs through the agency’s Automated Commercial Environment portal and lets importers or their customs brokers upload refund claims in spreadsheet form. Phase 1 covers most unliquidated entries and entries up to 80 days past liquidation. (cbp.gov, cbp.gov) The scale is unusually large: more than 330,000 importers paid about $166 billion in the affected duties on 53 million shipments, according to Reuters and other outlets tracking the launch. Court filings cited by Reuters said 56,497 importers had already completed the steps needed for electronic refunds as of April 9, representing about $127 billion. (reuters.com, aljazeera.com, money.usnews.com) The refunds trace back to a February 20, 2026 Supreme Court ruling in *Learning Resources v. Trump* and *V.O.S. Selections*, which held that the International Emergency Economic Powers Act did not authorize the Trump administration’s tariffs. The opinion described duties of 25% on most Canadian and Mexican imports, 10% on most Chinese imports, and a minimum 10% tariff on imports from all trading partners under the “reciprocal” policy. (supremecourt.gov) That matters for companies because the invalidated tariffs had been collected for months before the Court shut them down, tying up cash in import-heavy businesses from toy makers to apparel firms. Time reported refunds are expected to take two to three months, and CBP said CAPE is meant to combine duty repayments, including interest, into one payment instead of many entry-by-entry checks. (time.com, cbp.gov) The first day looked busy but mostly functional. Reuters reported companies started filing at 8 a.m. Eastern, and some users said uploads were occasionally rejected and had to be retried rather than the system crashing outright. (reuters.com) Eligibility is narrower than “all Trump tariffs.” Time and CBP both said the refund process applies to duties imposed under the emergency-powers law, including the 2025 “reciprocal” tariffs and fentanyl-linked tariffs on China, Mexico, and Canada, not to every tariff still on the books. (time.com, cbp.gov) Trade policy is still moving underneath the refund process. Since the Court struck down the emergency tariffs, the administration has pursued other tariff tools, including Section 232 actions on metals and pharmaceuticals, leaving importers with refunds from one policy track and fresh duties from another. (whitehouse.gov, politico.com) For now, the immediate deadline is practical, not political: companies need an ACE portal account, bank information on file for Automated Clearing House refunds, and CAPE declarations listing the entries they want repaid. The portal is open, but the wider tariff fight has not ended. (cbp.gov, cbp.gov)