US to launch tariff refunds

The United States will open a tariff-refund system on April 20 for importers seeking back duties the Supreme Court ruled unlawful in February. (cbp.gov) (usnews.com) U.S. Customs and Border Protection says the first phase of the system, called Consolidated Administration and Processing of Entries, or CAPE, will go live at 8 a.m. Eastern time on April 20 inside the Automated Commercial Environment trade portal. (content.govdelivery.com) (cbp.gov) The administration is preparing to return about $166 billion in duties collected under tariffs that the court said exceeded presidential authority under the International Emergency Economic Powers Act, a 1977 emergency law. (usnews.com) (scotusblog.com) (congress.gov) On February 20, 2026, the Supreme Court voted 6-3 to strike down the tariffs in Learning Resources v. Trump and Trump v. V.O.S. Selections, holding that the emergency-powers law did not authorize tariffs. (scotusblog.com) (ropesgray.com) That ruling did not produce instant checks. On March 4, the Court of International Trade ordered Customs to remove the duties from unliquidated entries and reliquidate entries that were not yet final, then paused immediate compliance so the agency could build an automated process. (content.govdelivery.com) Phase 1 is narrow. Customs says it covers certain unliquidated entries and certain entries within 80 days of liquidation, and filers must submit a CAPE declaration through the portal rather than through the usual broker interface. (cbp.gov) (content.govdelivery.com) Customs says CAPE will bundle refunds and interest into one electronic payment instead of issuing entry-by-entry refunds, and each declaration can list up to 9,999 entry numbers. (cbp.gov) (content.govdelivery.com) Importers should not expect money the same day the portal opens. Customs has said valid refunds generally will be issued within 60 to 90 days after a CAPE declaration is accepted. (supplychainbrain.com) (forvismazars.us) The refund rollout lands as corporate America is treating tariffs less like a short-term shock and more like a fixed cost. In a PwC survey of 633 U.S. executives conducted last month, 86% said tariffs are now a “permanent planning assumption.” (finance.yahoo.com) PwC’s Rohit Kumar said executives expect tariffs to last “beyond the current administration,” reflecting how both Trump and Joe Biden kept broad tariff barriers in place, even as the legal basis for some of Trump’s second-term duties collapsed. (finance.yahoo.com) So April 20 is less an endpoint than the start of a long cleanup. Customs begins processing claims next week, while companies keep pricing, sourcing, and investment plans built around the idea that tariffs will outlast this refund cycle. (cbp.gov) (finance.yahoo.com)