Tariff refunds portal opens
- U.S. Customs and Border Protection opened its CAPE portal on April 20, letting importers and customs brokers file claims for refunds on tariffs the Supreme Court invalidated in February. - CBP said more than 330,000 importers paid about $166 billion on over 53 million shipments, but the first phase covers only unliquidated entries and those liquidated within 80 days. - The portal starts a phased repayment process, with approved claims expected in 60 to 90 days and broader classes of entries left for later rounds. (cbp.gov)
U.S. Customs and Border Protection opened its CAPE portal on April 20 for businesses seeking refunds on tariffs the Supreme Court struck down in February. (cbp.gov) (cbsnews.com) The portal covers duties imposed under the International Emergency Economic Powers Act, or IEEPA, and filings must go through the Automated Commercial Environment secure data portal. (cbp.gov) CBP said CAPE is meant to consolidate refunds with interest instead of handling them entry by entry, and the first phase began at 8 a.m. on April 20. (cbp.gov) (france24.com) The scale is large: CBP said more than 330,000 importers paid about $166 billion on over 53 million shipments affected by the now-invalid tariffs. (france24.com) Phase 1 is narrower than that headline number. It is limited to certain unliquidated entries and certain entries liquidated within 80 days of the refund submission. (cbp.gov) (hoganlovells.com) Importers of record and authorized customs brokers can file, but they have to upload a comma-separated values file listing the entries for which they want refunds. Each CAPE declaration can include up to 9,999 entries. (cbp.gov) CBP says approved refunds should be issued electronically within 60 to 90 days after acceptance, absent compliance concerns. The agency says later phases will add functionality for more complicated cases. (hoganlovells.com) (cbp.gov) The legal backdrop is still recent. In a 6-3 ruling on February 20, the Supreme Court found President Donald Trump lacked authority to impose those tariffs under the 1977 emergency-powers law. (france24.com) (time.com) Businesses have since filed thousands of cases in the Court of International Trade, and trade lawyers say the new system still leaves the burden on importers to identify eligible entries and submit accurate claims. (cbsnews.com) (time.com) The portal is open, but the money will not move all at once. CAPE starts with the easiest claims first, and the rest of the refund fight now shifts to documentation, timing, and later phases. (cbp.gov) (hoganlovells.com)
