Tariff refunds set to process

A federal judge said tariff refunds are on track to start processing next week, with United States Customs and Border Protection aiming to open its claims system on April 20. (cbsnews.com) The refunds stem from a February 20, 2026, Supreme Court ruling that struck down tariffs President Donald Trump imposed under the International Emergency Economic Powers Act, a law that gives presidents emergency economic powers. Customs told the court its CAPE portal will open for refund applications on April 20. (kjk.com) (cbsnews.com) Judge Richard Eaton of the United States Court of International Trade ordered refunds with interest on March 4, 2026, after the Supreme Court said the tariffs were collected illegally. Eaton said Customs already issues duty refunds in ordinary cases and should adapt that process here. (cnbc.com) Tariffs work like a tax collected when goods enter the country: importers pay an estimated amount first, and Customs later finalizes the bill in a step called liquidation. The court’s order tells Customs to redo those calculations without the illegal tariff and send back the difference. (cnbc.com) (kjk.com) The scale is unusually large. Customs said about 330,000 importers paid roughly $166 billion under the invalidated tariffs, and about 82 percent of affected entries — about $127 billion in deposits — should be eligible for electronic refunds in the first phase. (thehill.com) Not every refund will be automatic. Customs and Border Protection said businesses or customs brokers must file claims through CAPE, and the first rollout covers unliquidated entries and some entries finalized within the past 80 days. (cbsnews.com) Some cases will move more slowly. Customs told the court that entries tied to antidumping orders or other exceptions will need manual handling, a category the agency said covers about $2.9 billion in tariff deposits. (thehill.com) The court fight grew out of thousands of refund suits filed after the Supreme Court ruling, including a lead case brought by Atmus Filtration. A trade lawyer told CNBC the judge’s order pointed to an across-the-board refund approach, not relief limited to the companies that sued first. (cnbc.com) (kjk.com) Customs has said the operation is unprecedented and warned earlier that some payments could still take additional time after the portal opens. For importers waiting on cash and interest, April 20 is the date when the refund process shifts from court orders to actual filings. (cbsnews.com) (thehill.com)