U.S. tariff refund system set to start

The U.S. government plans to open a new refund portal on April 20 so importers can start reclaiming tariffs the Supreme Court ruled unlawful. (money.usnews.com) U.S. Customs and Border Protection said the first phase of the system, called Consolidated Administration and Processing of Entries, or CAPE, will run through the Automated Commercial Environment trade portal already used by importers and customs brokers. The agency disclosed the launch date in an April 14 court filing. (money.usnews.com) (lewisbrisbois.com) The refunds cover about $166 billion in duties paid under tariffs imposed through the International Emergency Economic Powers Act, a 1977 emergency law. On February 20, 2026, the Supreme Court ruled 6-3 in *Learning Resources, Inc. v. Trump* that the law did not authorize those tariffs. (money.usnews.com) (scotusblog.com) That ruling answered whether the tariffs were legal, but not how companies would get their money back. The refund fight then moved to the U.S. Court of International Trade, which ordered Customs and Border Protection to build a process for repayment. (scotusblog.com) (skadden.com) The scale is unusually large for Customs and Border Protection. More than 330,000 importers paid the tariffs across more than 53 million entries, according to court documents summarized by trade lawyers and court reporting. (skadden.com) (peoplenewstoday.com) Phase 1 will not cover every importer or every shipment at once. Customs says the April 20 rollout is limited to certain unliquidated entries and some entries within 80 days of liquidation, with later phases for more complicated claims. (lewisbrisbois.com) (cbp.gov) Some entries are excluded from the first round, including claims tied to drawback, open protests, final liquidations, and some antidumping or countervailing duty cases. Customs also says a filed CAPE declaration cannot be amended once it is accepted. (lewisbrisbois.com) (cbp.gov) Refunds are expected to be paid electronically through the Automated Clearing House, and Customs says approved claims will generally be paid within 60 to 90 days after acceptance unless compliance concerns require more review. Importers need an Automated Commercial Environment account and refund banking information on file to receive payment. (lewisbrisbois.com) (cbp.gov) As of April 9, 56,497 importers had completed the setup needed to receive electronic refunds on affected tariffs, covering about $127 billion, according to the April 14 filing. April 20 is the date the legal ruling starts turning into actual payments. (yahoo.com)