US Tariff‑Refund Portal Live

U.S. Customs and Border Protection opened its tariff-refund portal on Monday, letting importers start claiming back duties courts said were collected illegally. (cbp.gov) The filing system went live at 8 a.m. on April 20 through the agency’s Automated Commercial Environment, using a new tool called Consolidated Administration and Processing of Entries, or CAPE. CNBC reported that thousands of companies filed claims on the first day. (cbp.gov) (cnbc.com) The money at stake is huge: importers could recover more than $160 billion, with some estimates running as high as $175 billion. Walmart, Target and other large retailers are among the companies analysts expect to collect some of the biggest refunds. (cnbc.com 1) (cnbc.com 2) The claims process exists because the Supreme Court ruled on February 20, 2026, that the International Emergency Economic Powers Act did not authorize the Trump administration’s tariffs. In that decision, Learning Resources v. Trump, the court said the statute’s power to “regulate” imports did not permit tariffs of that scope. (supremecourt.gov) That turned a trade policy fight into an administrative job for Customs: identify eligible entries, validate declarations and send money back. Customs says CAPE is built for batch processing so brokers and importers can submit large volumes of refund requests electronically. (cbp.gov) The refund operation covers duties imposed under the International Emergency Economic Powers Act, the 1977 law presidents use to respond to national emergencies involving foreign threats. The tariffs at issue were collected entry by entry at the border, which is why companies are now filing entry-specific refund claims rather than applying through a general grant program. (supremecourt.gov) (cbp.gov) The courts also pushed the timetable. In March, CNBC reported that Judge Richard Eaton of the U.S. Court of International Trade ordered the government to begin the refund process and said the payments should include interest. (cnbc.com) Customs has warned that the mechanics are large even if the legal question is settled. In a court filing described by CNBC, the agency said more than 330,000 importers had made over 53 million entries involving the tariffs, and that system upgrades were needed before refunds could begin. (cnbc.com) Refunds will move electronically in most cases. Customs says importers need Automated Clearing House setup in the portal, and the agency’s refund policy now defaults to electronic payment rather than paper checks. (cbp.gov) The portal is open now, but the money is unlikely to arrive all at once. Customs still has to verify millions of tariff payments one shipment at a time before this court-ordered refund campaign turns into actual deposits. (cbp.gov) (cnbc.com)