Reps. Jim Jordan, R-Ohio, and former House Speaker Kevin McCarthy discuss Republicans’ mid-term agenda following President Donald Trump’s “record-long” State of the Union address on “Mornings with Maria.”
Businesses can start applying for tariff refunds on Monday as the federal government begins unwinding billions of dollars in tariffs imposed by the Trump administration under emergency powers. That opens the door for what could be one of the largest refunds to importers in U.S. history.
On April 20 at 8:00 PM ET, U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) will launch the first phase of a new claims system that will allow importers to seek reimbursement for tariffs collected under the International Emergency Economic Powers Act (IEEPA), following a series of court rulings that invalidated the policy.
The Supreme Court ruled in February that the law President Donald Trump relied on for his signature policy did not authorize the imposition of tariffs. It ruled that Congress – and not the president – has authority over such taxes. The decision paved the way for lower courts to order the government to change course and return the money.
A judge at the U.S. Court of International Trade subsequently ordered CBP to eliminate the tariffs on the affected entries and refund any excess fees collected, along with interest.
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The Supreme Court ruled in February that Congress — not the president — has a say in imposing tariffs. (David McNew/Getty Images)
The size of refunds can be significant for companies across all sectors. Court records show that more than 330,000 importers paid duties on more than 53 million shipments, totaling roughly $166 billion.
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Starting Monday, businesses and their customs brokers can submit refund requests through CBP’s Automated Commercial Environment (ACE) portal using a newly developed tool known as the Consolidated Administration and Processing of Entries, or CAPE.
President Donald Trump speaks during a trade announcement event in the White House Rose Garden on April 2, 2025 in Washington, D.C. (Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images)
This system allows importers to submit declarations indicating the items for which they are requesting refunds. Once a claim has been validated, CBP will recalculate the duties without the IEEPA rates and reliquidate the bookings, after which a refund will be issued.
CBP said valid refunds will generally occur within 60 to 90 days of accepting a claim, although more complex cases may take longer. The agency is implementing the process in phases, with the first phase limited to certain unliquidated entries and entries within 80 days of final accounting.
The size of refunds can be significant for companies across all sectors. (STR/AFP/Getty Images)
Officials have warned that the process could be complicated because of its size. In court filings, CBP described the volume of reimbursements as “unprecedented,” noting that existing systems are not designed to handle so many claims and may require significant manual processing.
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The refunds will be paid directly to the companies that originally paid the tariffs, marking a first step in reversing a major trade policy with broad economic impact.
