U.S. Customs and Border Protection announced on April 15 that it will start processing refunds for businesses that paid over $166 billion in International Emergency Economic Powers Act (IEEPA) tariffs, following their invalidation by the U.S. Supreme Court.
The refund process follows a Supreme Court decision in February, which found that President Donald Trump exceeded his authority when imposing global tariffs under the IEEPA last year. The U.S. Court of International Trade subsequently ordered CBP to issue refunds with interest.
CBP stated its online system for processing these refunds will be available at 8 a.m. EST on Monday, April 20. In the first phase, recently imported goods and straightforward entries will be prioritized, with refunds expected within 90 days. According to a CBP court filing on Tuesday, more than 560,497 importers had pre-registered for refunds as of April 9 and registrations continue daily.
“In total, refunds can be issued electronically for approximately 82% of entries with IEEPA duty payments and/or duty deposits,” Brandon Lord, executive director of trade programs at CBP stated in the court filing. “The principal amount of IEEPA duty payments and/or duty deposits for these entries is approximately $127 billion.”
Later phases are planned to address more complex or already liquidated cases. The new Consolidated Administration and Processing of Entries (CAPE) refund system aims to provide each importer with one consolidated payment instead of individual entry-based transactions.
Importers seeking a refund must log into their Automated Commercial Environment account and access the CAPE Claim Portal. More information is available from U.S. Customs and Border Protection’s website here.
The New Jersey Business and Industry Association serves as the nation’s largest statewide employer association representing employers across various sectors according to its official website. It advances competitive excellence while delivering essential information and services according to its official website. Michele Siekerka is president and chief executive officer according to its official website.
The association also serves private-sector employers throughout New Jersey according to its official website, facilitates partnerships among businesses, government entities, and academic institutions according to its official website, and offers advocacy along with practical information aimed at supporting business prosperity according to its official website.