U.S. rolls out tariff refund system to reimburse businesses

The U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) launched a tariff refund system on April 20, which allows businesses to submit claims for reimbursement after paying $166 billion in duties, following a U.S. Supreme Court ruling that determined the action illegal.

Officially titled Consolidated Administration and Processing of Entries (CAPE), the online platform provides electronic refunds, including interest, to qualifying businesses, according to court filings and TheHill.com.  

The refund system was launched for importers to recoup funds following a Feb. 20 ruling that deemed President Trump’s use of an emergency statute to remake global trade was unlawful. 

The Associated Press reported that as of April 14, 56,497 out of the 330,000 total U.S. importers have filed for reimbursements.

Requesting refunds

Posted on the CBP official website, duty refunds require businesses to perform the following actions:

• Importers of Record and authorized Customs brokers have an established Automated Commercial Environment (ACE) portal account.
• Recipients use the ACE portal account to provide CBP with bank account information.
• Importers of record and authorized customs brokers submit CAPE declarations in the ACE Portal (See below for details)

CBP says importers can expect refunds to be issued within 60-90 days following acceptance of the CAPE Declaration, barring any unusual circumstances.

For more information regarding the refund process, visit the CPB duty refund website.