Exactly two months after the Supreme Court invalidated President Trump’s tariffs, American importers owed $166 billion in refunds plus interest will be able to start applying for reimbursements on Monday via a new US Customs and Border Protection portal.
Importers and their brokers can begin claiming refunds through the online portal, called the Consolidated Administration and Processing of Entries (CAPE), starting at 8 a.m. This opening applies to businesses that paid tariffs, which the Supreme Court ruled were imposed by President Trump without the constitutional authority to do so.
According to U.S. Customs and Border Protection, CAPE “is designed to consolidate refunds of IEEPA (International Emergency Economic Powers Act) duties including interest rather than processing refunds on an entry-by-entry basis.”
CBP estimates refunds will be issued within 60 to 90 days after approval, but it might take longer depending on whether further review of entries is necessary.
Only parties officially recognized as importers who have made tariff payments or authorized customs brokers acting on their behalf are eligible to apply for tariff refunds. Not every tariff payment will qualify for reimbursement when the program launches, since the rollout will happen in multiple phases.
According to CBS, as of April 14, 56,497 importers had completed registration and were eligible for refunds totaling $127 billion, including interest.
White House National Economic Council Director Kevin Hassett told reporters, “There’s alternative authorities that perhaps could reduce that number quite a bit.”
By CEO NA Editorial Staff
