News

What's happening: Following the Supreme Court's ruling striking down IEEPA tariffs, CBP is rolling out an online refund portal in phases starting April 20, 2026 to return ~$166 billion in duties to 300,000+ importers across 53 million entries.

Why it matters: Interest is accruing at ~$650 million/month at a 6% rate. The faster importers act, the faster they get paid.

How it works: CBP's new CAPE system (built inside ACE) has four steps:

1. Claim Portal — upload refund requests via standardized spreadsheet
2. Mass Processing — removes IEEPA tariff codes, recalculates duties
3. Review & Reliquidation — updates entry summaries, calculates interest
4. Refund — electronic deposit to account

Your members should:

• Update their CBP importer record (Form 5106) — using their own email, not your broker's
• Create an ACE Portal account (setup takes 3–4 weeks)
• Enroll in ACH Refund — required for electronic deposits
• Check with their broker if any entries fall into exceptions (liquidated entries, drawback claims, open protests, AD/CVD entries)

Upcoming webinar: CBP's Office of Trade is hosting a walkthrough of the CAPE refund process today, Friday, April 17 at 2:30 p.m. ET. Register here.

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The bottom line: Your importer members should not wait. Encourage them to enroll in ACH, get their ACE account set up, and talk to their customs broker now. Refunds are coming — but only to those who are ready.

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