U.S. Tariff Refund Portal: Launch Date and Process Details

Tariff refunds are coming: Here’s what businesses need to know The U.S. Government is preparing to launch an online portal that will allow businesses to apply for refunds on tariffs deemed illegal by the Supreme Court. The system, called the Consolidated Administration and Processing of Entries (CAPE), will open for refund applications on Monday, April 20, 2026, according to U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP). Businesses will be able to seek compensation for tariffs imposed under the International Emergency Economic Powers Act (IEEPA) that the Supreme Court ruled were issued without proper authority. The government could owe businesses up to $175 billion following the February ruling that found President Trump had illegally used IEEPA to implement tariffs. The CAPE portal is designed to streamline the refund process by providing an electronic pathway for submitting valid IEEPA duty refund claims. CBP states the system will simplify requests made pursuant to court order and in accordance with appropriate statutory authority. Yet, the refund process places the burden on importers to initiate claims. Trade attorneys note that while CAPE offers a mechanism for seeking compensation, it requires businesses to navigate the application process themselves. The system too limits eligibility to “unliquidated tariffs” – estimated duties that can still be amended – plus tariffs that were finalized by CBP within the past 80 days. As of April 9, more than 56,000 U.S. Importers had registered to receive refunds through the upcoming system, according to CBP data. Refunds are expected to take 60-90 days to process, which is up to twice as long as the government originally estimated. Some customs brokers have expressed concerns about the process. Pete Mento, a licensed customs broker and director of global trade advisory services at Baker Tilly, noted that while CAPE appears designed to make intake easy, businesses should not assume CBP is relaxing scrutiny on the back end of claim reviews. The refunds apply to tariffs illegally issued under IEEPA, including Trump’s “reciprocal” tariffs imposed in April 2025, as well as levies on China, Mexico, and Canada tied to the flow of fentanyl into the U.S. CBP plans to process the refunds in phases, with some entries excluded from the first phase of distributions. Businesses interested in applying for refunds should monitor the CBP website for the official launch of the CAPE portal on April 20, 2026, and review eligibility requirements before submitting claims.