Tariff Refunds Begin! Us Customs: Trump Tariff Refund System to Go Live on April 20

On April 10, U.S. Eastern Time, U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) announced that the tariff refund system will officially launch on April 20, and importers seeking tariff refunds can begin submitting applications starting April 20.

This tax refund system, named the “Comprehensive Administration and Processing Engine” (CAPE), enables “one-click tax refunds.” Importers or authorized customs brokers simply upload a CSV file via the web portal listing customs declarations subject to IEEPA tariffs. The system automatically verifies the customs data, calculates the refund (including interest), and disburses the refund.

U.S. Customs stated that in the first phase, customs will prioritize processing certain simple and recently imported duty refund applications, which account for about 63%. The remaining 37% of refunds will be processed in subsequent phases, as these imports enter an automatic settlement process, requiring reconciliation, and the refunds are relatively more complex. In other words, goods imported about a year ago (approximately before May 2025) will have their refunds processed in the subsequent phases.

U.S. Customs stated that after accepting the importer's tax refund application, the review, clearance, and issuance of the refund can be completed within a maximum of 45 days.

Foreign traders requiring refunds must pre-register an ACH electronic refund account in the ACE system; otherwise, they will not be able to receive refunds. U.S. Customs has fully digitized its processes, and all refunds will be directly transferred electronically to the importer's designated bank account.

The tax refund process consists of four steps.

Claim Portal: Importers or authorized customs brokers upload CSV files via a web portal, listing customs entries that include IEEPA duties. The system automatically verifies the format and confirms that the submitter is an importer or customs broker.

Mass Processing: The system automatically removes the IEEPA tariff codes and recalculates the remaining tariffs to be paid.

III. Review and Liquidation/Reliquidation: Customs review results.

IV. Refund: The refund will be directly transferred electronically to the bank account designated by the importer.