$166 Billion in IEEPA Tariff Refunds. Many Will Go Unclaimed.
The Supreme Court ruled 6-3 that IEEPA tariffs were collected without legal authority. U.S. Customs and Border Protection opened the CAPE refund portal on April 20, 2026. Of the 330,000 eligible importers, the vast majority have not filed. The money is there. The window is open. Many small businesses haven't started.
The Largest Federal Tariff Refund in U.S. History — And Many Businesses Are Missing It.
The first 26,664 importers registered in CAPE account for $120 billion in refunds — roughly 8% of all importers paying 72% of all IEEPA tariffs. Those are the large corporations with legal teams and customs brokers on staff. They filed first.
That leaves more than 300,000 smaller importers dividing the remaining $46 billion — approximately $140,000 per firm on average. Life-changing money for a small business. And many of them haven't started. Not because they don't qualify. Because the process was designed for institutional importers, not the average business owner.
What is the IEEPA tariff refund?
How do I file for a refund?
How much interest will I receive?
What entries are excluded from Phase 1?
Can I file a Post Summary Correction instead?
Three Steps to Your Refund
From eligibility verification to ACH payment — here is exactly how the IEEPA recovery process works.
Verify Your Eligibility
Phase 1 covers unliquidated entries and entries liquidated within 80 days of your filing date. You must have a U.S. bank account registered for ACH refunds in the ACE Secure Data Portal — separate from any account used to pay duties to CBP. Use TariffGuru's free eligibility diagnostic to assess your readiness in minutes.
Prepare Your CAPE Declaration
Format your 7501 Entry Summary data into a CBP-compliant CSV file with exact 11-digit entry numbers. Each declaration is limited to 9,999 entry lines. A single file-level formatting error rejects the entire declaration. The $97 Federal Recovery Toolkit includes a pre-formatted CBP-compliant template and a 12-point pre-submission checklist.
File & Collect Your Refund
Submit your CAPE Declaration through the ACE Secure Data Portal. Once accepted, CBP validates your entries, removes IEEPA HTS codes, and reliquidates affected entries. Refunds are consolidated by Importer of Record and disbursed via ACH within 60-90 days of acceptance, plus statutory interest from your original entry date.
Everything You Need — For Free
Before you spend a dollar, use our free tools to understand your eligibility, estimate your refund, and get answers to your questions.
Five Things Every Importer Must Know
The five technical pillars of IEEPA refund eligibility — covered in plain English. Liquidation status, ACH enrollment, entry formatting, interest calculation, and the Phase 1 exclusions that catch most filers off guard.
Read the Quick Guide
2. ACH Enrollment — You must have a U.S. bank account registered in the ACE Secure Data Portal. This account must be separate from any ACH account used to pay duties to CBP.
3. Entry Formatting — All entry numbers must be exact 11 alphanumeric characters. One bad character rejects the line.
4. Interest Calculation — Statutory interest accrues from the original entry payment date at 7% annually (non-corp) or 6% (corp), compounded quarterly per 19 U.S.C. 1505.
5. Phase 1 Exclusions — Reconciliation entries, drawback entries, AD/CVD entries, open protest entries, and entries not filed in ACE are excluded from Phase 1.
Read the Full Filing Guide →
CAPE Pre-Filing Eligibility Screener
Answer 6 questions and get an instant technical readiness assessment. Know your Phase 1 eligibility status, what steps to take next, and whether you need the toolkit or concierge service — before you file a single form.
Check My Eligibility →The Tariff Guru — Your Free AI Recovery Agent
Ask any question about your IEEPA refund in plain English. Trained on CBP CAPE documentation, ACE portal protocols, Federal Register interest rate tables, CIT court orders, and every agency handbook involved in the IEEPA recovery process. No account required.
Launch Free AI Agent at TariffGuru.com →Federal Statutory Interest Calculator
Calculated per 19 U.S.C. 1505 and 26 U.S.C. 6621 using IRS quarterly overpayment rates as published in Federal Register Vol. 90 No. 186. Not a simple interest estimate — a statutory refund calculation.
Use the Full Calculator Below →Federal Statutory Interest Calculator — IEEPA Tariff Refund Overpayment Rates
Statutory interest on IEEPA tariff refunds accrues from the date the original duties were paid through the date CBP issues your refund. This is not optional — it is a legal entitlement under federal statute.
The applicable rates, confirmed across multiple Federal Register publications, are 7% annually for non-corporate importers and 6% annually for corporate importers, compounded quarterly.
For entries paid in April 2025, this means more than a full year of interest accrues on top of your principal refund amount before CBP issues payment.
Source: 19 U.S.C. 1505 · 26 U.S.C. 6621 · Federal Register Vol. 90 No. 186 (September 29, 2025) · Federal Register Document 2026-01175 (January 22, 2026) · Revenue Ruling 2025-22
Estimate based on statutory rates per 19 U.S.C. 1505 and 26 U.S.C. 6621, compounded quarterly. Actual amounts depend on entry-level CBP data and the refund process established by the Court of International Trade.
File It Right the First Time
From the $97 self-filing toolkit to full institutional data formatting — TariffGuru.com provides the technical infrastructure for every type of importer.
Federal Recovery Toolkit
- Master CAPE CSV template (CBP-compliant, pre-formatted)
- ACE portal data extraction guide
- CBP error dictionary — every rejection code explained
- HTS reference library for IEEPA-subject goods
- USITC duty handbook and HTS classification guide
- Supreme Court ruling analysis (Learning Resources v. Trump)
- Federal Register interest rate documentation
- 12-point pre-submission filing readiness checklist
- Phase 1 exclusion reference guide
Institutional Data Services
- Professional CAPE CSV data formatting at $1 per line
- $1,500 minimum — covers up to 1,500 entry lines
- $4,500 Institutional Data Audit — pre-submission error scan
- PDF Risk Report identifying rejection risks before filing
- Section 301 / IEEPA duty stacking analysis
- AD/CVD suspension review and Phase 2 preparation
- Full concierge with licensed customs practitioners available
Ask Any Tariff Refund Question — Free
TariffGuru's free AI Recovery Agent is trained on CBP CAPE documentation, Federal Register interest rates, CIT court orders, and every agency handbook involved in the IEEPA recovery process. No account required.
Launch Free AI Agent at TariffGuru.com →Built for Sensitive Federal Data
Every tool on TariffGuru.com is built with security infrastructure appropriate for federal compliance work.
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Verified
All content sourced directly from CBP official publications, Federal Register notices, and Court of International Trade filings.
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User data is never sold to third parties. Information shared through our diagnostic and contact forms is used solely to serve your inquiry.
Court-Sourced
Filing intelligence derived directly from CIT court records and CBP agency filings. Dates, entry counts, and process details are all court-verified.
Stay Ahead of the Process
Court-sourced CAPE system analysis published since March 2026 — before most media outlets covered this story.
Why the May 11 Refund Date Is Court-Sourced — Not Estimated
Most media outlets reported "60-90 days" without citing the source. The actual date comes from a CBP declaration filed with the CIT in Euro-Notions Florida, Inc. v. United States.
May 2026 Phase 2The $2+ Billion in Frozen Tariff Refunds Nobody Is Explaining
Entries subject to AD/CVD suspension are explicitly excluded from Phase 1. Here is why, what statute governs it, and what importers should be doing now to prepare for Phase 2.
May 2026 TechnicalThe PSC Filing Prohibition Most Competitors Are Ignoring
CBP's Trade User Information Notice explicitly prohibits Post Summary Corrections for IEEPA refunds. Here is the exact language and why it matters for importers evaluating their options.
April 2026