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By Adeola Adeosun and Hugh Cameron
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The U.S. government has launched its new online portal for companies to claim refunds from the tariffs that were struck down earlier this year, opening the door for businesses to recoup their portion of the billions of dollars that were illegally collected.
The refunds stem from a February Supreme Court ruling that found President Donald Trump's tariffs issued under the International Emergency Economic Powers Act (IEEPA) were unconstitutional.
Over 300,000 American importers are collectively owed around $166 billion in refunds plus interest—per estimates from U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP). However, Monday marks only Phase 1 of the Consolidated Administration and Processing of Entries (CAPE) program, and customs officials have said some importers may not yet be eligible or able to apply for their rebate.
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An estimated $127 billion in eligible refunds will be available in the first phase, but while consumers will not receive direct refund checks, some may still see money back through delivery companies like FedEx and ongoing class-action lawsuits targeting major retailers.
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Why It Matters
The Supreme Court ruled 6-3 on February 20 that President Donald Trump usurped Congress' tax-setting role when he set new import tax rates on products from nearly every country, citing the U.S. trade deficit as a national emergency. A judge at the U.S. Court of International Trade subsequently determined companies subjected to the tariffs were entitled to refunds. A February Tax Foundation report found Trump's tariffs equated to a tax increase of $1,000 per household in 2025 — but those costs will not be directly reimbursed to consumers, only to importers, unless companies choose to pass savings on.
Who Is Eligible?
Phase 1 eligibility is limited to importers who paid IEEPA tariffs and whose entries are either unliquidated or were liquidated within the preceding 80 days. Applicants must be the Importer of Record or the licensed customs broker who filed the entry. An active ACE Secure Data Portal account and ACH refund enrollment are required to receive payment.
U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) said in court filings that over 330,000 importers paid a total of roughly $166 billion in IEEPA tariffs across 53 million shipments. However, not all of those payments qualify for Phase 1 refunds, which is limited to entries that were either unliquidated or finalized within the preceding 80 days.
Of the 330,000 importers who paid tariffs, only 56,497 had completed registration in CBP's electronic payment system as of April 14 — making them eligible for refunds totaling $127 billion, including interest. The remaining importers and shipments will be addressed in future phases.
What FedEx Is Doing for Customers
FedEx, which collected tariffs directly from consumers on imported packages as a customs broker, has made a direct commitment to return refunds to the customers who originally paid them.
"Our intent is straightforward: if refunds are issued to FedEx, we will issue refunds for IEEPA tariffs paid to the shippers and consumers who originally bore those charges," the company said in a statement.
FedEx said it is prepared to begin submitting Consolidated Administration and Processing of Entries (CAPE) declarations on April 20 for Phase 1-eligible entries and is committed to working expeditiously to issue refunds as soon as it begins receiving money from CBP. The company stopped collecting IEEPA duties on goods entering the U.S. after February 24, two days after the Supreme Court ruling, following CBP guidance.
Newsweek reached out to FedEx for additional comment on the timeline for customer refunds and will update this story when a response is received.
What Costco and Other Retailers Are Doing
Costco filed a federal lawsuit on November 28, 2025, challenging all IEEPA tariffs as unlawful, asking the court to order full refunds including interest on all tariffs paid. The Issaquah-based warehouse giant has committed to passing any refunds it receives directly to its members. "As we have done in the past, when legal challenges have recovered charges passed on in some form to our members, our commitment will be to find the best way to return this value through lower prices," Costco CEO Ron Vachris said during earnings call in March, according to the Puget Sound Business Journal. Vachris added that Costco in many cases did not pass the full cost of tariffs onto members and has already lowered prices on several items including cookware, eggs, coffee and textiles.
Several other major companies have filed similar suits, including eyeglass makers Ray-Ban and EssilorLuxottica and Kawasaki Motors, according to court records.
Newsweek reached out to Costco for additional comment on the refund process for members and will update this story when a response is received.
How to Claim a Tariff Refund
The new CAPE system went live at 8 a.m. Eastern on Monday.
The process works as follows: the importer or broker logs into the ACE Secure Data Portal and submits a CAPE Declaration via CSV upload listing all entry numbers for which they seek refunds. CBP then validate the entries, removes the IEEPA tariff provisions, and recalculates duties as if the tariffs had never applied. A consolidated electronic refund is then issued via ACH to the Importer of Record.
CBP estimates refunds will take 60 to 90 days from acceptance of a CAPE Declaration — longer than initially expected due to volume and complexity. Experts are urging patience. "Like any electronic online program that goes live with a lot of interest, I would expect that there might be some hiccups," Meghann Supino, a partner at Ice Miller, told the Associated Press. Accuracy is also critical — submissions can be rejected if formatting or data is incorrect, and incorrect ACH bank information will delay or prevent payment.
Will Consumers See Refunds?
Consumers will not receive refund checks.
Refunds go only to importers of record, not the general public — despite the household costs absorbed during the tariff period. However, class-action lawsuits aimed at forcing companies including Costco and Ray-Ban maker Essilor Luxottica to reimburse shoppers are working through the U.S. legal system.
And while some companies such as FedEx, have committed to returning their rebate to customers in some form, a recent CNBC poll of firms' chief financial officers indicated that most do not intend to do so.
What Happens Next
Monday's launch is only Phase 1. CBP says additional phases are planned to expand eligibility and handle more complex refund scenarios.
More than 330,000 importers paid the tariffs at issue across 53 million shipments, meaning the refund process will likely continue for months. Approximately $2.9 billion in deposits will require manual processing outside the CAPE system.
Reporting from the Associated Press contributed to this article.
Update 4/19/26, 8:13 p.m. ET and 8:22 p.m. ET: This article was updated with additional information.
Update 4/20/26, 9:23 a.m. ET: This article has been updated with additional information.
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