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Tariffs CBP Compliance New April 20, 2026 · 10 min read

CBP Tariff Refund Portal: Who Qualifies, What Phase 1 Covers, and What Importers Should Do Next

If you saw headlines about a new tariff refund website going live, the short version is this: yes, there is now a real refund process, and no, it is not as simple as clicking a button and getting paid two days later.

Quick answer: CBP’s tariff refund portal is live for certain IEEPA duty refund claims through the ACE Portal using CAPE Declarations. Phase 1 covers some unliquidated and recently liquidated entries, but not every refund scenario.

In this guide

What changed

U.S. Customs and Border Protection has launched Phase 1 of a new refund workflow for certain IEEPA duties through the ACE Portal, using a tool called CAPE, short for Consolidated Administration and Processing of Entries.

CBP says importers and authorized customs brokers can now submit certain refund requests through the ACE Secure Data Portal using a CSV upload called a CAPE Declaration.

Start with CBP’s main hub: IEEPA Duty Refunds.

Who qualifies for the CBP tariff refund portal?

The frustrating but accurate answer is: some importers do, and some do not, at least not in Phase 1.

You may be in scope if you paid the relevant IEEPA duties and your entries fall into the categories CBP is currently accepting through CAPE. You may be out of scope for now if your entries fall into one of the excluded buckets, like drawback, reconciliation, open protest, or already-final liquidation.

So the real qualification question is not just, “Did we pay these tariffs?” It is also, “Are our entries currently eligible for the Phase 1 CAPE workflow?”

What Phase 1 appears to cover

Based on CBP’s refund page and the CAPE guidance, Phase 1 is mainly aimed at:

What Phase 1 does not cover

This is the part many summaries bury. At least in Phase 1, CBP says some entries will not be accepted through CAPE yet, including categories such as:

Who can submit the request?

CBP says the CAPE Declaration can be filed by the Importer of Record or the authorized customs broker who filed the entries for that importer.

That means plenty of businesses are going to need to coordinate with their broker instead of trying to wing this alone.

What importers should do next

If you only have five minutes, do these four things first:

  1. Confirm who is filing, you or your customs broker
  2. Check ACE access so you are not blocked later
  3. Make sure ACH refund details are set up
  4. Build your list of potentially eligible entry numbers

Then come back and deal with the messy edge cases.

Practical checklist

If you rely on a customs broker, ask directly which entries appear eligible for Phase 1, whether they will file on your behalf, and whether your refund-recipient setup needs updating.

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Frequently asked questions

Is the CBP tariff refund portal live now?
Yes. CBP launched Phase 1 of the CAPE process on April 20, 2026.
Can every importer use it?
No. Phase 1 does not cover every type of entry or every refund scenario.
Do I need an ACE Portal account?
Yes, if you are filing directly. If your customs broker is filing on your behalf, you still need to know who controls access and refund setup.
Is this the same as filing through ABI?
No. CBP says CAPE Declarations are filed through the ACE Portal, not ABI.
How long will refunds take?
CBP says valid refunds will generally be issued in 60 to 90 days after CAPE acceptance, unless additional review is needed.

Disclaimer: This article is for informational purposes only and does not constitute legal, customs, or tax advice. Always verify current guidance with CBP or a licensed customs broker before making filing decisions.