Thousands of shipping containers stacked at the Port Newark–Elizabeth Marine Terminal in New Jersey—one of the largest U.S. container ports affected by IEEPA tariffs.

How to File IEEPA Tariff Refunds Through the CAPE Portal

$20.6 billion in IEEPA refunds already certified to Treasury. Phase 1 is processing claims with an average 18-day turnaround — but nearly one-third of declarations fail validation. Here's how to get yours right the first time.

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CAPE Update Tracker

Track the current filing posture before you act

Use this as the quick context layer before you rely on CAPE alone. It keeps the live phase, latest official checkpoint, and main current limitation in one place.

Current phase

Phase 1 is live — $20.6B certified to Treasury, ~$85B pipeline

CAPE filing has been open since April 20, 2026. As of May 26, 2026 (per CBP Lord Declaration, CIT): 15.8M entries accepted for IEEPA-duty removal, 8.3M+ entries already liquidated or reliquidated without IEEPA, $20.6 billion in refunds certified and sent to Treasury for disbursement, and ~$85 billion in total potential + certified refunds in the CAPE pipeline. Average refund turnaround is ~18 days (~14 days for electronics/consumer goods). Nearly one-third of CAPE declarations are failing initial file validation — clean your CSV and confirm ACH banking before you file.

Last official update reviewed

May 27, 2026 — CIT Show Cause Order

On May 27, CIT Judge Eaton issued two orders: (1) a show-cause order directing CBP to explain by June 4 why it should not immediately refund ALL IEEPA tariffs, including on finally liquidated entries, and (2) an order requiring CBP Commissioner Rodney Scott to personally appear in court in New York on June 9. The judge expressed particular concern about “millions of informal entries where liquidation was simultaneous with the time of entry, and for which the liquidation is now final.” DOJ has until June 6 to appeal the CIT refund order. Next CBP progress report due June 10.

Most important limitation

June 4–9 window will shape Phase 2 scope

CBP's current litigation position is that refunds for entries beyond the 90-day reliquidation window will only happen if importers sue. Judge Eaton's show-cause order challenges that directly. The June 4 CBP response, the June 6 DOJ appeal deadline, and the June 9 hearing with Commissioner Scott will determine whether finally liquidated and informal entries get an administrative path or remain CIT-litigation-only. Phase 2 timing remains unannounced; treat it as a bonus channel, not a primary plan. File CAPE for everything Phase 1-eligible now — do not wait for June 9.

If your entries were filed by multiple brokers, were liquidated more than 80 days ago, or are tied to a protest, start with a case-specific review.

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Three Steps to Your Refund

CAPE simplifies the intake process, but CBP still validates the entries, recalculates duties, and controls when refunds are released.

Check Your Eligibility

Confirm the entry has IEEPA Chapter 99 duties and is either still unliquidated or not more than about 80 days past liquidation. Use our interactive checker to verify.

Prepare Your Data

Set up ACE access, enroll ACH refunds, and prepare an entry-number-only CSV that matches your importer or filing account.

File via CAPE

Upload up to 9,999 entry numbers, clear ACE validations, and monitor consolidated refunds through the new CAPE reporting workflow.

Based on Official CBP Guidance

Our guide is updated from CBP CSMS releases and cross-checked against current trade commentary.

As of May 26, 2026, CBP has accepted 15.8M entries through CAPE, liquidated 8.3M+ entries IEEPA-free, and certified $20.6 billion in refunds to Treasury. Average turnaround: ~18 days.

Source: CBP Lord Declaration, CIT (May 26, 2026)

Only the importer of record or the broker that filed the entry summary can submit a CAPE declaration, and the upload is limited to entry numbers only.

Source: CBP CSMS #68340863

ACH refunds are mandatory. CBP's May 26 report confirms thousands of approved refunds remain stuck because importers have not provided valid ACH banking information — check yours before you file.

Source: CBP Lord Declaration, CIT (May 26, 2026); CSMS #68179006

For standard Phase 1 claims, CBP reports an average 18-day refund turnaround (~14 days for electronics/consumer goods) once entries clear validation — significantly faster than the published 60–90-day window.

Source: CBP May 26, 2026 CIT Progress Report; CSMS #68340863

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Latest Updates from Our Editors

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New analysis as CAPE Phase 1 unfolds — eligibility shifts, ACE workflow changes, and refund timing observations.