CBP Is Building a Streamlined IEEPA Tariff Refund Process
Here’s What Importers Need to Know
The court ordered IEEPA refunds. CBP is figuring out how to make that actually work. Here’s the short version: they’re building a batch refund system that processes your entire claim automatically and sends it to Treasury. You file once, for all your entries, and the system does the review.
That’s a meaningful improvement over manually processing hundreds of thousands of individual entries.
CBP has indicated that they hope to have the system developed within 45 days.
What CBP’s New Refund Process Looks Like
CBP has indicated they’re developing a streamlined refund submission process. The mechanics are straightforward:
- You submit one consolidated claim covering all eligible IEEPA-related entries
- CBP’s system reviews it automatically – no manual processing bottleneck
- If everything checks out, the refund goes to Treasury for processing
This is exactly what the volume demands. Over 300,000 importers paid IEEPA tariffs. over 70 million entries included IEEPA either in part or in full. Manual review at that scale was never going to work. A systematic, automated process is the only realistic path to getting money back to importers.
This means there is no need to file a lawsuit in the court of international trade, no need to file manual Post Summary Corrections, and no difference whether your entries liqudated or not. You submit the report, and regardless of liqudation status you will get your refund.
There are 2 caveats
Compliance
CBP has said time and again that they will review the refund request against compliance errors, such as undervaluation, misclassification, wrong country of origin, and missing AD/CVD. if you are not sure that your entries are fully compliant, audit them before submitting the refund request.
The ACE Problem: Most Importers Are Not Set Up to Receive Refunds
Here’s where it gets uncomfortable.
Of those 300,000-plus importers, only around 20,000 have registered for ACE – the Automated Commercial Environment, CBP’s importer portal.
That’s less than 7%.
ACE enrollment is not optional. It’s the infrastructure your refund runs through. And electronic refund enrollment, a requirement since February 6, is how CBP actually sends the money. If you’re not enrolled, you’re not in line. You’re not even at the window.
Why You Need to Enroll in ACE Right Now
Every day without ACE enrollment is a day you’re not positioned to receive a refund when this process goes live.
This isn’t bureaucratic paperwork for its own sake. The court order is real. The money is real. The process is being built. But it’s being built for importers who are set up to receive it.
If you’re one of the 280,000-plus importers who haven’t enrolled yet, this is the moment.
What you need to do:
- Register for an ACE portal account
- Enroll in ACE ACH (electronic refund payments) – required since February 6
- Make sure your entries are properly linked to your importer account
We’ll Help You Get Set Up
If ACE enrollment feels like a black box, we can walk you through it. Our team has helped importers get set up and enrolled in electronic refunds, including the ACH enrollment that’s been required since February 6.
Don’t leave your refund on the table because of a paperwork gap.
Contact Simple Forwarding we’ll help you get ACE-registered and positioned for when the streamlined refund process launches.
The Bottom Line
CBP is building the infrastructure to make IEEPA refunds happen at scale. automated review, one consolidated claim. The system is being designed to work.
But it only works if you’re enrolled.
Twenty thousand importers are ready. Three hundred thousand paid. The gap between those two numbers is where refunds go unclaimed.
Get enrolled. Get in line.
Need help with ACE enrollment or IEEPA refund positioning? Reach out to Simple Forwarding. We’ll get you set up.
