CBP Raises Accepted Tariff Refunds to $85B as $20.6B Heads to Importers

85billion in tariff refund claims as part of the IEEPA repayment process. The Silicon Review reports on the 20.6 billion already being disbursed to importers following the Supreme Court ruling that struck down Trump's tariffs.

U.S. Customs and Border Protection has accepted approximately $85 billion in tariff refund claims as part of the ongoing repayment process for duties collected under the International Emergency Economic Powers Act, the agency said in a court filing.

The tariff refunds include both potential and certified claims accepted for processing in CBP's Consolidated Administration and Processing of Entries system as of May 22, according to Brandon Lord, executive director of trade programs for CBP's Office of Trade. Of that total, $20.6 billion has reached the final stage of being disbursed to importers who successfully filed claims using the new web portal.

The agency corrected a significant reporting error from two weeks prior, when a U.S. trade official said more than 35.5 billion in refund claims were being processed. Lord acknowledged that figure was over stated by approximately 10 billion, with the actual amount closer to $25 billion. He attributed the discrepancy to an inadvertent error in the data query used to calculate the figure, not to any flaw in the CAPE processing system.

Nearly 16 million import entries with IEEPA duties have been accepted in the first phase of the refund effort, and 8.5 million of those have been reprocessed without the duties and certified for repayment. The refund process stems from a February Supreme Court ruling that held the White House exceeded its constitutional authority by using IEEPA to impose tariffs, creating a legal obligation to refund all duties collected under the invalidated framework.

The refunds include interest as well as the base tariff amounts. CBP estimates total refunds could reach $166 billion across more than 53 million import entries. More than 4,000 consolidated refund payments have not yet been sent to the Treasury Department because importers have not established digital payment capability.

As CBP raises accepted tariff refunds to $85 billion, The Silicon Review examines how the unprecedented repayment process is unfolding and what importers need to do to secure their share of the refunds before deadlines pass.

Q: Why are importers receiving tariff refunds?
A: The Supreme Court ruled in February 2026 that President Trump's tariffs imposed under the International Emergency Economic Powers Act were unconstitutional, as tariff authority belongs to Congress. This created a legal obligation to refund all duties collected under that framework.

Q: How many import entries are affected by the tariff refund process?
A: Nearly 16 million import entries with IEEPA duties have been accepted in the first phase of the refund effort, with 8.5 million reprocessed and certified for repayment. CBP estimates total refunds could reach $166 billion across more than 53 million import entries.

Q: What is the CAPE system?
A: CAPE (Consolidated Administration and Processing of Entries) is CBP's new web-based refund portal, launched on April 20, 2026, to process IEEPA tariff refund claims. Phase 1 covers unliquidated entries and entries within 80 days of liquidation.

Q: Why haven't all approved refunds been sent to importers?
A: More than 4,000 consolidated refund payments remain undispersed because importers have not yet established digital payment capability with CBP. Refunds are issued only electronically through the agency's ACH refund portal.