U.S. Customs and Border Protection is preparing to begin refunds on invalidated Trump-era tariffs as soon as May 11, using its new CAPE portal to process claims. Early adoption has been strong and the system is outperforming expectations, though experts caution importers to submit clean, verified data to avoid delays and audits.
Key Takeaways
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Refunds starting quickly: CBP has already accepted about one-fifth of submitted entries and moved a portion into the refund pipeline, signaling that some importers could see money within weeks even as others face wait times and process questions.
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New portal mostly performing well: Trade practitioners describe CAPE’s rollout as smoother than past systems, with near-instant feedback on accepted or rejected filings, though users still encounter timeouts, authentication issues, and difficulty reaching support staff.
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Data quality is critical: Experts urge importers to treat filings like tax returns, ensuring entries actually qualify and underlying data is consistent, since erroneous submissions can be rejected now and audited for up to two years after refunds are issued.
