The White House is signaling that businesses seeking refunds on overturned tariffs could be in for a prolonged wait, with officials estimating millions of hours of work to process claims even as customs prepares computer upgrades that may eventually speed up the refund pipeline.
Key Takeaways
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Refund processing could be slow: In court filings, the administration estimated it could take up to 4.4 million hours to manually process refund requests linked to more than 53 million entries subject to $166 billion in tariffs that were recently struck down.
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Technology may shorten timelines: A U.S. customs official told the court that system upgrades designed to handle tariff refunds could be “ready for use” by mid-next month.
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Data readiness separates winners and losers: Firms with centralized supplier records might be able to file and resolve refund claims faster.
