CAPE (Consolidated Administration and Processing of Entries) is the tool CBP built to process IEEPA duty refunds at scale. Importers or their customs brokers submit claims through ACE, and CBP processes them in phases.
The phases
- Phase 1, from April 20, 2026: most entries on which IEEPA duties were paid, including unliquidated entries and entries still within the correction window after liquidation.
- Phase 2, from June 29, 2026: added entries flagged for reconciliation (entry types 01, 02, and 06) where the reconciliation entry had not yet been filed.
- Phase 3, scheduled for October 6, 2026: finally liquidated entries subject to court-ordered reliquidation. CBP has said these will be processed only for importers who filed their own lawsuits at the Court of International Trade.
Entries CAPE does not accept
- Antidumping and countervailing duty (AD/CVD) entries
- Warehouse entries (types 21 and 22)
- Drawback-related entries
- Entries with open or suspended protests
- Entries that are suspended, extended, or under review
How refunds are paid
Refunds are paid electronically by ACH to the Importer of Record, generally with interest. CBP has reported thousands of refunds held up because the importer had no valid ACH refund details on file. If you have not enrolled for ACH refunds, that is the first thing to fix.
Where things stand
As of September 11, 2026, CBP reported $134.7 billion in potential and certified refunds accepted, with $122 billion certified and sent to Treasury for payment, and about $1.3 billion in refunds pending because of missing ACH information.
Sources
General information, not legal advice. Tariff refund rules and court rulings are changing. Deadlines depend on your own entries. Confirm your options with a licensed customs broker or attorney. TariffClarity is not a law firm or customs broker.