Key Takeaways

• Massive refund push: The Trump administration is processing more than $35.5 billion in tariff refunds to importers after the Supreme Court struck down his tariff policy.
• Interest included: Payments cover duties paid across more than 8 million import entries, with interest added to refund amounts.
• CAPE portal handles claims: The Consolidated Administration and Processing of Entries online tool launched on April 20 to manage the deluge.
• Validation progress: Nearly 87,000 declarations have been validated as of Monday, with 126,000 declarations received since launch.
• Supreme Court ruling: The 6-3 decision on February 20 found Trump unlawfully used the International Emergency Economic Powers Act (IEEPA) to impose tariffs.
• Massive scope: Over $166 billion in overturned duties are involved in the refund process.
• Reprocessing underway: More than 8.3 million accepted entries have been reprocessed to remove IEEPA duties.
• 1,880 stuck refunds: Some payments haven’t reached Treasury because importers failed to provide bank account information.
• Phase limits: The first phase cannot accept claims for more than a third of the import entries involved.
• Earlier than expected: Some of the first refund requests reached importers early last week, ahead of schedule.

The Trump administration is processing over $35.5 billion in tariff refunds to importers following a Supreme Court ruling that deemed the president’s tariff policy unlawful, according to a court filing on Tuesday.

The payments are being handled through a government online portal and will include interest on duties paid across more than 8 million import entries, said Brandon Lord, executive director of trade programs for Customs and Border Protection’s Office of Trade.

As of Monday, the tool handling claims on the $166 billion in overturned duties had validated nearly 87,000 declarations, allowing the Treasury Department to issue payments to those importers. About 126,000 declarations had been received since the Consolidated Administration and Processing of Entries (CAPE) launched on April 20, Lord said.

Supreme Court’s Bombshell Ruling

The refund process began after the Supreme Court ruled on February 20 that President Donald Trump had unlawfully used the International Emergency Economic Powers Act (IEEPA) to impose tariffs on imported goods. The court’s 6-3 decision did not address refunds, leaving lower courts to resolve the matter.

More than 8.3 million accepted entries have been reprocessed to remove IEEPA duties. The filing noted that 1,880 consolidated refunds have not been sent to Treasury because importers had not provided bank account information.

Complications Lurk in the Process

CBP stated in earlier filings that the first phase cannot accept claims for more than a third of the import entries involved. The remaining entries involve more complicated circumstances, and Customs officials have not specified a timeline for additional phases of the refund program.

Payments for some of the first refund requests reached importers early last week — earlier than anticipated.