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CBP Duty Refund in ACE to Take 60-90 Days

[ April 17, 2026   //   ]

U.S. Customs and Border Protection will roll out a new system this month to streamline refunds of duties imposed under the International Emergency Economic Powers Act, as importers seek clarity following recent court rulings and heightened enforcement activity.

The agency said it will launch the first phase of its Consolidated Administration and Processing of Entries (CAPE) functionality on April 20 within the Automated Commercial Environment (ACE). The system is designed to consolidate duty refunds, including interest, rather than processing them on an entry-by-entry basis.

Phase 1 will apply to a limited set of unliquidated entries and entries within 80 days of liquidation, with additional functionality planned in later phases to address more complex scenarios.

Under the new process, importers of record and authorized customs brokers will submit refund requests through the ACE Secure Data Portal using standardized CSV files listing eligible entries. The system will not require additional documentation at the submission stage, marking a shift toward a more streamlined, bulk-processing approach.

Once accepted, CAPE will automatically adjust entry summaries by removing applicable IEEPA duty provisions. CBP will then review and liquidate or reliquidate entries, issuing consolidated refunds to importers or designated parties. The agency said most refunds are expected within 60 to 90 days, barring compliance reviews or extended entries.

The move comes as importers and trade professionals continue to navigate evolving regulatory and legal developments tied to IEEPA-related duties, including recent court actions that have opened the door to broader refund eligibility in certain cases.

Industry groups have in recent days highlighted the operational burden of managing large volumes of individual refund claims under existing processes, particularly for importers with high transaction counts. The CAPE system is intended to reduce administrative complexity and improve processing efficiency.

However, CBP noted that certain entries – such as those under suspension, extension or warehouse status – will retain their existing liquidation timelines, with refunds issued upon final disposition.

The agency also emphasized that only the importer of record or the authorized broker that filed the original entry may submit CAPE declarations, and that users must have an active ACE portal account and provide banking details to receive refunds electronically.

The phased rollout reflects CBP’s broader effort to modernize trade processing within ACE while responding to increased demand for faster resolution of duty disputes tied to geopolitical and regulatory actions.

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