CAPE Refund Checklist:
Are You Ready to Receive Your IEEPA Tariff Refund?
CBP’s CAPE refund portal is the system that will process the $166 billion in IEEPA tariff refunds and it is expected to open around mid-April 2026. When it does, importers who have not completed their ACE portal setup and ACH bank enrollment will have their refunds placed in reject status until the account is corrected. Right now, fewer than 10% of eligible importers have completed these steps. This CAPE readiness checklist covers all 16 actions importers need to complete before the portal opens, organized by urgency across four sections: ACE portal access, ACH electronic refund enrollment, protective actions for liquidated entries, and entry records compilation for the CAPE CSV file. Check off items as you complete them and your progress updates automatically.
As of March 26, 2026, 26,664 importers have completed ACH enrollment — covering 78% of entries and approximately $120 billion in IEEPA duties. CBP has confirmed that refunds sent to accounts without ACH enrollment will be placed in reject status and delayed indefinitely. If your company is not among those enrolled, completing Sections 1 and 2 below takes approximately 15 minutes and protects your place in line.
You are CAPE-ready
Every item is complete. When CBP opens the CAPE Claim Portal (expected mid-April 2026), you will be ready to upload your CSV file and submit your IEEPA refund declaration immediately.
