CAPE Refund Checklist:
Are You Ready to Receive Your IEEPA Tariff Refund?
CBP’s CAPE refund portal launched April 20, 2026, Phase 2 launched June 29, 2026, and Phase 3 for qualifying finally liquidated entries filed by CIT plaintiffs is scheduled to launch October 6, 2026. If you have not yet filed your CAPE Declaration, the steps below will help you confirm that the key requirements are in place.
Importers who have not completed ACE portal setup and ACH bank enrollment may have their refunds placed in reject status. As of September 11, 2026, 20,184 refunds totaling approximately $1.3 billion had not been transmitted to Treasury because ACH bank account information was missing.
This checklist covers 16 actions across four sections: ACE portal access, ACH electronic refund enrollment, actions for liquidated entries, and entry-record preparation for your CAPE CSV file. Check off each item as you complete it and your progress will update automatically.
ACH warning: approximately $1.3 billion in refunds currently held due to missing ACH information. As of September 11, 2026, 20,184 refunds totaling approximately $1.3 billion have not been transmitted to Treasury because ACH bank account information is missing. CAPE Phase 1 and Phase 2 are both live. If you have not enrolled your bank account in ACE under the ACH Refund Authorization tab, your refund is being held right now. Post Summary Corrections for IEEPA refunds are prohibited. Phase 3 launches October 6, 2026 for CIT plaintiffs who submitted a valid IOR number to CBP by July 30, 2026. Plaintiffs who submitted after July 30 will receive separate instructions from CBP.
You are CAPE-ready
Every item is complete. Log into ACE at ace.cbp.gov, click the More tab, select CAPE, go to File Uploads, click Upload, download the template, enter your entry numbers, save as CSV, and submit your declaration. Phase 1 and Phase 2 are both live now.
