U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) has officially launched the CAPE Claims Portal, enabling importers and customs brokers to submit refund requests for IEEPA tariffs. As of April 20, 2026, the portal is live and accepting CAPE Declarations. These declarations serve as the path to request refunds for previously paid IEEPA tariffs.
If Laufer Group filed U.S. Customs entries on your behalf, please contact your Laufer team to discuss moving ahead with your CAPE Declaration. We can support you through the entire process—pulling Automated Commercial Environment (ACE) data, preparing, and submitting your declaration through the CAPE Portal, and providing detailed analysis of errors and rejections, and identifying additional actions which should be taken.
There is no formal deadline to submit CAPE Phase 1 claims. However, as entries continue to liquidate and Phase 1 eligibility windows close, it is advisable to file your Phase 1 declaration as soon as possible. Doing so will help maximize the number of entries included, rather than deferring them to later phases.
We have begun successfully filing CAPE Claims and look forward to helping our customers recover the IEEPA tariffs they have paid.
Please find some additional information on CAPE below. You may also reference our previous client alert on the topic for more detail HERE.
What is the CAPE Claims Portal?
The CAPE Claim Portal within ACE is the entry point for importers and customs brokers to submit IEEPA refund requests, referred to as “CAPE Declarations.”
The four components of CAPE are:
- Claim Portal
- Mass Processing
- Review and Liquidation/Reliquidation
- Refund
CBP Trade Information Notice with additional information and resources can be found HERE.
What Refund Requests can be Submitted in Phase 1?
Entries which can be submitted for refund processing in Phase 1 include formal US Customs entries (type 01) which are unliquidated or have liquidated in the 80 days prior to submission filing in the CAPE Portal.
Factors which will exclude an entry from Phase 1 contain any of the following:
- Flagged for Reconciliation (type 09 entry)
- A Drawback entry (type 47 entry)
- USMCA Duty Deferral entry (type 08 entry)
- Entry with an Open or Suspended Protest
- “Open” or “closed” liquidation status (i.e. Temporary Importation under Bond entry)
- AD/CVD entry summary in pending liquidation status
- Entry is more than 80 days past the liquidation date.
- Goods value amount not allowed on IEEPA HTS line.
Qualifying entry numbers must be included in a CSV file which is uploaded and submitted in the CAPE tab within ACE.
After a CAPE Declaration is accepted, a CAPE Claim Number is assigned to the submission. These entries will liquidate (or reliquidate) 45 days from the date the CAPE claim number is assigned, except in cases where liquidation is ‘under review’, ‘suspended’, or ‘extended’, or for warehouse and warehouse withdrawal entries. In those situations, liquidation will proceed according to the standard process and timeline.
CBP has provided a Quick Reference Guide on the CAPE filing process, which can be found HERE
When Will Refunds Be Issued?
IEEPA refunds will be issued 60 - 90 days following acceptance of a CAPE Declaration, unless a compliance concern requires further CBP review. This time frame includes 45 days for CBP review, prior to liquidation, plus additional time to process the refund through Treasury.
It is important to remember that refunds will only be issued via ACH. No paper checks will be sent. Every importer who expects to receive money back from CBP must enroll in ACH Refund within their ACE Portal account.
Who Can Complete CAPE Declarations?
The Importer of Record can file their own declarations directly through the CAPE tab in their ACE Portal Account or the Customs Broker who originally filed the entry on behalf the importer can submit a CAPE Declaration on that importer’s behalf.
The Laufer Group team will continue to monitor these changes and provide updates on any significant developments.
Please contact your local customer service or sales representative for additional information and service options and continue to visit laufer.com for more market Insights.