The U.S. Government Is Refunding Up to $20 Billion in Tariffs

Tariff Reversal

The United States Government will begin accepting tariff refund applications by April 20, 2026. The U.S. Supreme Court declared Donald Trump’s tariffs illegal in February, effectively negating price hikes on imported goods.

The U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) agency announced that it will start processing the first phase of the refund program. President Donald Trump’s use of the International Emergency Economic Powers Act (IEEPA) resulted in the collection of about $170 billion in tariffs.

Not only did consumers feel the burn of this act, but so too did businesses, as Automotive News reports: About 3,000 businesses filed lawsuits seeking refunds from the IEEPA.

“Unconstitutional”

Back in February, the U.S. Supreme Court effectively struck down President Donald Trump’s import duties and taxes imposed under the IEEPA. The reversal was decided in February 2026. By that time, more than 53 million import entries that had those tariffs had already been affected.

The numbers are piling up. With over 53 million products affected, and $170 billion for refunds in the first phase alone, this could be one of the biggest repayments in U.S. Government history.

Several automakers, such as Volkswagen, reported massive losses and significant shifts in brand strategy going forward. Not only are foreign brands (also Korean brands like Hyundai and Kia), but also local brands like Buick, have noted a slide in sales, profitability, and the ability to simply sell cars at a competitive price. Of course, this is all on top of the gas crisis that all existing car owners are feeling right now.

The First Phase

The Consolidated Administration and Processing of Entries (CAPE) tool will be the vehicle with which the U.S. Customs and Border Protection will process applications for refunds. However, this tool will be limited to straightforward, recent import entries that were hit by the tariffs. More complicated cases will be handled on a later date.

The Court of International Trade has ordered the government to refund about $170 billion plus interest, paid to roughly 330,000 importers. “Phase 1 is limited to certain unliquidated entries and certain entries within 80 days of liquidation,” said the CBP in a statement on its website.

For the refunds, applications will be limited to the official importer-of-record or their customs broker. The filers must already have an account with the CBP’s Automated Commercial Environment, and importers must also have an enrolled back account in a separate ACE portal to receive the refund electronically.

While businesses with “simple” cases can receive the refund this way, more complex cases may have to wait a bit. For more complex cases, the CBP will roll out additional functionality in its system. Procedures are expected to roll out as soon as they’re ready. According to the report, more than 300,000 companies are believed to have paid IEEPA tariffs and are possibly eligible for refunds.

Refunds For Automakers and Suppliers

According to another report from Automotive News, the U.S. Auto industry can begin seeking refunds through CBP’s portal as well. Up to $20 billion in tariff payments were made to the U.S. Government.

Because of the tariffs, automakers saw a steep rise in prices for new vehicles and parts. This has led to little to no profits and even losses for the industry, as well as higher prices for consumers. Due to the relationship between suppliers and OEMs, the refund process could be more complicated. It might be a while before prices stabilize all the way down the supply chain and to the consumer. While we won’t see the immediate effect of this refund as consumers, at least it is on the way.

As for the timeline of refunds, there is no set calendar for now, Trump did declare, in response to the Supreme Court’s ruling, that refunds could “get litigated for the next two years.”