The Trump administration is opening an online claims system Monday morning to begin repaying businesses roughly $166 billion in tariffs that the Supreme Court invalidated earlier this year. U.S. Customs and Border Protection will operate the portal, opening at 8am Eastern Time for importers and customs brokers to request their money back.
The Supreme Court had ruled that the administration exceeded its constitutional authority when imposing the tariffs. CBP records show that over 330,000 importers paid tariffs on more than 53 million shipments. Once a claim is approved, the agency says refunds will take 60 to 90 days to process.
Companies will need to list the specific goods subject to tariffs as part of their application. The refund process is expected to eventually extend beyond importers themselves, potentially reaching consumers who absorbed tariff costs when purchasing goods from overseas suppliers.
More than 3,000 businesses have already filed lawsuits seeking their tariff money back. FedEx and Costco, among the largest companies involved, have indicated they may pass refunds along to their customers either directly or through reduced prices.
Business groups spent months pushing for a streamlined refund mechanism after the court ruling. The National Retail Federation called for a system that would allow companies to "reinvest in their operations, their employees and their customers." The U.S. Chamber of Commerce similarly urged the administration to process refunds swiftly, noting that the tariffs had hit smaller importers particularly hard.
Dan Anthony, director of We Pay the Tariffs, a business coalition opposing the tariff regime, said the duties forced many small firms to take loans, freeze hiring, and cancel expansion plans. He predicted that refunds would allow those businesses to reverse course.
The refund announcement represents only the opening stage of what officials acknowledge will be a complex procedure. The administration has not clarified whether the process will be fully automated or require individual business verification for each shipment.
Author James Rodriguez: "A $166 billion refund system is meaningless if the portal bogs down in red tape or processing delays stretch beyond the stated 60 to 90 days."
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