According to Reuters, truck manufacturer Oshkosh and toy maker Basic Fun are among the first companies to receive partial repayments. But as money starts to move, so does a more awkward question: whether importers keep the refunds, or pass them on to customers who ultimately absorbed the higher costs.
The refunds follow the US Supreme Court’s February ruling that tariffs imposed under the International Emergency Economic Powers Act, or IEEPA, were unlawful. The duties had been introduced during Donald Trump’s second administration and applied to a large volume of US imports.
Reuters reported, citing a court filing, that US Customs and Border Protection had completed processing refund calculations worth $35.46 billion, including interest, by 11 May 2026. The figure covers 8.3 million shipments, but represents only part of the total amount expected to be returned.
The wider refund programme could reach around $166 billion, according to court filings cited by Reuters. More than 330,000 importers paid the duties across roughly 53 million entries.
Oshkosh, which manufactures heavy trucks and specialist vehicles, confirmed to Reuters that it had begun receiving refunds, although it did not disclose the amount.
Basic Fun, a US toy company, said it had received $400,000 out of a total $7.4 million claim. Its chief executive, Jay Foreman, told Reuters that the company was still waiting for the majority of the refund.
Why customers may also want a share
The refund process is not only a customs issue. It also raises a commercial question across supply chains. The money is paid to the importer of record, or to the authorised party handling the customs process. But in many cases, tariff-related costs were passed on through higher prices, surcharges or adjusted supply contracts.
Reuters reports that some customers have already started asking importers whether they will receive part of the refund. That could leave companies facing difficult conversations if the business that receives the money is not the same party that ultimately carried the cost.
Refunds are not automatic, though. CBP has launched a new CAPE (Consolidated Administration and Processing of Entries) process inside the ACE customs system to manage claims. According to the guidance, the CAPE declaration lists the entries for which IEEPA duty refunds are requested. The agency says it does not require additional information with the declaration, but importers and brokers must still identify eligible entries and submit the request through the system.
Legal guidance from Weil notes that the first phase is “limited, time-sensitive, and not automatic”. Importers, or their customs brokers, must file a CAPE declaration through the ACE portal, and importers need electronic payment details set up in ACE to receive refunds.
Phase 1 mainly covers unliquidated entries and recently liquidated entries. More complex cases, including older or disputed entries, may need to be handled through later phases or separate customs procedures.
Brokers pulled into the process
For customs brokers and logistics providers, the process may generate both administrative work and client pressure. Reuters reported in April that CBP had built the refund mechanism to process payments for importers and brokers that paid the duties, with tens of thousands of importers already completing the steps needed to receive electronic refunds.
Industry guidance says importers must ensure that bank account details are registered for electronic payment, and that claims are filed accurately. Once accepted, some declarations cannot simply be amended, meaning omitted entries may require a separate filing.
CBP is expected to issue valid refunds electronically after review, although timing may depend on the type of entry and whether compliance issues arise.
