Trump tariff refund claims top $85 billion in a month

2026-05-27

CBP publishes progress report

On Trump tariffs, for which refund procedures began in April, the U.S. Customs and Border Protection said the total value of refund claims received over the past month exceeded $85 billion, including interest. That was disclosed in a report CBP submitted to the U.S. Court of International Trade on the 26th.

The U.S. government began accepting refund claims on April 20. According to the government, total refunds amount to $166 billion excluding interest, meaning nearly half the refunds had been approved in a month. Of the $85 billion, $20.6 billion has moved to the stage of remittance from the Treasury Department to importers.

Big firms concentrated, dedicated system

Two factors helped the procedures move quickly over a short period. One was the dedicated system called CAPE, which CBP launched in a month and a half after the Supreme Court ruled the tariffs unconstitutional. Importers only need to upload a CSV file listing the transactions for which they are seeking refunds, and the system automatically calculates the refund amount. At present, the system is operating largely smoothly, according to the report.

The other is that refund recipients appear to be concentrated among large companies. There are 330,000 importers subject to the refunds, but CBP said 56,000, mainly large firms, account for more than 80% of the amount.

The Big Three of General Motors, Ford Motor and Stellantis have begun booking expected refund amounts as profit. According to CNBC, retail giant Walmart and Apple have also indicated they intend to receive refunds.

Rejections and holds remain

However, challenges remain in the process. While accepted claims have surged, a substantial number of cases are also being rejected by the system.

As of the 22nd, refund claims related to 3.48 million import transactions had been rejected by the system, CBP said. The main reasons were cases in which too much time had passed since the tariff payment amount was finalized, and clerical errors in the documentation.

Even after refund payments were decided, more than 4,000 cases were held by the Treasury Department because electronic transfer procedures had not been completed.

Most of the 330,000 eligible companies are believed to be small and midsize importers unfamiliar with customs procedures. A key focus will be whether the U.S. government can work with private industry groups and others to build a support structure that can help refunds proceed smoothly.

Enjoyed this article? Share it with your network!