Some shipping providers have pledged to return tariff refunds to customers. When the Supreme Court struck down Donald Trump’s tariffs, many small importers assumed any refunds would be tied up in bureaucracy for years. Surprisingly, that’s not what’s happening.
Refunds Are Being Processed
It’s estimated that roughly 330,000 importers paid more than $166bn in tariff fees imposed by Trump under the International Emergency Economic Powers Act (IEEPA). If your business was affected, here’s good news: you can get your tariffs refunded. You just need to be a little patient.
That’s the advice from Melissa Alvarado Quisenberry, a vice-president at Michigan-based Supply Chain Solutions. Her company helps businesses manage freight forwarding, transportation, customs brokerage, warehousing, inventory and shipping operations. Over the past few weeks, ever since the federal government announced that there would be a tariff refund after all, Quisenberry’s company has been busy filing refund claims for many of her clients seeking to claw their money back.
The Refund Process
The process, which started in late April, is unsurprisingly not simple. But surprisingly, it’s working. Federal agencies have quietly put a workable refund process in place. To get your money, you need to work with the import firm that originally handled the paperwork and collected the fees. The government requires that your original customs broker, the “importer of record,” must be the one to apply for the refund. It cannot be any broker or consultant or fly-by-night firm, likely because the government learned from the pandemic-era Employee Retention Tax Credit debacle that spawned fraudulent refund claims.
Quisenberry acknowledged that being forced to use your original customs broker can create problems if your business is unhappy with that firm, for example if the broker is unresponsive or charging excessive fees. Switching brokers to get your tariff refund is not easy, if possible at all. “You can work with another broker in a consulting capacity, but your options for now are limited,” Quisenberry said.
Assuming all is well with your customs broker, they would file your refund request electronically through the custom agency’s Ace Secure Data Portal. The first phase is limited to shipments that were “liquidated” within the past 80 days, although some “unliquidated” shipments are also being processed. The government says importers or brokers must upload a Consolidated Administration and Processing for Entries Declaration digital file listing the entries eligible for refunds.
Timeline and Costs
Some glitches have been reported, but for the most part Quisenberry says things have been working “pretty well” and the process “appears to be more organized and operational than many of us expected.” She tells her clients to expect 60 to 90 days to see their money. Yes, there is a cost. Firms like hers are service providers, so there are fees involved. But for many businesses that were not expecting refunds, the cash is welcome.
One hidden cost is taxes. Many clients who paid tariffs took a legitimate tax deduction for the cost in 2025. Tariff refunds made in 2026 will be taxable, which needs consideration when estimating taxes due this year.
Shipping Providers and Big Brands
Recently, FedEx and UPS have pledged to return tariff refunds to customers. DHL is doing the same. Small-business owners who rely on these shippers should pay close attention to what they’re doing to make good on that pledge. Unfortunately, Amazon, Apple, Costco and other big brands are still silent on whether they will share their tariff refunds with customers.
Immediately after the Supreme Court ruling, I wrote that small businesses shouldn’t bother going after tariff refunds. I was wrong. The reality is that the refund process is up and running and seems to be running satisfactorily. The tariff debate is far from over. But for businesses willing to navigate the paperwork, this is one rare case where Washington’s bureaucracy may actually be working in their favor.
