First refunds for invalidated IEEPA tariffs are expected around May 11

Monday, May 11, 2026U.S. PoliticsWell-covered3 frames

The first refund payments for tariffs imposed under IEEPA are expected to be issued on or about May 11.
The refunds follow a February Supreme Court ruling that found President Donald Trump’s use of IEEPA to impose the tariffs was unlawful.
The federal government is refunding duties through a Customs and Border Protection process called CAPE, and the online portal for claims went live on April 20.
The government is estimated to owe back about $166 billion in tariff duties to importers.
Judge Richard Eaton said about 21% of import entries subject to the IEEPA tariffs had been accepted for removal of duties through CAPE.
Court filings said about 3% of IEEPA entries had reached the refund stage, which includes payment by the U.S. Treasury.
Customs and Border Protection said about 15% of reviewed entries were denied for failing entry-specific validations, though importers can correct errors and refile.
Thousands of U.S. importers are seeking these refunds, so the pace and accuracy of the portal process will determine how quickly businesses recover money tied up in the invalidated tariffs.

How left and right are reading this

Both agree: Invalidated tariffs left thousands of importers waiting on a massive refund, and neither framing disputes that the real test now is whether the CAPE process can return money accurately enough to restore confidence and relieve businesses still carrying those costs.
They split on: Less a disagreement than a question of emphasis: the business harm of money still tied up after unlawful tariffs, versus the need for a rule-bound, correctable refund system that unwinds those tariffs in an orderly way.

The first refund payments for tariffs imposed under IEEPA are expected to be issued on or about May 11.
The refunds follow a February Supreme Court ruling that found President Donald Trump’s use of IEEPA to impose the tariffs was unlawful.
The federal government is refunding duties through a Customs and Border Protection process called CAPE, and the online portal for claims went live on April 20.
The government is estimated to owe back about $166 billion in tariff duties to importers.
Judge Richard Eaton said about 21% of import entries subject to the IEEPA tariffs had been accepted for removal of duties through CAPE.
Court filings said about 3% of IEEPA entries had reached the refund stage, which includes payment by the U.S. Treasury.
Customs and Border Protection said about 15% of reviewed entries were denied for failing entry-specific validations, though importers can correct errors and refile.
Thousands of U.S. importers are seeking these refunds, so the pace and accuracy of the portal process will determine how quickly businesses recover money tied up in the invalidated tariffs.