Many importers have contacted TERRA reporting that U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) shows their IEEPA refund as having been processed, but no money has appeared in their bank account.
In many cases, the refund has not been lost. Instead, it may have been sent to a customs broker, express carrier, or other third party authorized to receive refunds on the importer’s behalf. In other cases, the refund may be delayed because of invalid ACH banking information.
If you filed for refunds when the CAPE portal first opened and still have not received any refund payments, here are several things you should check.
First: Don’t Assume the Refund Was Sent Directly to You
Many importers understandably assume that because they paid the duties, the refund will automatically be sent directly to them. That is not always the case.
Depending on how the shipment was entered, CBP may send refunds to:
- The Importer of Record (IOR);
- A customs broker;
- FedEx, UPS, DHL, or another express carrier; or
- Another party authorized to receive refunds on the importer’s behalf.
As a result, a refund showing as “processed” by CBP does not necessarily mean that the funds should already appear in your bank account.
Step 1: Determine Who Was Listed as the Importer of Record
The first step is determining who CBP recognized as the Importer of Record.
Review Your CBP Form 7501 (Entry Summary)
Look for the “Importer Number” on the entry summary.
- If your company’s EIN or importer number appears, you were likely the Importer of Record.
- If the importer number belongs to FedEx, UPS, DHL, or another intermediary, the carrier or intermediary may have served as the Importer of Record.
Importers with ACE access can also review their entry records directly.
If you do not have access to these documents, contact your customs broker, freight forwarder, or carrier and ask them to confirm who was listed as the Importer of Record on the entry.
Step 2: Determine Whether You Authorized Someone Else to Receive Refunds
Even if your company was the Importer of Record, refunds may still be routed to another party.
Many importers have previously signed CBP Form 4811 or other authorizations permitting a customs broker, carrier, or intermediary to receive refunds on their behalf.
If such an authorization remains in effect, CBP may send refunds to that third party rather than directly to your company.
If you are uncertain whether you previously authorized another party to receive refunds, contact your broker or carrier and ask whether any refund designation or authorization exists for your account.
Step 3: Check Whether Your Carrier Has Already Received the Refund
FedEx recently announced that it has already begun receiving refunds from the U.S. Treasury for certain entries and expects to begin customer disbursements on or about August 10, 2026. FedEx also plans to launch a customer portal by July 10, 2026, allowing customers to verify whether FedEx has received refunds for particular shipments.
UPS and DHL have likewise published guidance explaining how refunds will be handled for shipments in which they served as the importer or otherwise received refunds on behalf of customers.
If CBP shows that your refund has been processed but you have not received payment, contact your broker or carrier before assuming that the refund has been delayed or lost.
Important: Verify Your ACH Banking Information
Another increasingly common problem involves invalid ACH information.
CBP has indicated that over 5000 refunds have been approved and processed but cannot be transmitted because the ACH banking information on file is invalid.
Even when importers enter the correct information, problems can sometimes occur for reasons outside the importer’s control, including:
- Bank routing or account verification failures;
- Banks rejecting incoming ACH transactions;
- Technical processing errors; or
- Incorrect or corrupted banking information.
If you submitted refund requests when the CAPE portal first opened and have not received any refund payments at all, TERRA strongly recommends that you immediately:
- Review your ACH banking information in the CAPE portal;
- Confirm that your account and routing numbers are correct; and
- Contact your financial institution to verify that it is able to receive ACH payments from the U.S. Treasury.
CBP has indicated that affected importers should receive notifications regarding ACH problems, but some importers report that they have not yet received any notice. If you have not received any refunds despite early filing, it is worth checking now.
Carrier Resources
Additional information is available from the major express carriers:
- FedEx Tariff Refund FAQs: https://www.fedex.com/en-us/shipping/international/us-tariffs-impact.html#supreme-court-decision-faqs
- UPS Tariff Refund Guidance: https://www.ups.com/us/en/shipping/international-shipping/tariffs/tariff-refunds
- DHL U.S. Tariff Information: https://www.dhl.com/global-en/microsites-2-0/core/us-tariffs.html