We are now just over one week into Phase 1 of the IEEPA tariff refund process, and new data from U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) provides the clearest picture yet of how the system is performing. And most importantly—CBP said the first round of refunds will be transmitted on May 11! So get your entries filed ASAP.

1. The System Is Live—and Handling Volume

CBP confirmed that the CAPE refund system officially launched on April 20, 2026, and immediately saw heavy use:

• ACE logins increased by ~70% over previous records
• The system has remained stable and operational, with only a brief 18-minute pause on launch day to optimize performance

Bottom line: The infrastructure is working, even under significant demand.

2. Submissions Are Flowing—But Not All Are Accepted

As of April 26:

• 75,306 CAPE declarations submitted
• 47,315 declarations passed initial (file-level) validation

That means a substantial portion of submissions are still being rejected at the file level—reinforcing the importance of getting formatting and data exactly right.

3. Entry-Level Results Show Further Filtering

Even after passing file validation, entries are being screened again:

• 11.2 million entries accepted for refund processing
• 2.1 million entries rejected at the entry-validation stage

Key takeaway: Passing the initial upload does not guarantee acceptance—each entry is reviewed individually.

4. Refunds Are Already Moving Into Processing

Of the accepted entries:

• ~1.74 million entries have already been liquidated and are in the refund pipeline

This is a critical milestone:
It confirms that the process is not just theoretical—refunds are actively moving toward payment.

5. What This Means for Importers

• The system is working largely as intended
• High rejection rates mean accuracy is essential (both at file and entry level)
• A meaningful volume of claims is already progressing toward payment
• We are transitioning from submission phase → processing phase

6. Big Picture

After just one week:

• Millions of entries are already in the pipeline
• The government has demonstrated it can process claims at scale
• The first refunds are no longer hypothetical—they are  scheduled for May 11th

This is significant progress, especially given the size and complexity of the program.

7. What’s Next

We are continuing to work with the Court and CBP on:

• Improving clarity around rejections and error codes
• Expanding eligibility in Phase 2 (including currently excluded entries like reconciliation)
• Increasing visibility into timing and payment tracking

If you’re filing now:
Focus on accuracy, monitor your submissions closely, and expect iteration—this is a functioning system, but still evolving.