May Newsletter | CAPE Platform Live, ACH Payments Required, CBP Enforcement Up

TOP NEWS: 

CAPE Is Live: File Your IEEPA Refund Claim Now

As of April 20, 2026, CBP has launched the CAPE platform for Importers of Record (IORs) to submit IEEPA refund requests. Refunds will be issued in phases. Phase One, active now, covers recent and still-open entries, allowing CBP to process the most straightforward refund claims first. Later phases are expected to address older and fully closed entries as well as entries included on drawback claims. That guidance is still pending.

At this point, CBP estimates refunds will take 60–90 days to process and are expected to begin around May 11, 2026.

Only IEEPA tariffs invalidated by the Supreme Court are eligible. Other tariffs (e.g., Sections 122, 232, and 301) are not affected.

As CBP releases information on subsequent Phases to the refund process, we will be sure to relay the details of that communication. Not sure if your entries qualify? Let ITM take a look.

OTHER TARIFF NEWS: 

Your Drawback Refund Won’t Come by Mail Anymore

In February 2026, CBP fully accelerated its transition to electronic-only refund drawback payments, primarily through ACH (Automated Clearing House) deposits linked to accounts managed in the Automated Commercial Environment (ACE).

CBP has effectively moved away from paper-based refund issuance. Paper checks are no longer the standard method for drawback or duty refunds and all payments are now issued electronically via ACH deposit. All importers must have valid banking information on file in ACE to receive funds.

The shift is part of CBP’s broader modernization of trade processing. Their goals include faster payment processing, reduced administrative errors, improved audit tracking and transparency, stronger fraud controls and system integration with ACE and CAPE platforms. In short, CBP is moving toward a fully digital trade refund ecosystem.  Questions about ACE account setup and drawback eligibility?  Visit our FAQs.

The Compliance Bar Just Got Higher. Here’s What CBP Expects Now

The direction that CBP is now taking seems to be clear. As they move away from emergency tariff authority (due to the disqualification of IEEPA tariffs), they are more definitively focused on statutory and security-based tariff regimes. They have already increased data-driven enforcement and are conducting more audits than ever before. With fully digitize trade refunds, entries, and drawback systems, there is a higher than ever compliance burden on importers and exporters. As CBP’s enforcement increases, importer must ensure acute reasonable care in classification and certify that all filings can face the higher than ever expectations for data accuracy. Learn more about avoiding Tariff Evasion.

ITM is paying very close attention to all of these developments and will continue to relay information as it becomes available.