U.S. launches $166 billion tariff refund portal with lengthy processing delays for businesses

U.S. Customs and Border Protection opened an online portal on Monday for importers to claim refunds on tariffs struck down by the Supreme Court in February, covering over $166 billion collected from approximately 330,000 businesses. Approved claims will not receive payments for 60 to 90 days, with refunds distributed in stages prioritizing recent tariff payments. By April 14, about 56,497 importers had registered for refunds totaling $127 billion including interest. The process requires detailed product declarations, and errors can lead to rejection of entire filings or individual line items, according to legal expert Meghann Supino of Ice Miller law firm. Smaller businesses like After Action Cigars of Rochester, Minnesota, which absorbed $34,000 in tariff costs, face cash flow challenges due to the slow refund timeline. The portal resulted from Supreme Court and federal court orders after the Trump administration resisted refunds, with Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent calling them "corporate welfare" and President Donald Trump labeling them an "undeserved windfall." Over 3,000 companies, including FedEx and Costco, have sued the administration to recover payments, with FedEx committing to pass refunds to customers. Separate class-action litigation aims to change the lack of legal obligation for businesses to share refunds downstream.