CAPE to Launch April 20th

Written By Tyler Forrest

In just 10 days, importers will have the first look at the potental IEEPA refund process. US CBP has just announced that the CAPE program, developed to handle the IEEPA refunds will launch within the ACE Portal on April 20th in its first, limited version. This version is expected to handle the first string of simple refund validation and approval, with more complex processing ability coming a short time later. Below is the US CBP internal message transmitted today:

CSMS # 68315804 - Introduction - Consolidated Administration and Processing of Entries (CAPE) for IEEPA Refunds, April 20, 2026 Deployment

On April 20, 2026, U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) will launch the first phase of the Consolidated Administration and Processing of Entries (CAPE) tool in the Automated Commercial Environment Secure Data Portal (ACE Portal). CAPE will simplify International Emergency Economic Powers Act (IEEPA) duty refund requests made pursuant to court order and in accordance with appropriate statutory authority by providing an electronic pathway to submit valid IEEPA duty refund claims.

CAPE is designed to consolidate refunds of IEEPA duties including interest rather than processing refunds on an entry-by-entry basis. CBP plans to implement CAPE through a phased development approach, adding more functionality in subsequent phases for more complicated scenarios. CAPE Phase 1 is limited to certain unliquidated entries and certain entries within 80 days of liquidation. 

Requesting refunds of IEEPA duties requires only the following summarized actions:

  • Importers of Record (IORs) and authorized Customs brokers have an established ACE Secure Data Portal account (ACE Portal account)

  • Refund recipients use the ACE Portal account to provide CBP with bank account information for refunds

  • IORs and authorized Customs brokers submit CAPE Declarations in the ACE Portal

The CAPE process starts with the filing of the CAPE Declaration in the ACE Portal by the IOR or the authorized broker who filed entries on behalf of the IOR. Once accepted, CBP will remove the IEEPA Harmonized Tariff Schedule number and recalculate the duties due without IEEPA, updating the entry to a new version. CBP will review the updated version of the entry and liquidate or reliquidate. Refunds will be consolidated by IOR or the party designated via CBP Form 4811 and liquidation date.

IORs and brokers who will be filing CAPE Declarations are encouraged to prepare for CAPE filing by ensuring that they have an ACE Portal account and that their bank account information for refunds has been added to their account. For additional information about ACE Portal access and ACH refunds visit the resources below: 

To learn more about CAPE functionality in ACE, please see the CAPE Information Notice. For more information on the CAPE filing process, please see the CAPE Refund Quick Reference Guide.

CBP will continue to issue messaging via the Cargo Systems Messaging Service (CSMS) to ensure the trade community is informed and prepared to utilize this new tool and as new enhancements are deployed.

Tyler Forrest
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Preparation for IEEPA Refunds