Your IEEPA Refund Is Coming. Need Cash Sooner?
IEEPA tariff refunds are processed by CBP within 60 to 90 days of CAPE Declaration acceptance. For businesses that paid significant tariffs and need liquidity now, several options exist. Understanding the full value of your refund before exploring any financing or advance option is the most important first step. Here is what you need to know.
File First. Explore Financing Second. Never the Reverse.
Some importers delay filing while they evaluate financing options. This is a costly mistake. Every day you delay, entries that currently qualify for Phase 1 continue aging toward the 80-day liquidation threshold. An entry that qualifies today may not qualify by the time you finish evaluating your options.
File your CAPE Declaration now. Your filing locks in your eligibility date and starts your 60 to 90 day payment clock. Exploring advance or financing options in parallel does not slow down your refund. Waiting to file while you explore those options can permanently reduce what you are eligible to claim.
What is a tariff refund advance?
How long does it take to receive my IEEPA refund without financing?
What discount do institutional buyers offer on claim purchases?
Does selling my refund claim affect my ability to file a CAPE Declaration?
Is self-filing really accessible for a small business without a customs broker?
Three Things to Know Before You Decide
Self-filing keeps 100% of your refund. Financing and claim sales trade a portion for speed. Here is how each option works.
Know What Your Refund Is Worth First
Before exploring any advance or financing option, calculate the full value of your IEEPA refund including statutory interest. Interest accrues from your original entry payment date at 7% annually for non-corporations and 6% for corporations, compounded quarterly under 19 U.S.C. 1505 and 26 U.S.C. 6621. For entries paid over a year ago, the interest component is significant. Use TariffGuru's free Federal Statutory Interest Calculator to get your number before any conversation with a buyer or lender.
File Your CAPE Declaration First
The best way to get paid is to file your CAPE Declaration correctly and wait 60 to 90 days. You keep 100% of your refund plus statutory interest. TariffGuru's free AI agent, free eligibility diagnostic, and $97 Federal Recovery Toolkit make self-filing accessible for most small and medium importers without customs counsel. If cash flow is a concern, file now and explore advance options in parallel rather than delaying your filing while you evaluate other options.
Advance and Claim Sale Options
For businesses that cannot wait 60 to 90 days, two options exist. Claim advance programs provide a loan or advance against your expected refund, repaid when CBP issues payment. Claim sales transfer your refund rights to an institutional buyer for immediate cash at a discount, typically 70 to 85 cents on the dollar. Both options have tradeoffs. An advance preserves your full refund value but adds repayment obligations. A sale provides immediate cash but you permanently give up a portion of your refund. TariffGuru can connect qualified importers with institutional buyers through the claim sale assessment at tariffguru.com.
Know Your Refund Value Before You Decide
Use these free tools to calculate your full refund value before evaluating any financing or advance option.
Five Things Every Importer Must Know
The five technical pillars of IEEPA refund eligibility. Know these before you file or evaluate any financing option based on your refund.
Read the Quick Guide
2. ACH Enrollment: U.S. bank account registered in the ACH Refund Authorization tab in ACE, separate from any duty payment account.
3. Entry Formatting: All entry numbers must be exactly 11 alphanumeric characters. One bad character rejects the line.
4. Interest Calculation: Statutory interest accrues from the original entry payment date at 7% annually (non-corp) or 6% (corp), compounded quarterly per 19 U.S.C. 1505.
5. Phase 1 Exclusions: Reconciliation entries, drawback entries, AD/CVD entries, open protest entries, and entries not filed in ACE are excluded from Phase 1.
Read the Full Filing Guide
CAPE Pre-Filing Eligibility Screener
Answer 6 questions and get an instant technical readiness assessment. Confirm your Phase 1 eligibility before evaluating any financing or advance option based on your expected refund.
Check My EligibilityQuestions About Your Refund Timing or Financing?
TariffGuru's free AI Recovery Agent can answer questions about the IEEPA refund payment timeline, claim valuation, and whether filing yourself or exploring advance options makes more financial sense for your business.
Get Free Guidance at TariffGuru.comFederal Statutory Interest Calculator
Know your full refund value including compounding statutory interest before you consider any advance or financing option. The number you calculate here is the baseline for any negotiation.
Use the Full Calculator BelowFederal Statutory Interest Calculator: IEEPA Tariff Refund Overpayment Rates
Statutory interest on IEEPA tariff refunds accrues from the date the original duties were paid through the date CBP issues your refund. This is a legal entitlement under federal statute.
The applicable rates confirmed in Federal Register Vol. 90 No. 186 and Federal Register Document 2026-01175: 7% annually for non-corporate importers, 6% annually for corporate importers, compounded quarterly.
Calculate your full refund value including interest before evaluating any financing or claim sale option. The total you calculate here is what you are giving up a percentage of when you sell or advance.
Source: 19 U.S.C. 1505 · 26 U.S.C. 6621 · Federal Register Vol. 90 No. 186 · Federal Register Document 2026-01175 · Revenue Ruling 2025-22
Estimate based on statutory rates per 19 U.S.C. 1505 and 26 U.S.C. 6621, compounded quarterly. Actual amounts depend on entry-level CBP data and the refund process established by the Court of International Trade.
File It Yourself and Keep 100%
For most businesses the math favors self-filing. TariffGuru.com provides everything you need to file correctly without a customs broker or attorney.
Federal Recovery Toolkit
- Master CAPE CSV template (CBP-compliant, pre-formatted)
- ACE portal data extraction guide
- CBP error dictionary: every rejection code explained
- HTS reference library for IEEPA-subject goods
- USITC duty handbook and HTS classification guide
- Supreme Court ruling analysis (Learning Resources v. Trump)
- Federal Register interest rate documentation
- 12-point pre-submission filing readiness checklist
- Phase 1 exclusion reference guide
Institutional Data Services
- Professional CAPE CSV data formatting at $1 per line
- $1,500 minimum, covers up to 1,500 entry lines
- $4,500 Institutional Data Audit, pre-submission error scan
- PDF Risk Report identifying rejection risks before filing
- Section 301 / IEEPA duty stacking analysis
- AD/CVD suspension review and Phase 2 preparation
- Full concierge with licensed customs practitioners available
Questions About Your Refund Timing or Financing?
TariffGuru's free AI Recovery Agent can answer questions about the IEEPA refund payment timeline, claim valuation, and whether filing yourself or exploring advance options makes more financial sense for your business.
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Stay Ahead of the Process
Court-sourced CAPE system analysis. Every article cites its source document.
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If your customs broker already submitted a CAPE Declaration listing your entry numbers, you cannot submit those same entries again. CBP flags duplicate entry numbers across declarations as "Rejected by batch validation," permanently removing them from your claim. Here is what to check before anyone files on your behalf.
Technical Guide, 2026 Phase 2The $2+ Billion in Frozen Tariff Refunds Nobody Is Explaining
Entries subject to AD/CVD suspension are explicitly excluded from Phase 1. Here is why, what statute governs it, and what importers should be doing now to prepare for Phase 2.
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