CBP Outlines ACE IEEPA Refund Programming Progress to CIT Judge Eaton

U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) has revealed details about building a new ACE capability—CAPE (Consolidated Administration and Processing of Entries)—to process the IEEPA duty refunds. Development is ongoing; CBP will issue instructions and guidance before it comes online.

Development Status (as of March 12, 2026)

Claim Portal: 70%
Mass Processing: 40%
Review & Liquidation/Reliquidation: 80% (liquidations Mon–Thu)
Refund: 60% (integration/performance testing continues)

CBP will release detailed guidance as each phase is implemented.

What CAPE Will Do

CAPE will be the ACE portal path for IEEPA refund submissions (called “CAPE Declarations”) and will include:

Claim Portal (A web-based submission platform)
Mass Processing (Mass automated removal of IEEPA tariffs and recalculations of duties)
Review & Liquidation/Reliquidation (CBP will review and schedule re-liquidations as CAPE declarations are made)
Refund (Processing of refunds within the new ACE ACH framework)

Phase 1 Scope (Initial Coverage)

Expected to include most formal and informal entries with IEEPA duties, excluding:

Unliquidated AD/CVD entries
Entries in ACE status “Suspended,” “Extended,” or “Under Review”
Warehouse withdrawals
Entries on drawback claims
Other complex entry types to be clarified by CBP

Protests

CBP has not issued definitive guidance on how protests will interact with CAPE. Importers should evaluate their own circumstances, liquidation dates and consult their legal counsel for further guidance. We will provide updates promptly when CBP provides instructions.

For assistance or questions, please contact your Janel Group representative. We are here to support you through these changes.