Atlanta-based United Parcel Service is trying to claw back a huge chunk of money it once helped send to Washington, saying Tuesday it has started filing for refunds on more than $5 billion in tariffs it remitted under last year’s IEEPA orders. The effort follows a Supreme Court ruling that struck down those emergency tariffs and the rollout of a new federal portal built to handle a tidal wave of refund claims. UPS says it is filing on behalf of customers where it served as importer of record and plans to pass any money it recovers back to the original payors.
On the company’s April 28 earnings call, CEO Carol Tomé told investors that UPS processed roughly 16 million entries and "remitted over $5 billion" to the U.S. Treasury, and that the carrier had already started submitting refund requests through Customs’ new system. Tomé said the filing began on April 20 and that the first batch covered about 2.5 million entries, representing just under $500 million in duties, as reported by Motley Fool.
How the refund portal works
Customs and Border Protection launched the Consolidated Administration and Processing of Entries (CAPE) portal on April 20 to let importers and authorized brokers submit batch refund claims tied to the IEEPA ruling, as detailed by Ars Technica. The tool is rolling out in phases and initially covers entries finalized in an 80‑day window. UPS says it will request refunds for shipments where it was the importer of record but cannot issue refunds to payors until CBP actually returns the money, according to UPS.
Who stands to get money back
Court filings and agency estimates put the exposure at roughly $166 billion paid by more than 330,000 importers across some 53 million entries, so the sums at stake stretch far beyond a few shipping giants, per AP. Carriers and large retailers are already moving to recover money, and some customers and states have filed suits seeking refunds, as reported by CBS News. The result could be a patchwork of direct refunds, credits and legal claims that varies by importer and industry.
Legal and next steps
The Court of International Trade has ordered CBP to reliquidate entries and return overpayments, but trade lawyers say the administrative and litigation path is likely to be messy and slow. Treasury officials and advisers have warned recoveries could take months or longer, and businesses are being urged to reconcile records, enroll in the ACE portal and confirm banking details before filing. Tomé also told investors that CBP’s approach is "not going first‑in, first‑out, but actually last in," as recorded in the earnings transcript. For more on the court orders and operational guidance, see PwC.
The initial report appeared in the Atlanta Business Chronicle, which laid out UPS’s comments and the scale of the carrier’s exposure, as reported by Atlanta Business Chronicle. UPS says it will return any recoveries to payors as soon as CBP disburses funds.
