Customs and Border Protection (CBP) has announced that the Consolidated Administration and Processing of Entries (CAPE) system will enter Phase 1 on April 20, 2026. 

CAPE is the CBP-designed system aimed at helping importers receive their International Emergency Economic Powers Act tariff refunds. It is designed to consolidate the refund and return the money efficiently and effectively without having to contend with a case-by-case basis. 

This first phase is limited to unliquidated entries and entries within 80 days of liquidation, but is expected to expand that scope in the coming months. 

The details of Phase 1, as reported earlier in the month, can be found here. 

The official release can be found here. 

Importers are encouraged to take the following steps to prepare for the arrival of this system:

• Importers of Record (IORs) and authorized Customs brokers must have an established ACE Secure Data Portal account (ACE Portal account)
• Refund recipients must use the ACE Portal account to provide CBP with bank account information for refunds by registering for the CBP Automated Clearing House (ACH).
• IORs and authorized Customs brokers submit CAPE Declarations in the ACE Portal

For assistance in preparing for the launch of this service, you are encouraged to visit our CAPE Preparedness Service Site for the full breakdown of the information and services we provide to help with this process. 

To be kept abreast of the latest as it happens, you are encouraged to:

• Visit our Tariff Resource page
• Get in contact with our team at our tariff hotline at 1.888.908.6638
• Email us directly at tariffquestions@pcbglobaltrade.com 
• or subscribe to the Trading Post Newsletter