Court Orders Refunds of Billions in Tariffs

By Rob Bates | March 05, 2026

If you paid a tariff in the past year, you may be getting your money back. It just may take a while.

On Wednesday, a judge at the U.S. Court of International Trade ordered Customs and Border Protection to refund all tariffs imposed by the Trump administration under the International Emergency Economic Powers Act (IEEPA). The mandate came in response to the Supreme Court’s Feb. 20 decision that invalidated all IEEPA tariffs. The possible refunds are estimated at $175 billion.

The administration is expected to appeal the trade court’s ruling. On Monday, a federal court denied a Justice Department attempt to slow down the refund process.

“There’s nothing happening yet,” Sara Yood, president and CEO of Jewelers Vigilance Committee, tells JCK. “We just have to wait and watch what happens in the appeals process.

“The good news is that the Court of International Trade was very clear in saying that importers are entitled to the relief given by the Supreme Court decision,” she says. “They clearly want to make the refund process possible, but now the question is: How will that go, and how long will that take?”

In a bulletin sent out today, JVC recommended the following actions for industry members that paid tariffs:

– “Importers who have not yet done so should establish an Automated Commercial Environment (ACE) account as soon as possible and ensure that they are registered for ACH [Automated Clearing House] refunds.” Customs has indicated that tariffs would be refunded electronically through ACH, with limited exceptions.

– “Gather all documentation for tariffs paid, including proof of payment, HTS codes, and detailed calculations of all IEEPA duties paid.”

– “Stay in close touch with [your] customs brokers and trade counsel to ensure that previously paid tariffs are processed correctly for refunds.”

Refunds would not apply to the current 10% global tariff, which Trump imposed after the Supreme Court ruling and is set to expire on July 24. On Wednesday, Treasury secretary Scott Bessent told CNBC he expected that rate would increase to 15% “sometime this week.”

According to CNN, this wouldn’t be the first time the government has issued tariff refunds. In 1998, it returned $730 million to companies, also following a Supreme Court decision. The entire process took two years.

(Top: from Getty Images)