Tariffi vs. Doing Nothing
There is no single CAPE deadline — but every entry runs on its own clock. Once an entry liquidates, roughly 80 days of easy CAPE eligibility and a 180-day protest window start counting down.
Key differences at a glance
| Factor | Tariffi | Not Filing |
|---|---|---|
| Recover overpaid duties | Recover overpaid duties | leave money on the table |
| Per-entry clocks (≈80 | Per-entry clocks (≈80 days post-liquidation for CAPE; 180-day protest window) | letting them expire entry by entry |
| Zero risk (contingency | Zero risk (contingency fee) | harder, costlier recovery later |
| day processing | 60-90 day processing | never recovering the money |
Tariffi advantages
- Recover money you've already paid — it's your refund
- Zero advance fees: if CBP denies, you owe nothing
- Every liquidated entry starts its own countdown — filing now captures entries at the simplest tier before their windows close
- Takes 15 minutes to upload your ES-003 and start
Not Filing advantages
- No effort required
- No third-party access to your customs data
The bottom line
If you paid IEEPA reciprocal tariffs on qualifying entries, waiting quietly shrinks your claim entry by entry. There is no single statutory CAPE deadline, but each entry has its own clocks: CAPE's simplest path covers unliquidated entries and entries within about 80 days of liquidation, and the § 1514 protest window closes 180 days after liquidation. Tariffi charges zero advance fees — there is no financial risk to filing. The only cost of doing nothing is the recovery that gets harder, and eventually unavailable, as each entry's windows expire.
See your estimated refund
Use our free calculator or upload your ES-003 for a precise analysis.