What is the CAPE program?
Quick answer
CAPE (Consolidated Administration and Processing of Entries) is CBP's electronic program for processing IEEPA tariff refund declarations. Importers who overpaid IEEPA tariffs submit CAPE declarations through the ACE portal. (Section 301 duties are not refundable through CAPE — that is a separate USTR-exclusion path.) Tariffi automates the data preparation; your licensed customs broker partner transmits the declaration under their ABI filer code.
Detailed Answer
CAPE stands for Consolidated Administration and Processing of Entries — CBP's electronic mechanism for processing IEEPA tariff refund declarations.
How CAPE works. When the federal government reduces or eliminates tariff rates retroactively, importers who already paid the higher rate are entitled to a refund of the difference. CAPE declarations are the formal vehicle for claiming that refund through CBP's ACE (Automated Commercial Environment) portal.
The program is large and live. Per CBP's June 2026 court filings, roughly $166B in IEEPA duties were collected, $94.9B has been accepted into CAPE for processing, more than $40B was disbursed by the end of June, and approximately $71B remains in CBP's refund pipeline. Phase 1 (live April 20, 2026) covers unliquidated entries and entries within about 80 days of liquidation; Phase 2 (live June 29, 2026, per CSMS #68340863) covers reconciliation-flagged entries; Phase 3 for finally liquidated entries is expected in late July 2026. Declarations are processed on a rolling basis — there is no single batch deadline, but each liquidated entry has its own 180-day protest window per 19 CFR § 174.12 that starts from the liquidation date.
What makes CAPE different from a traditional protest. Traditional CBP protests under 19 U.S.C. § 1514 require individual filings per entry, extensive documentation, and often legal representation. CAPE streamlines this into a standardized CSV-based declaration format that can cover multiple entries in a single filing, dramatically reducing preparation time and broker workload.
How Tariffi fits in. Tariffi is a data-preparation platform — not a customs broker. We parse your ES-003 entry-summary data, identify qualifying entries, calculate recovery amounts, and prepare the CAPE declaration CSV. A CBP-licensed customs broker partner reviews the prepared data, applies their professional judgment (including 10-digit HTSUS statistical-suffix determinations per CBP Ruling HQ H350722), and transmits via their ABI filer code. This architecture complies with 19 U.S.C. § 1641 and CBP Ruling HQ H326926.
Learn more in our CAPE declaration guide.
Related Questions
How do I get a tariff refund?
Upload your ACE ES-003 entry-summary CSV to Tariffi. Our platform analyzes your entries for IEEPA overpayments (recovered through CAPE) and Section 301 overpayments (recovered separately via USTR exclusions), prepares the filing data, and routes it to a CBP-licensed customs broker partner who files under their own license. No advance fees — you pay a contingency only when CBP approves your refund.
What is the deadline for CAPE Phase 1?
CAPE Phase 1 does not have a single batch deadline. Each entry has its own 180-day protest window per 19 CFR § 174.12 starting from the liquidation date. Entries that have already passed this window may still qualify through a protective CIT filing. File sooner to capture more entries before their individual windows close.
What is the difference between IEEPA and Section 301?
IEEPA tariffs are imposed under the International Emergency Economic Powers Act during declared national emergencies. Section 301 tariffs are imposed under the Trade Act of 1974 to counter unfair trade practices, primarily targeting Chinese imports across four tranches. They recover differently: IEEPA through CBP's CAPE portal, Section 301 through the separate USTR-exclusion path (PSC or § 1514 protest). Tariffi handles both.
Can I file a CAPE declaration myself?
Technically yes, if you have ACE portal access and a licensed customs broker willing to file. However, preparing the declaration data requires cross-referencing entry-level HTS codes against the CAPE-eligible tariff schedule, calculating duty differentials, and formatting to CBP's specifications. Tariffi automates this and includes broker filing at no extra cost.
Need help?
Upload your ES-003 to see how much you could recover, or talk to our team.