The Trump administration has calculated approximately $166 billion in refunds owed from reciprocal tariffs that the US Supreme Court ruled unlawful on May 20.
Brandon Lord, Executive Director of Trade Policy and Programs at US Customs and Border Protection (CBP), stated in documents filed with the US Court of International Trade (USCIT) on Friday that the agency will establish a new simplified system within 45 days to process refunds for reciprocal tariffs imposed under the International Emergency Economic Powers Act (IEEPA), which the Supreme Court deemed illegal.
"We will require minimal documentation from importers," Lord said.
The move follows a ruling on Wednesday by USCIT Senior Judge Richard Eaton that all importers who paid tariffs under IEEPA are eligible for refunds following the Supreme Court's invalidation decision. The USCIT has been conducting hearings on the matter after the Supreme Court ruled that imposing reciprocal tariffs under IEEPA exceeded presidential authority but did not specify refund procedures.
As of Wednesday, approximately 330,000 importers had filed more than 53 million entry declarations, Lord said. The total tariff payments subject to refunds amount to $166 billion, he added.
This figure aligns closely with analysis from the University of Pennsylvania's Penn-Wharton Budget Model (PWBM), which estimated refund claims at $175 billion immediately following the Supreme Court ruling.
