Posting this at 2 AM because CBP opens CAPE Phase 2 on Monday and most small business owners I know have no idea this is happening to them.

Quick context. The Supreme Court struck down the IEEPA tariffs that were charged in 2024-2025. CBP opened the CAPE refund portal in ACE. FedEx confirmed they start mailing refund checks to customers in August. There is about $166 billion sitting at CBP that belongs to roughly 330,000 importers.

Here is what nobody is telling small businesses.

The refund goes to whoever is listed as Importer of Record on the 7501 customs form. Not whoever paid the duty bill. Not whoever owns the business. Whoever is in Box 26.

If you imported anything through FedEx or UPS and you did not set up your own ACE account before the shipment cleared, there is a strong chance FedEx, UPS, or their broker put themselves as Importer of Record. That means the refund check is being mailed to them, not you.

Two-minute check anyone can do tonight:

1. Log into your FedEx or UPS billing portal
2. Pull any entry summary (7501) from a shipment with tariffs in 2024 or 2025
3. Look at Box 26 — Importer of Record name and number
4. If it is not your business name and your EIN, you have a problem

What to do this week:

• Call your broker and ask them to file a Post-Summary Correction (PSC) putting YOU as the Importer of Record, before liquidation
• If the entry already liquidated, you have 180 days from the liquidation date to file a protest
• Set up your own ACE account at the CBP ACE portal so this never happens again

CAPE Phase 2 opens Monday June 29 for reconciliation-flagged entries. If you imported in Q4 2024 or Q1 2025, this is the week to pull your invoices.

Happy to answer any questions in comments. I am not a customs broker. I am a small business owner who got tired of watching other small business owners lose refund money that was theirs.