U.S. Begins Tariff Refunds Worth $166 Billion

by Oh Suyon

Published 20 Apr.2026 16:33(KST)

The U.S. government will begin issuing refunds on April 20 (local time) for the reciprocal tariffs imposed under the Trump administration, which were ruled unlawful by the Supreme Court.

According to the Associated Press, U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) launched an online refund system on this day to return tariffs totaling approximately 166 billion dollars (about 244 trillion won).

A vessel arriving at a container terminal in New Jersey, USA. Photo by Reuters Yonhap News

Importers and customs brokers can apply for refunds through the online portal starting at 8 a.m. on the same day.

The refund process will proceed in phases, with recent tariff payments given priority. While CBP aims to provide refunds within 60 to 90 days after review, applications requiring manual review may experience delays.

Importers must register with CBP's electronic payment system to receive refunds. As of April 14, 56,497 importers had completed electronic registration, and the total amount to be refunded to them, including interest, is estimated at 127 billion dollars.

According to documents CBP submitted to the court, the number of importers eligible for refunds stands at 330,000, with over 53 million individual import transactions. The total amount of tariffs paid by these entities is 166 billion dollars.

While tariffs are typically borne by importers, some companies passed the cost on to consumers through price increases. Although the refunds will be made directly to the businesses that paid the tariffs, it is expected that some refunds will also reach consumers.

Delivery companies such as FedEx and UPS, which collected tariffs directly from consumers, announced that they plan to return the refunds to their customers as soon as they receive them.

Meanwhile, in February, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that the Trump administration's imposition of reciprocal tariffs under the International Emergency Economic Powers Act (IEEPA) was unlawful, finding that it infringed upon the authority of Congress.