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The U.S. Department of the Treasury will cease issuing paper checks for all U.S. Customs and Border Protection ("CBP") refunds starting on February 6, 2026 according to an Interim Final Rule. A recipient may continue to receive paper checks provided that they have an approved waiver in place in accordance with 31 C.F.R. § 208. Individuals and firms seeking refunds for IEEPA tariffs are unlikely to fall under one of the specific cases provided for in 31 C.F.R. § 208.4(a). Therefore, importers seeking possible refunds of IEEPA tariffs in the event that the Supreme Court finds such tariffs unlawful should ensure that Automated Clearing House ("ACH") refunds are authorized in the Automated Commercial Environment ("ACE") Portal.
ACH Refund is available to anyone who has a federally assigned taxpayer identification number, Social Security number, or CBP's assigned number, and a U.S. bank account with U.S. bank routing number. Trade users can use the new ACH refund authorization tool in ACE to complete this process using the one-page guide provided by CBP.
The basic steps to ensure proper ACH refund receipt are as follows.
- Log in to your ACE Portal top account as TAO or as an authorized Proxy TAO or Trade Account User.
- Navigate to the importer sub-account view and locate the ACH Refund Authorization tab.
- View, add, and update U.S. bank information for receiving refunds
For more information on authorizing ACH refunds and other questions regarding ACE Portal functionality, please feel free to reach out to Crowell & Moring for assistance.
The content of this article is intended to provide a general guide to the subject matter. Specialist advice should be sought about your specific circumstances.
