Your tariff refunds are arriving. Do they tie to what you paid?
After the Supreme Court ruled that IEEPA does not authorize tariffs, CBP started refunding duties and interest in phases. Getting the money is only half the job. We reconcile every refund to your entries and your ERP and book it the right way before you close 2026.
The refund is cash. The accounting is the hard part.
Refunds come in phases
CBP is paying in phases, by liquidation status, with interest. Matching each payment to the right entries and the right ledger account takes work most teams do not have time for.
Part of the tariff is still on your balance sheet
Duties already expensed and duties still capitalized in inventory are accounted for differently. Your refund needs the same split.
You may owe some of it back
If you passed tariffs on to customers, the refund can create an obligation to them. That needs to be assessed before you book the gain.
A clean, auditable refund file and the entries to book it
Built from your ACE reports, your broker's data and your ERP, so the numbers match all three.
Duties-paid baseline
Every entry with IEEPA duties, matched from ACE and your broker to the ledger: what you paid, when, and where it sits in your books.
Refund tie-out
Each CBP refund matched to its entries, with principal and interest separated and anything missing or short flagged for your broker.
Inventory and COGS split
How much of each refund relates to tariffs already in cost of sales and how much is still in inventory or fixed assets.
Customer pass-through review
Contracts and invoices where tariffs were passed on, with the potential customer refund obligation quantified.
Journal entries
Proposed entries in your ERP's import format (NetSuite, QuickBooks, Sage or Xero), plus a memo on the accounting policy applied.
Auditor package
Schedules, support and a short memo your auditor can test at year-end.
Two to three weeks from data to entries
- 01
Collect
You or your broker export the ACE entry and refund reports. We take a read-only extract from your ERP.
- 02
Match
We tie duties paid, refunds received and ledger balances together, entry by entry.
- 03
Book
We prepare the entries and the policy memo. A CPA reviews everything before you see it.
- 04
Close
You post the entries. Anything still outstanding goes to your broker with the exact entry list.
Companies that paid IEEPA duties
- Importers and wholesale distributors on NetSuite, QuickBooks, Sage or Xero
- Manufacturers with imported components capitalized in inventory
- Companies that added tariff surcharges to customer prices
- Finance teams facing a 2026 audit or lender review
What we do and don't do
- We reconcile and account for refunds. Claims are filed by you or your customs broker.
- We are not a customs broker or a law firm and do not give legal advice on eligibility.
- We work from ACE reports, broker data and a read-only ERP extract.
- Your auditor reviews and opines on the year-end figures.
Fixed fees, agreed before we start
Refund Tie-Out
Up to 500 entries. Duties paid vs. refunds received vs. ledger, with exceptions listed.
Tie-Out + Accounting
Adds the inventory and COGS split, customer pass-through review, journal entries and policy memo.
Auditor package
Year-end schedules and support for your auditor, on top of either option.
Larger entry volumes and multi-entity importers are quoted after a 20-minute call. Projects are 50% at signing and 50% on delivery.
Common questions
We already have a broker filing our refunds. Why do we need you?
Your broker gets the refund filed. We make sure it is complete, matched to your books and accounted for correctly, including the parts that sit in inventory and any amounts owed to customers.
When should we do this?
Before your 2026 year-end close. Refunds received in 2026 need to be reflected correctly in your 2026 financial statements.
What data do you need?
ACE entry summary and refund reports, your broker's entry list, and a read-only extract of the related ERP accounts. We send a checklist on day one.
Do you take a percentage of the refund?
No. We charge a fixed fee agreed before we start.
Close 2026 with every refund accounted for
Tell us roughly how many entries carried IEEPA duties and which ERP you use. We'll confirm scope and fee on the call.