The CAPE Portal: Your Complete Filing Guide
The CBP CAPE portal is the only authorized pathway to file an IEEPA tariff refund claim. It lives inside the ACE Secure Data Portal, not on a standalone government website. First refunds are being issued. If you have not filed yet, here is everything you need to know to access the portal, prepare your declaration, and collect your refund.
The CAPE Portal Is Not a Standalone Website
Many importers searching for the CAPE portal are looking for a standalone government website where they can file their refund claim directly. That website does not exist. The CAPE portal is a tab inside the ACE Secure Data Portal, which requires an active ACE account with an Importer sub-account to access.
If you do not have an ACE account, apply at ace.cbp.dhs.gov. Processing can take up to 30 days. You also need a U.S. bank account registered for ACH refunds in ACE before your payment can be issued. Both of these need to be in place before you file. Every day you wait, entries that are currently eligible continue aging toward the 80-day liquidation deadline.
Where is the CAPE portal located?
What do I need before I can use the CAPE portal?
What does "File Upload Status" mean in the CAPE portal?
How do I check my claim status in the CAPE portal?
Can I submit multiple declarations through the CAPE portal?
Three Steps to Use the CAPE Portal
Sourced directly from CBP ACE Portal CAPE Declarations Quick Reference Guide (Publication No. 5514-0426).
How to Access the CAPE Portal
The CAPE portal is located inside the ACE Secure Data Portal at ace.cbp.dhs.gov. Log into your Importer sub-account. Click the More tab in the top navigation. The CAPE option appears in the dropdown menu. The default view inside CAPE is the File Uploads subtab where you upload your declaration. The Claim Status subtab shows the status of previously submitted declarations. You cannot access CAPE from a standalone website or through the Automated Broker Interface.
What You Upload to the CAPE Portal
The CAPE portal accepts a single file type: a CSV file listing your eligible 11-digit entry numbers, one per row below the header. Download the official CAPE Upload Template from inside the portal by clicking the Upload button in the File Uploads subtab and then clicking the CAPE Upload Template hyperlink. Enter your entry numbers in the first column starting in the second row. Save as CSV (Comma delimited). The file cannot exceed 1MB and is limited to 9,999 entries per declaration.
What Happens After You Upload
After uploading, check the Acknowledge box confirming you are legally authorized to file and click Upload File. The portal runs two validation stages. File-level validation checks format and filer authorization. Entry-level validation checks each entry number individually. Once accepted, a Claim Number is assigned in the Claim Status subtab. CBP processes your entries, reliquidates them, calculates statutory interest, and issues payment via ACH within 60 to 90 days of acceptance.
Everything You Need, For Free
Before you file, use these free tools to confirm your eligibility and get answers to your portal questions.
Five Portal Prerequisites Every Importer Must Check
The five things you must have in place before you can successfully file through the CAPE portal. Miss any one and your declaration will fail at validation or your payment will be blocked.
Read the Quick Guide
2. ACH Refund Account: U.S. bank account registered in the ACH Refund Authorization tab of your Importer sub-account. Separate from any duty payment account.
3. Eligible Entries: Entries with IEEPA HTS Chapter 99 codes that are unliquidated or liquidated within 80 days of filing. Check this before you start formatting.
4. Correct CSV Format: CSV (Comma delimited) format only. 11-digit entry numbers only. Under 1MB. Under 9,999 entries.
5. Filer Authorization: You must be the IOR for the entries listed or the licensed broker that filed them. The first three characters of each entry number must match your Filer Code if filing as a broker.
Read the Full Filing Guide
CAPE Pre-Filing Eligibility Screener
Answer 6 questions and get an instant technical readiness assessment. Confirm your ACE account status, ACH enrollment, entry eligibility, and exclusion categories before you open the CAPE portal.
Check My EligibilityFree Help With the CAPE Portal
TariffGuru's free AI Recovery Agent answers any question about accessing the CAPE portal, formatting your declaration, resolving validation errors, and tracking your claim status. Trained on CBP source documents. No account required.
Get Free CAPE Portal Help at TariffGuru.comFederal Statutory Interest Calculator
Know what your portal submission will yield before you file. Principal refund plus compounding statutory interest from your original entry date. Calculated per 19 U.S.C. 1505 and 26 U.S.C. 6621.
Use the Full Calculator BelowFederal Statutory Interest Calculator: IEEPA Tariff Refund Overpayment Rates
Statutory interest on IEEPA tariff refunds accrues from the date the original duties were paid through the date CBP issues your refund. This is a legal entitlement under federal statute.
The applicable rates confirmed in Federal Register Vol. 90 No. 186 and Federal Register Document 2026-01175: 7% annually for non-corporate importers, 6% annually for corporate importers, compounded quarterly.
CBP calculates and includes statutory interest automatically in the ACH payment issued after your entries reliquidate through the CAPE portal process.
Source: 19 U.S.C. 1505 · 26 U.S.C. 6621 · Federal Register Vol. 90 No. 186 · Federal Register Document 2026-01175 · Revenue Ruling 2025-22
Estimate based on statutory rates per 19 U.S.C. 1505 and 26 U.S.C. 6621, compounded quarterly. Actual amounts depend on entry-level CBP data and the refund process established by the Court of International Trade.
File It Right the First Time
From the $97 self-filing toolkit to full institutional data formatting. TariffGuru.com provides the technical infrastructure for every type of importer.
Federal Recovery Toolkit
- Master CAPE CSV template (CBP-compliant, pre-formatted)
- ACE portal data extraction guide
- CBP error dictionary: every rejection code explained
- HTS reference library for IEEPA-subject goods
- USITC duty handbook and HTS classification guide
- Supreme Court ruling analysis (Learning Resources v. Trump)
- Federal Register interest rate documentation
- 12-point pre-submission filing readiness checklist
- Phase 1 exclusion reference guide
Institutional Data Services
- Professional CAPE CSV data formatting at $1 per line
- $1,500 minimum, covers up to 1,500 entry lines
- $4,500 Institutional Data Audit, pre-submission error scan
- PDF Risk Report identifying rejection risks before filing
- Section 301 / IEEPA duty stacking analysis
- AD/CVD suspension review and Phase 2 preparation
- Full concierge with licensed customs practitioners available
Free Help With the CAPE Portal
TariffGuru's free AI Recovery Agent answers any question about accessing the CAPE portal, formatting your declaration, resolving validation errors, and tracking your claim status. Trained on CBP source documents. No account required.
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Stay Ahead of the Process
Court-sourced CAPE system analysis. Every article cites its source document.
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