What stage is your entry in?
Every import entry moves through the same stages. Find yours below and you'll know which refund path likely fits and what to do next.
Four stages, four different paths
The clock starts when your entry liquidates. How much time has passed since then is what matters most.
-
Before liquidation
Unliquidated
Still open. CBP hasn't finalized the duties yet.
CAPE Phase 1 -
0 to 80 days after
Recently liquidated
Closed, but still inside the window CBP can reopen through CAPE.
CAPE Phase 1 -
81 to 180 days after
Liquidated
Outside CAPE for now, but a protest may still be possible.
Ask about a protest -
180+ days after
Finally liquidated
Closed for good unless a court orders CBP to reopen it.
Phase 3, with a court case
Find your likely path in three questions
Answer for one entry at a time. If your entries are at different stages, they may follow different paths.
1. Has the entry liquidated yet?
2. How long ago did it liquidate?
3. Do you have your own IEEPA refund case at the Court of International Trade?
Likely path: CAPE Phase 1
Open entries and entries liquidated in the last 80 days can go on a CAPE Declaration now. Set up your ACE account and refund bank details first.
How to file →Likely path: a protest, not CAPE (for now)
You generally have 180 days from liquidation to file a protest with CBP, so timing matters. Talk with your customs broker or a trade attorney soon.
Questions for your broker →Likely path: CAPE Phase 3
Phase 3 covers finally liquidated entries included in a court order in your case. If CBP accepted your importer number by July 30, 2026, you can file now. If it came in later, CBP says it'll share instructions for later rounds.
See key dates →Likely path: waiting on the courts
CAPE doesn't cover these entries for importers without their own case. A pending appeal will shape what happens next, and there's a time limit on going to court. Talk with a trade attorney about your options.
See key dates →First step: find your liquidation date
Look it up on CBP's public liquidation notice search, or ask the customs broker who filed your entries. Once you have it, run through this again.
Check liquidation status ↗A starting point, not legal advice. Every entry is different.
Entries that don't fit the usual pattern
Flagged for reconciliation
If no reconciliation entry has been filed yet, these can go through CAPE Phase 2. Once it's filed, they wait for a future phase.
Warehouse entries
The refund follows the withdrawal, since that's when IEEPA duties were paid. CAPE stopped taking warehouse entries on July 7, 2026, so list the withdrawals instead.
Someone else's name on the entry
The refund goes to whoever's listed as importer of record. If a supplier or forwarder was named, the claim is theirs to file.
Find your entry's status
- Look up your entries on CBP's liquidation notice search. It's public, so you don't need an ACE account.
- Or log into ACE and run a report. It'll show each entry's liquidation date and status.
- Or ask the customs broker who filed the entries to pull it for you.
- Count the days since liquidation and match it to the stages above.
Not sure which stage your entries are in?
Send us what you have. We'll help you gather the right information, get organized, and figure out the next step.