UPS announced on April 22, 2026 that it has begun filing claims with U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) to obtain refunds for tariffs paid under the International Emergency Economic Powers Act (IEEPA). The filing follows CBP’s launch of the Consolidated Administration and Processing of Entries (CAPE) platform on April 20, 2026, which allows importers of record to submit refund requests for entries finalized between January 30 and April 19, 2026. UPS, along with FedEx and DHL, began using the platform on April 20‑21, 2026, and the company’s public announcement came the following day.
The total amount of IEEPA tariffs collected by the U.S. government exceeded $166 billion across more than 53 million entries. CBP estimates that the refund process will take 60‑90 days from the time a claim is accepted. UPS will receive the funds from CBP and then issue refunds to the payors, meaning the company’s own cash flow will improve only after the refunds are received; the refunds are intended for customers, not for UPS’s earnings statement.
UPS said, "UPS is committed to helping our customers navigate and adapt to changes in global trade policies, while complying with all government regulations." It added, "For shipments where UPS was the IOR, we will work to request and retrieve IEEPA tariff refunds from CBP on our customers' behalf. There is no need for those customers to contact UPS. After we receive the funds from CBP, we have established a process to issue refunds to the payors." The company also noted that it will support customers in obtaining refunds once the CBP refund process is established.
The initiative is primarily a customer‑service measure designed to preserve and strengthen relationships with shippers who paid tariffs that are now deemed invalid. While the refunds will not directly affect UPS’s financial statements, the company’s cash position will benefit once the refunds are received, and the effort signals proactive compliance and responsiveness to regulatory changes. The refunds are expected to be distributed in phases, with Phase One covering the entries listed above; guidance for subsequent phases has not yet been issued by CBP.
Other major carriers, including FedEx and DHL Express, are pursuing similar refund processes, indicating that UPS’s action is part of an industry‑wide response to the February 2026 Supreme Court ruling that invalidated the IEEPA tariffs. The court’s decision, followed by a U.S. Court of International Trade order, mandated CBP to refund the tariffs, creating a new regulatory environment for importers of record.
The CAPE platform’s launch and the subsequent filing activity reflect a significant shift in U.S. trade policy enforcement. By acting quickly to file claims, UPS positions itself to recover costs on behalf of its customers and to demonstrate leadership in navigating complex trade regulations. The refunds, while not a direct revenue source for UPS, enhance the company’s value proposition to shippers and may improve customer retention in a competitive logistics market.
Overall, UPS’s announcement marks a notable regulatory development that could generate substantial refunds for its customers and improve the company’s cash flow once the refunds are processed. The move underscores UPS’s commitment to customer service and compliance amid evolving U.S. trade policy.
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