IEEPA (International Emergency Economic Powers Act) tariffs are emergency surcharges imposed by Presidential order on top of regular import duties. Many importers paid these surcharges on shipments where they were either not applicable, or where a product exclusion was later granted by CBP or USTR.

You're likely to have refund opportunities if any of the following apply:

• You imported goods from China, Mexico, Canada, or other IEEPA-targeted countries in the last 12–18 months.
• Your products have 10-digit HTS codes that appear on current USTR or CBP exclusion lists.
• Your broker classified shipments under Chapter 99 provisions — you'll see these as add-on duty lines in your entry summaries.

The fastest way to find out is to upload your ACE Entry Summary export to the calculator — it scans every line automatically.

ACE (Automated Commercial Environment) is the U.S. Customs & Border Protection system that holds the official record of every U.S. import — entry numbers, HTS codes, declared values, duties paid, and liquidation dates.

The calculator needs this data because it's the authoritative source of which surcharges were actually assessed and paid on each shipment. Your broker may have records, but the ACE portal is the definitive data that CBP uses when processing protest refunds.

1. Go to ace.cbp.dhs.gov and sign in with your CBP credentials.
2. Navigate to Reports → Trade → Entry Summary Data.
3. Select entry type: Type 01 Consumption Entries.
4. Export as CSV or Excel — either format works with the calculator.

• For maximum actionable refunds: Use entries liquidated within the last 180 days — these are within the protest window and can be filed immediately.
• For full opportunity assessment: Pull 18–24 months of data. Entries outside 180 days may still be recoverable via drawback and help you understand your total IEEPA exposure.

Ensure these fields are present in your export (most standard Entry Summary reports include them all):

• Entry Number — 11-character unique entry ID
• Entry Date — date goods were presented to CBP
• Liquidation Date — CBP's final duty determination (critical for protest eligibility)
• Importer of Record (IOR) number
• HTS Code (10-digit) — at the line level
• Chapter 99 HTS provision — the surcharge add-on code (e.g., 9903.88.xx or 9903.01.xx)
• Entered Value (USD) — declared customs value per line
• Duty Amount Paid — per line
• Country of Origin
• Port of Entry

Incomplete reports are the most common upload issue. Check these in order:

• Multiple IOR numbers: If your company uses different subsidiaries or bond numbers, each has a separate IOR. Run a report per IOR and combine the exports before uploading.
• Report timeout: Large date ranges can time out. Break pulls into quarterly segments for data over 12 months.
• Account permissions: Your ACE role must have "Importer" access — some accounts are broker-only. If in doubt, contact your CBP Client Representative.
• Wrong entry type: Confirm you're running Type 01 Consumption entries. Warehouse (Type 21) and TIB entries are separate report runs.

After uploading your ACE export, the calculator produces a Refund Opportunity Report containing:

• Executive Summary: Total IEEPA surcharges paid, total estimated refundable amount, and count of actionable entries.
• Protest-Eligible Entries: Entries still within the 180-day protest window, ranked by refund amount — your most time-sensitive opportunities.
• Outside Protest Window: Entries where the protest deadline has passed, flagged for drawback or other recovery options.
• Entry Detail: Line-by-line breakdown of which Chapter 99 surcharges were assessed and the calculated refund estimate per line.
• Next Steps Checklist: A prioritized action list ready to hand to your customs broker or trade counsel.

This is the most important distinction in your results: The calculator automatically calculates days remaining for every entry and sorts your results by urgency.

A CBP Protest (CBP Form 19) is the formal legal mechanism to dispute a duty assessment after your entry has been finalized. It's the standard, government-defined process — not a negotiation.

How it works:

1. Your customs broker or trade attorney files the protest citing the legal basis for the surcharge refund (typically an IEEPA exclusion or classification correction).
2. CBP reviews the protest at the port level — typically within 30–90 days.
3. If approved, CBP reliquidates the entry (revises the duty amount downward) and issues a refund, typically with interest.
4. If denied, further appeal options include escalation to CBP Headquarters or the U.S. Court of International Trade.

As Importer of Record, you're legally permitted to file protests in your own name. However, professional representation is strongly recommended for IEEPA cases because:

• Protests must cite the correct legal basis — an incorrect citation is grounds for denial.
• IEEPA exclusion provisions change frequently; only practitioners tracking current CBP and USTR guidance can ensure accuracy.
• Errors in a protest filing generally cannot be corrected after submission.

The TariffEdge calculator report is designed to be handed directly to a customs broker or trade attorney, giving them everything they need to file efficiently.

• CBP decision: Typically 30–90 days from protest filing, though port backlogs vary.
• After approval: CBP issues a Notice of Reliquidation, then processes payment. Allow 60–120 additional days for the refund to arrive — typically via ACH to your Importer of Record bank account.
• Interest: Approved refunds include statutory interest from the original duty payment date under 19 U.S.C. § 1505.

The calculator evaluates at the line level, not the entry level. For entries with mixed HTS lines:

• Each line with a Chapter 99 provision is evaluated independently against the current exclusion list.
• Refund estimates are calculated per line and aggregated to entry level in the output summary.
• Lines without Chapter 99 provisions pass through as zero-refund lines and do not distort your totals.

Ensure your ACE export includes line-level detail rather than entry-level summaries — select "line detail" when configuring report parameters in the ACE Query Tool.

Chapter 99 is used for all emergency and trade remedy tariffs — the program is identified by the specific provision prefix:

• 9903.01.xx — IEEPA emergency tariff provisions (2025+)
• 9903.45.xx — Additional country-specific IEEPA provisions
• 9903.88.xx — Section 301 China tariffs (Lists 1–4B)
• 9903.80.xx / 9903.81.xx — Section 232 steel and aluminum

The calculator auto-classifies each Chapter 99 provision by program type and applies the correct exclusion logic. Your output report labels each refund opportunity by tariff program.

Three integration levels are supported:

• Flat File Import (Standard — available now): Upload ACE CSV or Excel exports directly via the UI. No integration work required.
• API Integration (Enterprise): REST API ingestion from broker portals, TMS platforms (Oracle GTM, SAP GTS, Amber Road), or custom ACE data pipelines. Available on Enterprise plan with SSO support.
• Scheduled Pulls (Enterprise): Automated ACE data retrieval on a weekly or monthly schedule with digest reports delivered to your compliance team.

Contact TariffEdge via the platform portal to discuss enterprise integration options.