19 أغسطس 2026
What tariff refund help actually costs, and when contingency is worth it
For IEEPA tariff refunds, contingency shops typically charge 15 to 25 percent of the refund, while customs brokers commonly charge a flat 500 to 2,000 dollars per CAPE declaration or 5 to 15 percent, and a single declaration can hold up to 9,999 entries. For a simple claim, the work is largely assembling a spreadsheet of entry numbers, so a large contingency cut is often paying for convenience, not complexity. Duty drawback firms run on contingency too, and above roughly 50,000 to 100,000 dollars a year in recoverable duty, retainer or capped pricing usually beats it. One protection is built in: the refund always pays the importer of record, and no filer can redirect it to themselves. The broker who already filed your entries is a fair first quote, and we handle refunds too, with the licensed customs broker we work with: get in touch. One rule sits underneath all of it: filing refunds is customs business under 19 USC 1641 that requires a licensed broker, whoever you hire.
The going rates, in plain numbers
Contingency firms handling IEEPA refunds typically take 15 to 25 percent of whatever comes back. On a 100,000 dollar refund, that is 15,000 to 25,000 dollars for the same filing a broker might do for a flat fee.
Broker pricing we have seen published runs three ways: a flat 500 to 2,000 dollars per CAPE declaration, a percentage in the 5 to 15 range, or a per-entry schedule. One published example charges 200 dollars for the first entry and 125 dollars for each additional entry on small recoveries under 5,000 dollars.
What the work actually is
For a straightforward IEEPA claim, most of the labor is assembling a clean list of your entry numbers, essentially a CSV. A single CAPE declaration can hold up to 9,999 entries, so volume alone does not multiply the filings.
That is why the fee spread matters. The complexity lives in messy records, disputed classifications, and edge cases, not in the raw act of filing. If your records are clean, you are shopping for a modest flat fee, not a quarter of your refund.
The anti-scam fact worth memorizing
The refund always pays the importer of record. No filing company can route your CAPE refund into their own account, which means the worst case with a legitimate filer is an ugly fee, not a stolen refund.
Anyone whose pitch implies they will collect the money and forward you your share is describing something CAPE does not do. Treat that as your exit cue.
Drawback is its own market
Duty drawback firms almost all work on contingency with a no refund, no fee promise, and they generally do not publish their exact percentages. For a small importer testing the waters, that model is genuinely low risk.
The math flips at scale. Above roughly 50,000 to 100,000 dollars a year in recoverable duty, retainer or capped per-entry pricing becomes available and is usually cheaper than a percentage. If your program is that size, ask for a cap before you sign a contingency agreement.
Red flags, and the first call to make
Walk away from anyone who asks for your ACE portal login, anyone who tells consumers they can file, since only the importer of record or its licensed broker can, and anyone selling urgency on a deadline. The dates being waved around, February 4, 2027 and April 5, 2027, are protective court dates, not a countdown clock on your refund.
The cheapest competent option is usually the broker who filed your entries in the first place. They already hold your data, and adding a refund filing to an existing relationship tends to cost less than hiring a stranger on contingency.
Where we stand in all this
One rule sits underneath everything above: filing refunds and entries is customs business under 19 USC 1641, and it requires a licensed customs broker no matter whose letterhead the pitch arrives on.
We wrote this because our customers keep getting these pitches and asking us what is fair. We handle tariff refunds too, with the licensed customs broker we work with, so if you want yours taken care of, get in touch.
tariff refunds · fees · duty drawback · CAPE · customs brokers
Where to act on this
المزيد من الميدان
أسئلة
إجابات مباشرة
Who is allowed to file a tariff refund claim for me?
Only the importer of record or its licensed customs broker. Filing refunds and entries is customs business under 19 USC 1641, and it requires a license from CBP no matter whose letterhead the pitch arrives on. Anyone telling consumers they can file on their own behalf is describing something that does not exist. That one rule sits underneath every fee question, because it decides who can legitimately take the work at all.
Can a filing company keep my tariff refund?
No, and this is the fact worth memorizing. The refund always pays the importer of record, so no filing company can route a CAPE refund into its own account. The worst case with a legitimate filer is an ugly fee, not a stolen refund. If a pitch implies they will collect the money and forward you your share, they are describing something CAPE does not do, and that is your exit cue.
How many entries can go on one CAPE declaration?
Up to 9,999 entries, which is why volume alone does not multiply the filings. For a straightforward IEEPA claim, most of the labor is assembling a clean list of your entry numbers, essentially a spreadsheet. The complexity lives in messy records, disputed classifications and edge cases rather than in the raw act of filing, so clean records should mean a modest flat fee rather than a large slice of the refund.
Is contingency or a flat fee better for duty drawback?
It depends on the size of your program. Drawback firms almost all work on contingency with a no refund, no fee promise, which is genuinely low risk for a small importer testing the waters. The math flips at scale: once the recoverable duty is substantial, retainer or capped per-entry pricing becomes available and usually beats a percentage. If your program is that size, ask for a cap before signing a contingency agreement.
Are February 4, 2027 and April 5, 2027 refund deadlines?
No. Those are protective court dates, not a countdown clock on your refund, and they get waved around to manufacture urgency. Treat urgency selling as a warning sign, along with anyone who asks for your ACE portal login or tells consumers they can file. The cheapest competent option is usually the broker who filed your entries in the first place, because they already hold your data.
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