CBP Announces Key Updates to CAPE Refund Process

CBP has announced an update to the Consolidated Administration and Processing of Entries (CAPE) tool regarding International Emergency Economic Powers Act (IEEPA) duty refunds. Effective June 29, 2026, CBP is expanding the functionality of the CAPE tool to better accommodate entries flagged for reconciliation.

Key Updates

The primary change allows importers to process refunds for IEEPA duties on entries flagged for reconciliation even before the reconciliation entry has been filed.

Expanded Acceptance: CAPE will now accept entries flagged for reconciliation (Entry Types 01,02, 06) where the reconciliation entry (Entry Type 09) has not yet been filed.

Operational Mechanism: The CAPE process will effectively remove IEEPA duties from theseflagged entries prior to the filing of the reconciliation entry. This separates the IEEPA dutyrefund from the reconciliation entry calculations.

Eligibility Constraints:

This applies only to unliquidated entries and entries within 80 days of liquidation.

Once a reconciliation entry is officially filed, those underlying entries are no longer eligible for a CAPE Declaration.

Exclusions: This update does not include entries where a reconciliation entry has already been filed. These remain excluded from the current CAPE process until a future phase of development.

Action Items for Importers

1. Monitor Reconciliation Deadlines: Because entries with reconciliation entries already on file remain excluded, ensure you continue to monitor your reconciliation timelines.

2. Prioritize Reconciliation: If your reconciliation filing deadline is approaching (e.g., less than 30 days away), prioritize the filing of the reconciliation entry rather than waiting for future CAPE enhancements.

3. CBP Support:

For technical issues with entry summaries, contact your CBP client representative or the ACE Help Desk.

Direct specific policy or processing questions to CBP at IEEPAREFUNDS@cbp.dhs.gov.

JSC Compliance Support

JSC Compliance is available to assist your team with filing CAPE refunds. If you need support navigating these new changes or evaluating your eligible entries, please contact the JSC IEEPA Refunds email for additional questions.

JSC will continue to monitor CBP’s rollout of the CAPE tool and send out further updates as they become available.

Reference: CSMS # 69035485