Mandatory Transition to Electronic CBP Refunds

Effective February 6, 2026, U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) will officially transition to issuing all refunds electronically via the Automated Clearing House (ACH), effectively ending the practice of mailing refunds as U.S. Treasury checks.

To ensure your business is prepared for this mandatory change, please review the following requirements and implications:

Action Required

Set Up Your Account: Trade members must maintain an ACE Portal account and submit their ACH banking information directly through the portal.
Importers: If you do not possess a U.S. bank account, you must either open one or designate a customs broker with a U.S. bank account to receive electronic refunds on your behalf.

The Consequence of Inaction

Rejected Refunds: If CBP attempts to issue a certified refund but lacks the necessary banking information, the refund will be rejected.
Loss of Interest: Crucially, if a refund is rejected solely due to a failure to provide banking information, no interest will accrue on that refund.

Recovering Rejected Funds: If a refund is rejected, the importer must subsequently manually submit the ACH Refund request and notify CBP’s Refunds Team via email (frn-achrefundsupport@cbp.dhs.gov) to request the application, complete the application and submit the form to the refunds team. Additional info may be found here.

We recommend reviewing CBP’s Electronic Refund Enrollment Reference Sheet and taking the necessary steps to verify your readiness before February 5, 2026.

CBP will be providing trade outreach on the transition on the following dates and times. Please use the links below to join the webinar or view the original message here.