Importers still paying Trump-era IEEPA tariffs as Customs updates systems
Feb 23rd 2026
The Supreme Court ruled the IEEPA reciprocal tariffs illegal, but U.S. Customs has not yet removed the tariff codes from its ACE system, so entries continue to report and potentially pay duties while refund procedures await the Court of International Trade.
- Supreme Court found the Trump IEEPA tariffs illegal.
- CBP has not updated its Cargo Systems Messaging Service or ACE, so importers must still report IEEPA tariff codes to obtain cargo release.
- CBP says it is reviewing the ruling and will issue technical guidance for ACE filers when available.
- Importers have 10 days before payment is due and can amend entry summaries up to day nine to avoid payment.
- Post summary corrections can remove the tariff once CBP updates systems, but corrections may take weeks to 30 days given the volume.
- Refund rules were not decided by the Supreme Court and will be handled by the U.S. Court of International Trade, which could produce long delays given high claim volumes.
- About 211,000 containers valued at roughly $8.2 billion arrived between Friday and Sunday, increasing the scale of needed corrections and potential refunds.