Tariff Sheriff cuts through vendor excuses. Validate claims about IEEPA refunds, Phase 1 eligibility, liquidation status, and tariff stacking. Get the facts, ask the right questions, negotiate from a position of knowledge.
The Problem
Claim #1
“IEEPA refunds only cover tariffs through February 24. We're past that deadline, so you're not eligible.”
⚠️ Misleading. Feb 24 is the entry cutoff for collected IEEPA duties — it doesn't decide refund eligibility. CAPE Phase 1 tracks liquidation status, not entry date: entries still unliquidated, or liquidated within 80 days of your CAPE filing. Liquidation is CBP's final accounting and lands months after entry, so many early-2026 entries are still unliquidated — and eligible.
Claim #2
“Our products won't qualify for Phase 1. Most of what we sell is excluded.”
❌ Vague and likely wrong. Phase 1 isn't category-specific. Ask them: why exactly? HTS code? Liquidation status? Section 301/232 overlap? Most rejections are fixable data errors. Don't accept "excluded" without specifics.
Claim #3
“This is all still up in the air. Courts haven't settled it yet.”
❌ Outdated. CAPE Phase 1 launched April 20, 2026 and is actively paying refunds (as of May 2026). Courts settled the core IEEPA liability. Phase 2 timing is uncertain, but Phase 1 is live now.
Claim #4
“We already priced these tariffs into our contracts going forward. A refund doesn't help us.”
❌ Backwards logic. A refund is cash today for tariffs already paid. Ask them: what amount are we talking about? Future pricing doesn't change your right to recover duties already paid.
The Solution
Share your vendor's tariff claim, email, or cost-increase justification.
It breaks down what's accurate, what's missing, and what's wrong.
Armed with facts, push back on inflated claims or ask smarter questions.
See It In Action
Subject: Tariff Refund Status
Hi,
I wanted to follow up on your question about IEEPA refunds. Unfortunately, these tariffs were collected through February 24, 2026, and we're now in May. The deadline has passed, so you're not eligible for refunds. These costs are sunk and will need to be absorbed.
Best regards,
Your Vendor
IEEPA duties were collected on entries through Feb 24, 2026.
Feb 24 is just the entry cutoff for collected duties — not an eligibility deadline. CAPE eligibility tracks liquidation status, and liquidation is CBP's final accounting that lands months after entry. Many of your early-2026 entries are likely still unliquidated, which is exactly what makes them eligible.
"Are our entries still unliquidated, or when did they liquidate? Can you pull the REV-615 CAPE detail report in ACE? Unliquidated entries — or ones liquidated within 80 days of our CAPE filing — are Phase 1 eligible."
"Feb 24 is the entry cutoff, not an eligibility deadline. CAPE Phase 1 turns on liquidation status: unliquidated entries, or entries liquidated within 80 days of our filing. Liquidation lands months after entry, so ours are likely still open. Pull the REV-615 CAPE detail report and let's confirm."
Questions
Liquidation is when CBP finalizes an entry and its duties — its final accounting. Duty is actually paid (as an estimate) at entry; liquidation just makes it final, and it usually happens months after entry, not weeks. Your vendor may call "Feb 24" the cutoff, but that's the entry cutoff for collected duties, not a refund deadline. CAPE Phase 1 turns on liquidation status: entries still unliquidated, or liquidated within 80 days of your CAPE filing, are eligible. Because liquidation lags entry by months, many early-2026 entries are still unliquidated — and eligible.
Push back and ask specifically WHY. Phase 1 isn't category-specific — it covers unliquidated entries and those liquidated within 80 days of your CAPE filing. Most rejections are fixable: HTS code misclassification, country-of-origin discrepancies, or liquidation status. Ask your vendor or broker to pull the REV-615 CAPE detail report in ACE and show you exactly which entries don't qualify and why. If they can't explain it, they haven't checked.
No. The Supreme Court held IEEPA tariffs unlawful on Feb 20, 2026, and CAPE Phase 1 launched April 20, 2026 and started paying refunds in May 2026. Phase 1 is live and processing. Phase 2 (older/more complex entries) timing is uncertain, but Phase 1 is active now.
That's backwards logic. A refund is cash for tariffs already paid. Even if they factored tariffs into future pricing, refunds reduce your historical cost basis. Ask them: how much are we talking about? You're entitled to recover unlawful tariffs already paid regardless of future pricing.
Not directly — that requires your actual ACE records. But it validates your vendor's claims, flags when they're missing information, and helps you ask the right questions of your vendor and broker. You still need a customs broker or attorney to file, but Tariff Sheriff helps you know whether your vendor is being straight with you.
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