The IEEPA Refund Window Closes Entry by Entry
Your refund window isn't one deadline — it's a different one for every entry, tied to when that entry liquidates. We help you find out where each of your entries stands and file through CBP's CAPE process before that entry's window closes. Flat fee, no percentage of your refund, even for entries another broker filed.
CBP's CAPE (Consolidated Administration and Processing of Entries) process is the fastest path to recovering IEEPA duties — but it isn't one open-ended window. Each entry has its own clock, running from that entry's own liquidation date. There's no single "IEEPA refund deadline" for your business as a whole, only deadlines for the specific entries you paid IEEPA duties on.
Recovery works like a ladder, and each rung is narrower than the last. CAPE is the fastest and simplest step. If an entry has already liquidated and CAPE isn't available, a Form 19 protest may still preserve your claim — but only within 180 days of liquidation. Miss that, and a suit at the Court of International Trade is the last resort, filed within its own two-year statute. After that, the refund is gone. If your broker isn't returning your calls, or your large brokerage house doesn't have the bandwidth right now, we do.
Strix Customs Brokerage offers flat-fee CAPE consultation services — even for entries we didn't originally file. Here's what that looks like:
We know the process.
We've successfully guided clients through accepted CAPE declarations on entries originally filed by other brokers. Flat fee. No percentage of your refund.
We do the heavy lifting.
Our licensed customs brokers walk you step-by-step through the entire process: pulling your ACE entry summary data, preparing your CAPE declaration, submitting it through your ACE Importer account, and verifying your ACH banking is set up correctly so your refund actually arrives.
Your refund goes directly to you.
The declaration is filed under your ACE Importer account — your refund, your account, your records.
Your window depends on your entries.
CAPE Phase 1 eligibility is tied to each entry's liquidation date — not one calendar deadline for everyone — and once a declaration is accepted, it can't be amended. Entries are rolling off this eligibility window through late 2026 and into 2027 as they liquidate. The sooner you know which of your entries still qualify, the sooner you can file.
Missed CAPE? You may still have a protest window.
If an entry already liquidated and CAPE isn't an option, that's not necessarily the end of the road. A Form 19 protest can still preserve your claim, but only within 180 days of that entry's liquidation date — and there's no extension once that window closes. We can help you check where each of your entries stands and, if a protest is still live, get it filed correctly and on time.
Get a free eligibility review.
Tell us about your situation through the form below and one of our Licensed Customs Brokers will contact you to discuss the options available to you.
Questions? Call (406) 922-6600 or send us a message.