A U.S. government online portal for companies to seek refunds of tariffs collected under the Section 301 actions on certain Chinese goods went live on Monday, April 21, 2026. The system, managed by U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP), processes claims for duties paid on List 3 and List 4A goods between September 2018 and December 2022, following court rulings that the tariffs were improperly levied.
Thousands of U.S. companies immediately began filing claims through the portal to recover billions of dollars in duties. The launch follows a mandate from the U.S. Court of International Trade, which found the U.S. Trade Representative failed to adequately justify the tariff hikes on these specific lists of Chinese imports.
Initial reports from trade lawyers and consultants indicated the system was functional but experienced some technical glitches and high traffic, which CBP had anticipated. "So far, so good," said Jay Foreman, CEO of Basic Fun!, a toy company, in a statement to Reuters, though he noted the system was "a little glitchy." The claims process is expected to continue for several months.
The refunds apply only to specific lists of goods and do not affect ongoing Section 301 tariffs on other Chinese imports. Companies must file claims for each entry of goods during the eligible period, a process that industry groups have warned could be administratively burdensome for smaller businesses.
