Small Business Importers: Your Average IEEPA Refund Could Be $306,000
Small businesses make up 97% of all U.S. importers. And they bore the heaviest burden of the IEEPA tariffs that the Supreme Court has now struck down.
According to New York Federal Reserve research, U.S. firms and consumers absorbed close to 90% of the $264 billion in tariff costs collected during the first year. The average small-business importer paid approximately $306,000 more in tariffs — roughly $25,000 per month. For businesses running on thin margins, that was not a line item they could absorb. It forced layoffs, price increases, supply chain disruptions, and in some cases, closures.
That money is now recoverable.
You Don’t Need a Trade Lawyer on Retainer
Many small businesses assume that recovering tariff refunds requires expensive legal representation or specialized trade counsel. It does not. The CAPE portal filing process is administrative — it requires uploading a CSV file of entry numbers. What you need is someone to ensure the filing is accurate, the entries are eligible, and nothing falls through the cracks.
We work with importers of all sizes on a contingency basis. You pay nothing upfront. Our fee is a percentage of what we recover. If we do not recover money for you, you owe us nothing.
Industries Hit Hardest
Small businesses in the following industries paid some of the highest IEEPA tariffs and are most likely to be eligible for substantial refunds: auto parts dealers and aftermarket distributors, furniture and home goods retailers, electronics importers and Amazon/Shopify sellers, restaurant equipment suppliers, wine and spirits importers, construction materials companies importing lumber and steel from Canada, textile and apparel importers, and agricultural equipment dealers.
What You Need to Get Started
The process is straightforward. You need your Importer of Record number, contact information for your customs broker, and authorization for us to work with your broker to obtain your entry data. We handle everything else — verifying eligibility, preparing the CSV file, filing the CAPE declaration, monitoring the claim, and collecting your refund.
Most small-business importers have their refund filed within one week of engaging us. Refunds are issued by CBP within 60 to 90 days of acceptance.
Don’t leave money on the table. Contact Tariff Recovery Services today for a free evaluation of your refund eligibility. Call (508) 365-9992 or visit TariffRecoveryAttorneys.com.
We work on a contingency basis — you pay nothing unless we recover money for you.