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When the Supreme Court struck down his emergency tariffs in February, President Donald Trump called the ruling “deeply disappointing,” according to Fox Business. On the question of refunds, which the court didn’t address, he said, “I guess it has to get litigated for the next two years.” (1)
It didn’t take two years. Bloomberg reports that U.S. customs authorities have already fully processed almost $130 billion in refunds. And on Oct. 8, a federal trade judge certified a class covering all importers who haven’t already filed claims. (2)
That’s real money. The nonpartisan Tax Foundation estimated that more than $160 billion in tariffs were illegally collected under the emergency-powers law by the time of the February ruling. (1)
I’ve been a CPA since 1981, and here’s the question I’d ask: Whose money was it? Because the people who wrote the checks to customs aren’t always the people who paid the higher prices.
New research from the Federal Reserve Bank of New York, reported by Fox News, estimated that tariffs added about 2.9 percentage points to prices across the consumer goods it studied. (3)
So if you shopped, you probably helped pay. Here are five things to know about whether any of that $130 billion is coming back to you.
1. The refund goes to whoever paid customs
CBS News explains that U.S. Customs and Border Protection “can only issue tariff refunds to the so-called importer of record.” (4)
That’s usually the business that brought the goods into the country. The class the judge certified covers importers that paid the tariffs, according to Bloomberg Law, and his order refers to refunding the duties “to the importers of record that paid them.” (5)
Notice who’s missing from that sentence: the shopper at the checkout counter.
2. If you paid higher prices at a store, you likely don’t have a claim
A trade attorney put it bluntly to CBS News: “Because they were told at the time, ‘This is how much the good costs, do you want it or not?’ they don’t have a claim.” (4)
Even a Supreme Court justice saw the problem. In his dissent, Justice Brett Kavanaugh noted that “some importers may have already passed on costs to consumers,” according to Fox Business. (1)
And the New York Fed researchers found that without the tariffs, prices across the consumer goods they examined would have fallen by early 2026, Fox News reported. (3)
Translation: You likely paid part of it. The importer gets the refund. That’s the law, and in my view it’s the part of this story nobody’s going to fix for you.
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3. The big exception: packages you paid duties on yourself
Here’s the part worth your time. If you ordered something from overseas and paid a duty or tariff charge to the shipping company when it arrived, you may be in line for money back.
CBS News reports that UPS, FedEx and DHL “have each committed to send refunds to customers on a rolling basis.” (4)
FedEx says its refund program covers only shipments that were assessed these emergency tariffs, and that “If you paid IEEPA tariffs, you may be eligible for a refund.” Customers can check the company’s refund portal to “See if FedEx has received your refund for an eligible shipment.” (6)
Don’t skip the paperwork. FedEx says customers submit payment and tax information through the portal, and refunds “will be disbursed within thirty (30) days of a customer’s complete and accurate submission,” as long as FedEx has already received the refund from customs by then. (6)
DHL told CBS News, “Once CBP refunds its eligible claims, DHL will return those funds to the party that originally paid the duties.” (4) If you used DHL or UPS, check their websites, too.
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4. Don’t let a ‘tariff refund’ text cost you more
Be wary of any message about a tariff refund. A simple rule: Never click a link in a message about a refund you didn’t ask for.
If you think you’re owed money on a package, type the shipping company’s web address in yourself. FedEx itself warns that “only authorized individuals should submit payment and tax information.” (6)
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5. Don’t count on stores to share
Some shoppers are suing to get a cut. Fortune reported in March that customers had filed proposed class actions against Costco and FedEx. (7)
Costco CEO Ron Vachris said the company would return recovered tariff payments to shoppers through lower prices, according to Fortune. (7) Maybe that happens. But a promise of lower prices someday isn’t a check in your mailbox.
If you want a guaranteed discount, you’ll have to find it yourself.
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My honest take
I don’t begrudge importers their refunds. They wrote the checks, and the Supreme Court ruled the tariffs weren’t authorized by law.
But let’s be honest about how this ends for most families. You likely paid some of those tariffs at the register, and for most of us, nobody is mailing that money back.
So do the two things you can. Check your old shipping receipts for duty charges, and go straight to the carrier’s own website if you find one.
In Washington, refunds go to whoever filed the paperwork. At home, the only refund you can count on is the one you give yourself.
Sources: 1. Fox Business; 2. Bloomberg; 3. Fox News; 4. CBS News; 5. Bloomberg Law; 6. FedEx; 7. Fortune
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