This tariff-refund portal is about to be America's hottest website

Business This tariff-refund portal is about to be America's hottest website April 19, 20266:30 AM ET Alina Selyukh On Monday, the U.S. Customs portal will start accepting refund requests from businesses that paid President Trump's tariffs before the Supreme Court ruled them unconstitutional. Nickolai Hammar/NPR hide caption toggle caption Nickolai Hammar/NPR After weeks of waiting to hear how — or whether — the U.S. government might refund the tariffs struck down by the Supreme Court, Monday is the day it finally begins. Imagine tens of thousands of business owners with their fingers hovering over laptops, ready to enter America's hottest new queue: the U.S. tariff refund portal. U.S. Customs is launching just the first phase of payouts, so not all the goods imported under the illegal tariffs will immediately qualify. And the latest federal guidance says that after refund requests are approved, it could take 60 to 90 days to return the money to the importer. Sponsor Message Still, this marks a turning point for U.S. importers, who've waited for clarity for exactly two months since the U.S. Supreme Court declared most of President Trump's tariffs unconstitutional. The high court did not opine on the process of refunds, and government officials at first suggested the process could prove unwieldy. Business Trump's tariffs likely cost you hundreds of dollars. Will you get a refund? "Small businesses organized, spoke out, and won a major victory," said Main Street Alliance, which advocates for U.S. small businesses, in a statement. "Now, the federal government must follow through with a refund process that truly works for Main Street." U.S. Customs has estimated that it owes a total of $166 billion in tariff refunds, and the agency's legal filings suggest that the initial phase would tackle the majority of affected imports. On Tuesday, a Customs official told a judge that the vast majority of eligible importers signed up for electronic payments, as the agency is requirin...