IEEPA has become one of the most important acronyms in international trade, and for importers it can mean real money. This is a plain-English look at what IEEPA tariffs are and why the duties paid under them became recoverable.
What IEEPA is
IEEPA stands for the International Emergency Economic Powers Act. It is a federal statute that gives the executive branch authority to regulate certain economic activity, and it was used as the legal basis for several recent tariff measures. When goods entered the United States under those measures, importers paid the associated duties to CBP.
Why the money became recoverable
A tariff is only as durable as its legal foundation. When the basis for a tariff is challenged and the courts adjust it, the duties already collected under it can become eligible for a refund. The Supreme Court's February 2026 ruling did exactly that for certain IEEPA tariff actions, converting paid duties into a recoverable claim.
How much is involved
The numbers are large. CBP has processed 121.75 billion dollars in tariff refund claims and repaid 86.3 billion dollars to importers. The reason so much remains unclaimed is not that businesses were denied. It is that roughly 93.5 percent of eligible importers are not set up to file.
How you get it back
Recovery means identifying your IEEPA-eligible entries in ACE, filing a declaration with CBP, and receiving the refund. The identification and filing are technical, which is why importers work with specialists rather than going it alone.
If any of your recent duties may have been IEEPA-based, a free eligibility check will tell you whether it is worth a closer look. There is no cost and no obligation.