If you import into the United States, you are held to a standard called reasonable care. It is a phrase worth understanding, because it defines what CBP expects of you and shapes both your compliance risk and your refund position.
What reasonable care means
Reasonable care is the obligation to take appropriate steps to ensure your entries are accurate: correct classification, correct valuation, and correct duty. It does not demand perfection, but it does require diligence. Guessing at a classification or ignoring known issues is not reasonable care.
Why it matters
Because the importer of record bears responsibility for the entry, reasonable care is the line CBP looks at when something is wrong. Meeting the standard protects you. Falling short of it can turn an honest error into a compliance problem.
How it connects to refunds
Reasonable care and refunds are two sides of the same coin. The diligence that keeps you compliant, accurate classification and complete records, is the same diligence that surfaces overpaid duty you can recover. Importers who take care tend to find they are owed money.
Putting it into practice
In practice, reasonable care means reviewing your classifications, keeping your records, and periodically checking whether you have overpaid. A specialist review helps on all three fronts. Start with a free eligibility check to see what a careful look at your entries turns up.