A refund claim does not start with guesswork. It starts with data, specifically your ACE data. The Automated Commercial Environment holds the record of what you imported and what you paid, and it is the raw material every recovery review works from.
What ACE data contains
ACE holds your entry summaries: the products you imported, their classifications, their values, the duties assessed, and the dates. It is the authoritative record of your import activity, which is exactly why it is the starting point for finding overpaid duty.
How specialists read it
Specialists pull your entry summaries and look for the signals of recoverable duty: Section 301 tariffs on China-origin goods, IEEPA exposure, classifications that carried a higher rate than correct, and entries that fell within exclusion windows. The data turns a vague sense that you overpaid into specific, filable entries.
Why this beats estimates
An estimate based on averages can tell you whether a review is worth it. Only your actual ACE data can tell you the real number. That is the difference between the ballpark our Refund Estimator gives you and the figure a specialist review produces.
Putting your data to work
You do not need to analyze ACE yourself. With an active account and specialist access, the review does the work. If you have an ACE account, or are ready to set one up, a free eligibility check is the first step toward turning your data into a refund.