How to Legally Reduce Your US Import Duty in 2026 Before the Next Deadline Hits

 US importers are dealing with the highest effective tariff rates since 1972. Even after the Supreme Court struck down IEEPA tariffs in February 2026, the duty burden has barely moved for most businesses. Section 301 tariffs on Chinese goods are fully in force. Section 232 tariffs on steel and aluminium are fully in force. And a 10% global surcharge under Section 122 applies to virtually everything else until July 24, 2026.

The frustrating part is that a meaningful portion of what most businesses are paying is avoidable. The legal tools exist. The deadlines are running. Most importers just have not taken the steps to use them.

Your IEEPA refund will not arrive automatically

The Supreme Court ruled that $166 billion in IEEPA duties were illegally collected from more than 330,000 importers. CBP is not sending automatic refund checks. You have to register for ACH refunds in the ACE portal. You have to identify your liquidated entries and file formal protests within 180 days of liquidation. And you have to wait for the CAPE system, targeted for mid-April 2026, to process the unliquidated portion.

As of early March, only 6.5% of affected importers had completed ACH registration. If you have not done it, your refund cannot reach you when CAPE opens, no matter what you are entitled to.

July 24, 2026 changes everything again

The Section 122 surcharge expires on July 24 unless extended. The rate could stay at 10%, rise to 15%, or be replaced by something else entirely depending on what Congress does and whether the ongoing legal challenges succeed. If your pricing, contracts, or supply chain models are built around the current rate, you need a plan before that date, not after.

First Sale valuation and HS code audits recover more than you expect

If your goods pass through a middleman before reaching you, First Sale valuation lets you declare customs value based on the original factory price rather than the price you paid your distributor. That lower base reduces every duty, fee, and tariff calculation on top of it. An HS code audit often finds reclassification opportunities that reduce rates and sometimes eliminates Section 301 exposure entirely on goods that have been misclassified since the original import program started.

Read the full breakdown here

The complete guide covers all five legal methods including duty drawback, Foreign Trade Zones, Section 301 exclusion requests, the specific CAPE registration steps, and how to file protests before the 180-day window closes.

None of these strategies work correctly without the right Importer of Record in place. The IOR is the entity that receives refunds, holds compliance liability, and files the declarations. Read about what an IOR does here: What is an Importer of Record

👉 Read the full US import duty guide

Importer of Record USA | Carra Globe | Get in touch

Carra Globe provides Importer of Record and trade compliance services across 175+ countries. Learn more at 

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