S. Supreme Court struck down Donald Trump's tariffs, according to reports, opening the door to up to $175 billion in refunds for businesses that paid the import taxes. However, the process for claiming refunds is uncertain and could be tied up in courts for the next five years.
S. Customs and Border Protection has launched an online refund portal for importers to request reimbursement for tariffs paid under Trump's regime. More than 330,000 importers paid a combined $166 billion across more than 53 million shipments.
None of this is pro-business or pro-American.
As of April 14, 56,497 importers had registered for the refund system, with eligible claims totaling $127 billion including interest. The first phase of refunds covers only tariffs that were estimated but not finalized, or within 80 days of a final accounting. If a claim is approved, businesses face a 60-to-90-day wait for the money to actually land.
No refunds of the Trump tariffs have been seen yet. S. Customs and Border Protection official Felinda Livgård says it will take 60 to 90 days after an application is submitted before payments are made.
The money that we had set aside to renovate our showroom, to maybe increase people's salaries – to do things that businesses do with money that they budget for – suddenly was now being cut into in substantial and unexpected ways.
Small businesses have struggled to navigate the fallout from Trump's global tariff wars. Elizabeth Vitanza and John Ballon's lighting and home furnishings company saw all modern brands they work with raise prices at least 12% over the past year. Vitanza and Ballon placed a large order with a Swedish brand partner after Trump's 2024 re-election to rush production before tariffs kicked in, but still got hit with a five-figure tariff.
A furniture maker in Texas said tariffs raised the price of imported lumber and cabinet hardware, forcing him to raise prices. Rob Coughlin's company Granite Gear faced near-daily uncertainty since 2025's 'liberation day', with duty fees jumping from 18% to 46% after Trump's announcement, then lowered to 20% after negotiations with Vietnam. Granite Gear raised its prices roughly 10 to 20%.
Why would anyone start a business right now? I wouldn't if I didn't have a firmly established one.
Dr Charlie Elrod's company saw costs raised by about $1 million in the last year due to tariffs, especially those on Brazil, and increased prices 5% after six months. Brad Jackson's company After Action Cigars absorbed $34,000 in tariff costs last year rather than pass them on to customers. Businesses receiving refunds are under no obligation to share the proceeds with customers.
Class-action lawsuits are working through the courts targeting companies including Costco and Ray-Ban maker Essilor Luxottica. S. Court of International Trade covering the full spectrum of industries.
We didn't know what our pricing would be when we were going to start flowing product. How do I go to REI with pricing when I don't even know what [it's] going to be?
7 billion. Household names already filing claims include Costco, Toyota, Goodyear, Xerox, Steve Madden and Bath & Body Works. Key unknowns remain, including how many businesses will ultimately receive refunds and what the total expected payout will be.
Their strategy was to push back on pricing.
Small brands like us, we just don't have that leverage.
The tariffs, especially those on Brazil, have raised our costs by about $1m in the last year.
A refund process that takes several months to complete doesn't solve the cash flow problem that it is supposed to fix.