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Last updated April 11, 2026 — by AmyFay Chandler
If you imported anything in the last year and someone has just told you that you need an “ACE Portal account” to claim a tariff refund, you are probably staring at a screen wondering whether you’ve stepped into an episode of bureaucratic alphabet soup.
Short version: ACE is U.S. Customs and Border Protection’s online system. Think of it as the IRS portal, but for goods crossing the border instead of taxes. Anyone who imports goods into the United States — from a single boutique owner ordering $5,000 of jewelry from Italy to a major retailer ordering ten thousand dollars worth of furniture from Vietnam — files their customs paperwork through ACE. And starting April 20, 2026, ACE is also where you go to claim your tariff refund.
Let me walk you through what it actually is, who needs one, and what to expect when you set one up.
What does ACE actually stand for
ACE = Automated Commercial Environment. CBP rolled it out in 2016 as a single online system to replace the patchwork of paper forms and legacy databases the customs world had been using for decades. The idea was to put everything an importer needs in one place: file your entries, pay your duties, track your shipments, file protests, request refunds.
In practice, ACE is a portal you log into at ace.cbp.gov. Once you’re inside, you can see every customs entry your business has ever made, what duties you paid, what refunds (if any) you’re owed, and what’s pending review.
Who actually needs an ACE account
This is the part that’s easy to miss, so let me be specific.
You probably need an ACE account if:
- You are the importer of record on goods coming into the US — meaning your business name is on the customs entry paperwork, not your supplier’s
- You import directly from overseas manufacturers (jewelry from Italy, ceramics from Portugal, clothing from Peru, anything coming in your name)
- You hire a customs broker to handle your entries but want to be able to see your own records
- You want to file for an IEEPA tariff refund (which is most of why anyone is reading this in April 2026)
You probably do NOT need an ACE account if:
- You buy everything through US-based wholesalers, distributors, or sales reps (like me) and never see a customs entry in your business name
- Your suppliers handle all importing and you just receive a domestic invoice from them
- You only sell domestically-made goods
The simplest test: if you’ve ever signed a customs broker engagement letter or written a check directly to CBP for duties, you need an ACE account. If you’ve never heard of a customs broker, you probably don’t.
What ACE looks like inside
Once your account is set up, the dashboard breaks into a few main sections:
Entries. Every customs filing your business has ever made, sortable by date, port of entry, supplier, and duty type. This is where you’ll find your CBP Form 7501s — the entry summaries that document what came in, what it was worth, and what you paid in duties.
Trade. This is where you file new entries (or where your customs broker files them on your behalf), and starting April 20, 2026, where you’ll find the new CAPE refund tool for IEEPA tariff claims.
Reports. Custom-built reports on your import activity. Most small importers never touch this section, but it’s useful for year-end accounting if you want to see your total duty spend in one place.
Notifications. CBP messages, holds, requests for additional information, refund status updates. Check this section anytime you’ve filed something and are waiting on a response.
It’s not pretty. Federal IT design is what it is. But it works, and once you know where things are, you can navigate it in a few minutes.
How to set up an account
This is the detail nobody mentions until you need it: the ACE account setup takes three to four weeks. It’s not an instant signup. CBP has to verify your business identity, link your account to your importer of record number, and run their internal checks. If you wait until April 20 to start the process, you’ll be sitting in a queue while interest accrues without you.
Here’s what you need to gather before you start:
- Your business EIN (Employer Identification Number)
- Your importer of record number — this is the same number on your customs entries; your customs broker has it
- Articles of incorporation or equivalent business formation documents
- A trade account administrator name (this can be you, the owner)
- An email address you actually monitor for the next month
Then go to ace.cbp.gov and click “Sign Up.” Submit the application. CBP will email you within a few days with a verification link. Click it. Then wait. Within 15-20 business days, you’ll receive a second email with your Trade Account ID and your account becomes fully usable.
If you import through a customs broker, here’s an option that might save you time: most brokers already have an ACE account that lists your business as a client. You can ask your broker to file on your behalf using their account, which means you don’t need to set up your own. For small refund claims, this is often the fastest path. For larger claims or ongoing import activity, having your own account is worth the setup time.
Who shouldn’t bother setting one up
Be honest with yourself about whether you need this.
If you’ve never personally paid a tariff and never signed a customs entry, you don’t need an ACE account. The tariff refund window is for importers of record, not for the retailers downstream from them. If you bought tariffed goods from a US distributor, the refund flows to that distributor, not to you. Setting up an ACE account won’t change that. (What you can do instead: ask your suppliers whether they’re filing, and whether any refund will pass through to you. That’s a different conversation, and one I cover in the next article in this guide.)
If your total potential refund is under a few hundred dollars, the time investment in setting up ACE may not pay off. Three hours of your time has real value too. Use the Tariff Refund Eligibility Checker to estimate your refund first, then decide whether to bother.
What about customs brokers — do I need one of those too
Maybe. If you’re filing a single refund claim for a few entries you already have on file, you can do it yourself through ACE. The new CAPE tool launching April 20 is designed to be self-service for exactly this situation.
If you have dozens of entries spread across multiple ports, complex supplier structures, or refund claims in the five or six figures, hiring a customs broker is usually worth it. Brokers typically charge $200-$500 to file a refund claim, and most won’t take the work unless your refund is large enough to make their fee worthwhile. That’s a useful filter — if no broker will take your case, your refund probably isn’t large enough to justify your own time either.
The bottom line
The ACE Portal is the door to your IEEPA tariff refund. Setting it up takes three to four weeks, which means the right time to start is right now, not on April 20 when the refund tool opens.
If you’re ready for the actual filing process — the seven-step walkthrough of how to gather your records, identify the eligible duties, and submit your claim through the new CAPE tool — that’s the next article in this guide: How to File for an IEEPA Tariff Refund.
If you’re not sure whether you qualify in the first place, take 90 seconds with the Tariff Refund Eligibility Checker before you go any further.
Want a heads-up the moment the CAPE portal goes live on April 20? Drop your email below. You’ll get one line the morning it opens — is it working, where to click, what’s breaking — plus the Morning Retail Tidbit each weekday, one short paragraph on what’s actually happening in independent retail.
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xoxo,
♥ AmyFay
This guide is general information, not legal or customs advice. Consult a licensed customs broker or trade attorney for high-value claims. Rules change — verify with CBP before filing.