UPS Starts Refunds After Supreme Court Ruling on Trump Tariffs

United Parcel Service (UPS) has begun processing tariff refunds for eligible shipments following a Supreme Court ruling that struck down the major global levies President Donald Trump imposed.

According to a company update on its tariffs page, UPS is now working with U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) to return funds to customers where applicable, starting with tariff payments made from January 30, 2026, in addition to pending tariff payments.

The refunds apply to 2025 import duties brought in under the International Emergency Economic Powers Act (IEEPA), as the Supreme Court ruled that Trump overstepped his authority by using the emergency law to implement the global tariffs.

However, Americans consumers will not be seeing any money return to their pockets because it was not consumers who paid the tariffs (or the imports), it was the importers themselves.

The refund rollout highlights the economic scale of Trump’s tariff policies, as UPS previously said it had processed millions of tariff-affected shipments and remitted more than $5 billion to the U.S. Treasury.

As part of the refund rollout, CBP launched a digital platform known as CAPE (Consolidated Administration and Processing of Entries) through which importers can request refunds for eligible tariff payments, starting on April 20, 2026. Refund requests for IEEPA entries from January 30 to April 19, 2026 will be reviewed in the first phase of the process.

UPS said it would take between 60 to 90 days after approval for requests to be delivered. For shipments where UPS was the importer of record, the company said those customers do not need to take action, as UPS will be retrieving the refunds on their behalf.

Will American Consumers Get Tariff Refunds?

Only importers have a right to claim a refund, even though consumers may have paid more for their purchases as a result of the tariffs.

As any changes to costs for consumers likely came from importers raising prices, not because they were paying tariff costs themselves, it therefore means they are ineligible to claim refunds.

“The decision to refund tariff funds to businesses undoubtedly provided some hope to millions of Americans struggling with inflationary pressures that a reversal in pricing could also be on the way,” Alex Beene, a financial literacy instructor for the University of Tennessee at Martin, previously told Newsweek. “However, the unfortunate reality is price cuts on many items, at least in the short term, remain unlikely.”

“Could prices come down? Possibly. If companies receive rebates or relief, some have stated they will lower prices,” Kevin Thompson, the CEO of 9i Capital Group and the host of the 9innings podcast, also previously told Newsweek. “But for consumers who have already paid those higher prices, that money is gone. It's already been collected.”

What the Supreme Court Ruled on Trump’s Tariffs

In a 6–3 decision issued on February 20, 2026, the Supreme Court found that the Trump administration exceeded its authority by using the IEEPA to impose sweeping tariffs on global imports.

As a result, the tariffs imposed under that authority in 2025 were deemed unlawful, triggering a process to unwind the policy and potentially refund billions collected from importers.

However, while the Supreme Court invalidated the 2025 tariffs imposed under IEEPA, other duties remain in force under separate laws.

The following industry-specific tariffs under Section 232 were not impacted by the Supreme Court ruling:

• Steel (50 percent)
• Aluminum (50 percent)
• Autos and auto parts (25 percent)
• Copper parts (50 percent)
• Timber and lumber (10 percent)
• Cabinets and vanities (25 percent)
• Upholstered furniture (25 percent)
• Heavy-duty trucks (25 percent)
• Buses (10 percent)
• Certain semiconductors and chipmaking equipment (25 percent)

Certain food and agricultural imports are also still subject to duties, alongside country‑specific tariffs that were imposed under different legal authorities or tied to separate trade actions.

2026 NEWSWEEK DIGITAL LLC.

This story was originally published May 27, 2026 at 7:28 AM.