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A new federal system designed to refund tariffs to US businesses has already rejected thousands of claims just days after launching, raising questions among importers trying to recover payments.

The U.S. Customs and Border Protection said about 15% of refund requests submitted through its new portal were denied as of April 26.

The system, called the Consolidated Administration and Processing of Entries (CAPE), went live on April 20 following a court-ordered process tied to a major legal ruling.

More than 75,000 refund requests have been filed so far, according to CBP.

Of those, over 47,000 claims covering roughly 11 million tariff payments were accepted as properly submitted. Officials say the rejected claims often fall outside the program's strict requirements, CBS News reported.

The CAPE system was created after the US Supreme Court struck down emergency tariffs imposed during the Trump administration earlier this year.

The ruling required the government to return certain tariff payments, prompting a fast rollout of the refund portal.

Tariff Refund Process Limited to Specific Claims

Experts say many businesses may be making simple mistakes when filing. Nick Richards, a partner at Greenspoon Marder, explained that the system only accepts specific types of claims during its early phase.

"There are parameters, and I would imagine some of the submissions are outside of that scope," he said.

For now, only finalized tariffs or those that can still be estimated are eligible. In addition, companies can only request refunds for tariffs imposed under the International Emergency Economic Powers Act during the Trump era. Claims that do not meet these conditions are automatically rejected.

Despite the number of denials, officials say the system itself is working as planned.

According to OffThePress, CBP noted that the portal has run smoothly, with only a brief 18-minute pause on launch day to adjust system resources and improve processing speed.

Some users have reported minor glitches, but overall feedback has been positive. Richards praised the quick rollout, saying, "They've done an amazing job rolling this out."

He added that the speed of development was impressive given the complexity of handling thousands of claims at once.