Will GA consumers get any Trump tariff refunds? Here’s what we found

The Supreme Court struck down most of President Donald Trump’s tariffs in February, and the federal government now owes more than $166 billion to businesses that paid them, but individual consumers are barred from applying for refunds.

Only the business that officially paid the customs bill, the importer of record, is eligible, and the $1,000-per-household tax hit Americans absorbed is likely just gone for most people.

The president was on television urging companies not to request refunds and praising companies that have yet to apply as “brilliant.” He told CNBC, “If they don’t do that, I’ll remember them.”

He also spoke on companies that are pursuing refunds, saying “In many cases, the enemy, the enemy, is getting this money,” apparently referring to said companies. He went on to suggest the returned billions “have hated the United ​States.”

The refund process is underway for corporations

On Monday, U.S. Customs and Border Protection launched the Consolidated Administration and Processing of Entries (CAPE) portal which allows businesses that paid IEEPA tariffs to apply for refunds electronically.

Here’s what we know:

• More than 330,000 importers paid tariffs across 53 million shipments
• Projected massive paydays for major retailers like Walmart (~$100 billion), Target ($2.2 billion) and Nike ($1 billion)
• Refunds could take up from 60 to 90 days from the acceptance of the claim

Why consumers are cut out

This is how tariff law works. Tariffs are taxes on imports, paid by companies when products cross the border. A report from the Tax Foundation found Trump’s tariffs equated to a tax increase of roughly $1,000 per household in 2025.

Those costs will not be directly reimbursed to consumers, only to importers, unless companies choose to pass savings on.

Hidden costs

• Businesses passed costs downstream to shoppers
• The cost has been woven in to the prices of products
• This process makes it more difficult to separate out what a consumer ultimately paid
• Manufacturers, suppliers, importers, retailers, and shoppers all absorb costs along the way

What consumers can do

Ultimately, not much. Individual consumers have very little recourse in recouping any lost money and most of it is moving toward corporations and big business.

A few businesses like FedEx and Costo have vowed to pass the refunds back to customers, yet no specified mechanism or timeline has been revealed. In fact, a recent poll of chief financial officers found that most companies do not intend to pass and of the money back to customers.

Some consumers have filed class-action lawsuits against Costco, FedEx, and UPS seeking direct refunds. First Alert 4 The suits argue retailers who raised prices and are now collecting government refunds amount to double recovery.