Guide · checked 13 October 2026

UPS, FedEx and DHL tariff refunds

If a carrier billed you the extra IEEPA tariff on a parcel, the carrier usually claims the refund and pays you back. You only need to act if your own name was on the customs entry.

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Who gets the money

Only the importer of record can claim an IEEPA refund from US Customs. For most small parcels the carrier cleared the goods in its own name and billed the duty to the sender or the buyer, so the carrier claims and then passes the money to whoever paid the duty. If your name or customs number is in box 30 of the entry summary (CBP Form 7501), you are the importer of record and must claim yourself: use the refund checker.

What each carrier says

Carrier	How refunds reach you
UPS	Claiming on about 2.5 million entries. Refunds go first against any open UPS invoices; the rest is paid 60 to 90 days after UPS receives it. Where UPS was importer of record, customers don't need to do anything.
FedEx	Began passing refunds to the customers who paid them from August 2026, and runs a portal to check whether a refund for a shipment has arrived and its value. Customers who agree to share limited shipment data with FedEx's partners are paid sooner; others are still paid, later.
DHL Express	Files Phase 1 claims where DHL was importer of record and pays US customers by cheque, 30 to 90 days after DHL receives the refund. Duty billed to a sender abroad is credited to that country's DHL for payment. If you were the importer and DHL was only your broker, ask DHL to file (a paperwork fee applies) or file yourself.

Sold to US buyers and paid the duty yourself?

If you shipped DDP (duty paid) and the carrier billed the tariff to your account, the refund comes back to your account. Check your carrier invoices from February 2025 to February 2026 for duty and tax charges so you know what to expect. If your US buyer paid at the door, the refund goes to them.

Which parcels are covered

Refunds are paid in phases. The first phase (from 20 April 2026) covered entries that were not yet liquidated or were liquidated in the previous 80 days. Many low-value parcels are informal entries, which count as liquidated on the day they arrive, so older parcels depend on later phases or on the courts. A class of importers was certified on 8 October 2026; relief has not been ordered yet. Carriers say they will pass on later refunds as they receive them.

Check whether you have to claim yourself

Sources: Supply Chain Dive on FedEx, UPS and DHL refund plans; DHL "IEEPA Trump Tariff Refunds" guidance; Newsweek on UPS refunds; Learning Resources, Inc. v. Trump (20 Feb 2026). Carrier policies change; check your carrier's own page before relying on a date.