Earlier this month, U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) announced that, effective February 6, it will issue all refunds electronically via Automated Clearing House (ACH). CBP published the interim final rule in the Federal Register and issued it in response to Executive Order 14247, which mandates all Federal disbursements be made electronically.
The rule applies to refunds issued to all importers, brokers, filers, sureties, service providers, facility operators, foreign trade zone operators, carriers, and any designated third parties listed on CBP Form 4811. After February 6, CBP will not issue any refunds by check, unless a waiver has been approved.
To prepare for this change, CBP recently improved the ACH refund sign-up process by adding an automated ACH Refund Authorization tool in the ACE Portal. CBP also automated the ACE Portal’s importer account application, which is necessary to access the new ACH Refund Authorization tool.
CBP published an Electronic Refund Enrollment Reference Sheet to help parties prepare for this mandatory transition.
