Anyone who ordered goods from abroad over the last year may have faced an unpleasant surprise: a steep extra charge from a courier before the parcel could actually be delivered.
Across social media, shoppers have shared complaints about sudden import fees added to purchases ranging from clothing to gadgets, often with little warning.
A Supreme Court ruling issued on February 20, 2026 changed the picture by holding that tariffs imposed under the International Emergency Economic Powers Act (IEEPA) were not authorized. As a result, U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) is now processing refunds for eligible entries in phases.
There is an important limitation, though. Consumers generally cannot apply to the government directly for these repayments. Even so, that does not necessarily prevent them from getting their money back through the courier company involved in the shipment.
Under customs rules, only the Importer of Record (IOR) can ask CBP for a refund. That is the party officially named on the customs paperwork when the package entered the United States.
For many routine international online orders sent through companies such as UPS and FedEx, the courier itself was acting as the Importer of Record rather than the person who made the purchase.
In practice, that means large delivery firms are seeking the refunds from CBP and then returning the recovered amounts to the customers who originally paid those tariff charges.
UPS says it is filing refund claims for eligible shipments where it served as importer and is handling the process in phases. The company says the first phase covers certain tariff payments made starting January 30, 2026, along with pending tariff payments, and that CBP’s review and payment process can take at least 60 to 90 days.
FedEx has also set up a specific customer portal that pairs past shipments with refund payments issued by CBP. The company says it has received refunds for eligible shipments in the FedEx IEEPA Tariff Refund Portal, where customers can look up shipments using tracking details or entry numbers.
To speed up payments, FedEx allows customers to consent to limited shipment-data sharing with outside vendor partners. Those who opt in may receive direct reimbursement sooner, while customers who do not consent will receive refunds later through a slower manual reconciliation process.
If you were charged an unexpected tariff on an overseas delivery and want to know whether you are due money back, the simplest route is to check directly with the courier handling your shipment through its online refund tools. You may also need your entry number, tracking number, or other shipment documentation to match the charge to a specific refund request.
Note: Only tariffs levied specifically under the invalidated IEEPA rules are eligible for refunds. Standard shipping fees, brokerage handling charges, and other statutory tariffs such as Section 232 or Section 301 duties are not included. In most cases, refunds are also limited to the importer of record and to entries that fall within the current CBP refund phases.