U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) published an interim final rule in the January 2, 2026, Federal Register mandating that almost all customs duty drawbacks and other refunds be paid exclusively via Automated Clearing House (ACH) transfer beginning February 6, 2026. Paper checks will be issued only where recipients qualify for a narrow Treasury waiver.
The change stems from Executive Order 14247—“Modernizing Payments To and From America’s Bank Account”—signed in March 2025, which directs federal agencies to adopt electronic disbursements to curb check fraud and reduce processing costs. According to CBP, only about 30 percent of the roughly $2 billion in annual refund volume is currently paid electronically; moving to 100 percent digital payments could save the government millions in postage and reissue expenses.
![CBP Issues Interim Rule Requiring All Duty-Refund Payments to Go Electronic From February 2026]()
Importers, customs brokers, foreign-trade-zone operators and other trade participants must now enroll in ACH Refund through the ACE Portal, providing U.S. banking details. Companies that fail to supply account information will see refunds rejected without interest accrual until banking data are filed—a potential cash-flow strain for multinationals that rely on timely drawback payments.
From a mobility perspective, the rule dovetails with CBP’s broader digitization push that also affects Trusted Traveler enrollment, I-94 issuance and ESTA fee collection. Global mobility teams that handle household-goods imports under company EINs should coordinate with logistics and finance departments to ensure ACE access and banking enrollment are in place before February. Refunds tied to employee relocations—such as overpaid duties on personal effects—will otherwise be delayed.
Stakeholders have until March 3, 2026, to submit comments. While the interim rule is procedural, industry groups are expected to request phased implementation for small importers without ACE accounts. Nonetheless, CBP has signaled no intention to postpone the effective date, so companies should treat ACH enrollment as an immediate compliance priority.
The change stems from Executive Order 14247—“Modernizing Payments To and From America’s Bank Account”—signed in March 2025, which directs federal agencies to adopt electronic disbursements to curb check fraud and reduce processing costs. According to CBP, only about 30 percent of the roughly $2 billion in annual refund volume is currently paid electronically; moving to 100 percent digital payments could save the government millions in postage and reissue expenses.
Importers, customs brokers, foreign-trade-zone operators and other trade participants must now enroll in ACH Refund through the ACE Portal, providing U.S. banking details. Companies that fail to supply account information will see refunds rejected without interest accrual until banking data are filed—a potential cash-flow strain for multinationals that rely on timely drawback payments.
From a mobility perspective, the rule dovetails with CBP’s broader digitization push that also affects Trusted Traveler enrollment, I-94 issuance and ESTA fee collection. Global mobility teams that handle household-goods imports under company EINs should coordinate with logistics and finance departments to ensure ACE access and banking enrollment are in place before February. Refunds tied to employee relocations—such as overpaid duties on personal effects—will otherwise be delayed.
Stakeholders have until March 3, 2026, to submit comments. While the interim rule is procedural, industry groups are expected to request phased implementation for small importers without ACE accounts. Nonetheless, CBP has signaled no intention to postpone the effective date, so companies should treat ACH enrollment as an immediate compliance priority.
Source: Federal Register
