CAPE in Practice: IEEPA Refunds, Importer Visibility & the New Refund Workflow

Tuesday 14th July, 12:00 EDT

Speaker: Ashley Arnold, LCB, CCS, Founder, JEM Consulting & Coaching

Description:

The Consolidated Administration and Processing of Entries (CAPE) process was developed in response to the operational need to manage IEEPA duty refunds at scale, but its impact goes beyond refund recovery. This session will break down CAPE in a practical way: what it is, why it matters, and how to prepare data, coordinate with customs brokers, and track refund activity with stronger internal controls. 

Rather than treating CAPE as a one-time refund exercise, this webinar will use the IEEPA refund process as a case study for improving importer visibility. We will discuss how importers can identify impacted entries, validate duty payment data, evaluate broker reporting, monitor refund status, support ACH refund readiness, and build an audit trail that aligns compliance, finance, logistics, and leadership expectations. 

Attendees will leave with a clearer understanding of the operational workflow, common risk areas, and practical next steps importers can take now to avoid missed refunds, duplicate efforts, data gaps, and communication breakdowns. The session is designed for importers, brokers, trade compliance professionals, finance partners, and anyone seeking a real-world understanding of how CAPE fits into the broader customs compliance and refund management landscape. 

CE-Friendly Learning Objectives:

  • Explain the purpose of CAPE in the context of IEEPA duty refund processing andconsolidatedrefund activity. 
  • Identifykey data elements and entry populations importers should review when evaluating refund eligibility and status. 
  • Distinguish practical considerations related to importer-led visibility, broker coordination, PSC activity, protests, and refund tracking.
  • Recognize operational benefits that extend beyond IEEPA refunds, including ACH refund readiness, entry auditing, reporting discipline, and internal stakeholder alignment.
  • Apply practical controls to reduce risk of missed refunds, duplicate submissions, incomplete audit trails, and inaccurate internal expectations.