Estimator

Estimate your duty drawback

Start with numbers you already know. Sourced averages fill in the rest, and you can change them.

Your numbers

Customs value of the goods you bring in. Type 25m or 2.5m.

Exported unused, built into products you export, or destroyed under CBP's rules. Retail returns count when you export or destroy them.

Duty paid ÷ customs value. Leave out IEEPA duty. Pay Section 301 or other 2026 duties? Use your own rate.

U.S. averages: 6.7% for the most recent year (July 2026) and 2.3% for earlier years (January 2025).⁠[1]A rate you enter applies to every year.

Quick picks

22.8% (the average on imports from China, July 2026).⁠[1]

Years of records

Drawback reaches back five years from import.⁠[2]

Have you filed CAPE for your IEEPA duty?

CAPE is CBP's refund process for IEEPA tariffs.⁠[3] Your answer sets your next step. It doesn't change the estimate.

Estimated drawback · 5 years of records at 99%

Rough estimate

$787,000

Starting figures. Change them to see your own estimate.

SealedPrivate by default. Provable on request.StandardMay use outside AI. Staff access logged.
The fee$143,00018.2%$127,00016.2%
To you, after the fee$644,000$660,000

Compare the modesHonest limits

Each later year, before the fee, if exports continue$332,000

Imports from Q4 2021 pass the five-year limit between October and December 2026.⁠[2] At these numbers, about $9,500 of possible drawback a month ages past it, at the earlier-years rate of 2.3%.⁠[1]

Assumptions

  • Drawback returns up to 99% of the duties, taxes and fees paid.⁠[2]⁠[4]
  • Average duty rate: (6.7% × 1 year + 2.3% × 4 years).
  • IEEPA: Not counted. Your CAPE answer changes the order of filing, not these numbers.
  • Merchandise processing fees and harbor maintenance tax can count too.⁠[4] This estimate leaves them out.

Your CAPE next step

Answer the CAPE question to see your next step.

IEEPA duty isn't in this estimate. Through CAPE, CBP refunds it in full, plus interest.⁠[5]

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How this is calculated
Drawback
25,000,000 × 20% × 99% × (6.7% × 1 year + 2.3% × 4 years) = 787,050.00
Fee, Sealed
20% × 500,000 + 15% × 287,050 = 143,057.50 (18.2%)
Fee, Standard
18% × 500,000 + 13% × 287,050 = 127,316.50 (16.2%)
To you, Sealed
787,050.00 − 143,057.50 = 643,992.50
To you, Standard
787,050.00 − 127,316.50 = 659,733.50
Each later year
25,000,000 × 20% × 6.7% × 99% = 331,650.00

Why two rates: The U.S. average effective tariff rate was 6.7% in July 2026 and 2.3% in January 2025.⁠[1] Older imports mostly paid the lower rate, so the default uses 6.7% for the most recent year and 2.3% for each earlier year. Pay Section 301 or other 2026 duties? Use your own rate; it then applies to every year. Count only duty drawback can return. AD/CVD duty is excluded, and Section 232 depends on the program.⁠[4]⁠[6]

Why 99%: Drawback returns up to 99% of the duties, taxes and fees paid.⁠[2]⁠[4] Merchandise processing fees and harbor maintenance tax can count too.⁠[4] This estimate leaves them out.

The fee: The published lookback tiers, applied to the combined principal recovered: Sealed 20% of the first $500K, 15% to $2M, 12% above. Standard is 2 points less: 18%, 13% and 10%. The $750 minimum per filed claim, never more than 25% of what that claim recovers, applies too; the estimate assumes one claim. After the lookback, an ongoing program is 15% Sealed or 13% Standard on the first $1M recovered each year, and 12% or 10% above.

IEEPA: Not counted. Your CAPE answer changes the order of filing, not these numbers.

Five-year note: The earliest year's figure at 2.3% (or your own rate) ÷ 12, rounded to the nearest $100.

Rounding: The card rounds the drawback to the nearest $1,000. Each fee rounds to the nearest $1,000 once the drawback reaches $100,000, and to the dollar below that. "To you" is their difference, so it adds up. This tape stays exact.

Rough estimate · $787,000 drawback · To you: Sealed $644,000 · Standard $660,000

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Proof

Check every number yourself

Questions

About this estimate

Sources checked October 2026.

Is this a quote?

Averages, not an eligibility decision. Your entries decide. NexQloud Drawback is not a government agency. This is not legal advice.

What does it leave out?

This estimate leaves out IEEPA duty, which goes through CAPE, and any interest CBP pays, which is yours. Some older IEEPA entries can't go through CAPE and may need a protest or a court case.⁠[7]⁠[8] Section 232 drawback depends on the program. AD/CVD duty is excluded.⁠[4]⁠[6]

What do past exports and destroyed goods need?

Unused-merchandise claims on past exports need notices of intent filed before export, a waiver, or a one-time retroactive approval.⁠[9] Goods you destroy need a notice to CBP at least 7 working days before destruction.⁠[10]

What are the fees?

The fee is charged only after CBP pays, on principal only. A $750 minimum applies to each filed claim, never more than 25% of what that claim recovers. Clients of our advisory partners get 10% off the percentage fee, not the minimum. These fees apply when a NexQloud partner broker files. If your own broker files, it sets its own fee.

Get started

See the agent build a claim.

Run the demo on a sample file. About three minutes.

  1. 01

    Upload one quarter.

    Entry summaries, invoices and export records.

    WhoYou

  2. 02

    AI drafts your claim.

    It ties each export to its import, to the cent.

    WhoThe agent

  3. 03

    Your broker files. CBP pays you.

    The refund goes directly to your bank account.

    WhoA licensed broker

Your email and name open the demo. We never ask for your ACE login or bank details.

Book a discovery call
Ready now? Start a claim

IEEPA refunds

Got your IEEPA refund? Drawback is the one that repeats.

We check every entry for CAPE first, the order CBP recommends.⁠[3] Drawback can recur every year.

Which tariffs qualify?

Section 301 duties, the Section 122 surcharge and the Section 338 duties on Canada all qualify.⁠[11]⁠[12]⁠[13]

How CAPE and drawback fit together

For partners

Be the firm that finds your clients a second refund.

Brokers earn the drawback fee. CPA firms bill their own work. Refund firms keep their CAPE clients. Design partners help shape it before launch.

Apply to partner

No fee to apply. We reply within 2 business days.

Questions

Top questions

All questions
What is duty drawback?

A refund of up to 99% of the duties, taxes and fees you paid on imports that you later export or destroy, or that went into products you export.⁠[2] It works in any industry.

When can I start?

We open to importers in waves, in the order of the waitlist. The demo shows the whole product with sample data today, and partners can apply now.

What will you need from me?

One quarter of records to start: entry summaries, invoices, packing lists, shipping documents, and export, return or destruction records.

How long until CBP pays?

With accelerated payment, CBP can pay before the claim is final. Its only published timing, from December 2018: processing "will generally take place within 3 weeks of the claim resubmission date."⁠[14]

Can I use my own customs broker?

Yes. Invite your own broker, or use one we name before you sign. Your POA stays with your broker, and your broker sets its own fee.

What if CBP pays less than claimed?

The fee follows what CBP actually pays. If CBP later recovers part of a payment, the fee is reduced to match.

Do you file CAPE claims?

No. We check every entry for CAPE first and flag what belongs there. You or your broker files CAPE. Refund firms work through one of you.

Demo

Run the demo

Watch the agent turn a sample file into a claim folder. About 3 minutes.

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