Will GA shoppers get a Trump tariff refund, or will companies pay you back? Here’s what to know

The Supreme Court ruled in February that President Donald Trump lacked the legal authority to impose sweeping emergency tariffs. However, it is still unclear whether the roughly $175 billion collected will be returned to consumers.

Lawmakers, states and businesses are proposing competing ways to put that money back, while the White House pushes back and experts warn the process could take years.

Refund eligibility

The money refunded would be the duties paid at the border on affected imports, plus any statutory interest the Court of International Trade ultimately authorizes.

Who receives a refund:

The importer of record is the company that brought the goods to the United States and paid the tariff to U.S. Customs and Border Protection and will be entitled to money back.

• Big retailers (i.e. Walmart and Costco)
• Manufacturers
• Logistics companies (i.e. FedEx and UPS)
• Firms that import on their own

Regular customers may not receive any rebates from the tariffs, unless significant movement happens in the refund-related legislation. Because they never paid the tariff directly to Customs, their money went to higher prices at the store.

What a tariff refund could look like

Several competing proposals are in play, ranging from direct consumer checks to business-first reimbursements, with no guarantee any of them pass or reach everyday shoppers

From lawmakers:

• The Tariff Refund Act of 2026 would require U.S. Customs and Border Protection to refund all International Emergency Economic Powers Act (IEEPA) tariffs with interest, prioritizing small businesses.
• The House Payback Act would direct the U.S. Department of the Treasury to refund consumers directly, using a transparent formula and existing payment systems.
• Some Democratic governors have called for $1,700 checks per family.

From companies:

Several large companies have promised to pass on their refunds to their customers, while others are suing to regain their own expenditures.

Companies passing on refunds to consumers:

• FedEx has pledged to pass any refunds it receives back to the shippers and consumers.
• Cards Against Humanity has said it will return tariff-related refunds to its customers and is inviting buyers to file claims if they believe they overpaid.
• ​Dame Products has promised automatic refunds to customers who were charged tariff-related price increases, instead of waiting for government money to arrive.

Companies suing for refunds:

News reports say more than 1,800 companies have filed lawsuits seeking tariff refunds, with new cases coming in daily.

• Bausch + Lomb
• Dyson
• L’Oréal
• Costco
• Barnes & Noble
• Dollar General
• EssilorLuxottica (Ray-Bans parent company)
• Nissan’s U.S. arm
• Goodyear Tire & Rubber

The tariffs

The debate around the refund centers on duties imposed by invoking the IEEPA, which the Court has now struck down.

Affected tariffs:

• 25% duty on most Canadian and Mexican imports
• 10% duty on most Chinese imports, which were modified repeatedly
• 145% total effective rate on Chinese goods
• At least 10% on imports from every other trading partner (with some nations facing higher rates)

Not every Trump tariff is affected, so there are still duties being levied.

Excluded tariffs:

• 50% on steel
• 25% on aluminum
• 25% on semiconductors 
• 25% on automobiles (with the U.K. facing 10% duties and Japan, 15%) 

The path to refunds faces many obstacles, and the money may largely stay with corporations before it ever reaches consumers, but the proposed legislation is worth following.

Do you think American consumers should get refunds on tariffs. Email me at srose@ledger-enquirer.com or find me on social media.

This story was originally published March 4, 2026 at 6:00 AM with the headline "Will GA shoppers get a Trump tariff refund, or will companies pay you back? Here’s what to know."