As a reminder, beginning February 6, 2026, U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) will issue all refunds electronically via Automated Clearing House (ACH). CBP will no longer issue refunds by check unless an approved waiver is in place.
For previous posts on signing up for CBP’s ACE Portal see the following link:
How to sign up for an ACE Portal Account
FAQs – ACE Portal Sign Up
The following FAQs relate to registering for a new ACE Portal Account. Feel free to reach out to our team if you need additional support.
My company has a Customs ACH Account to pay duties directly to Customs via our Payor Unit Number (PUN), do we need to take action?
Yes, your Customs ACH account to remit duties and ACE Portal registration are not the same. All importers who may receive refunds from CBP should Register for a New ACE Portal Account and enter their ACH account information. Existing users must login and enter their ACH account details to receive refunds.
I don’t have an ACE Portal Account where do I sign up?
New ACE Portal users should use the CBP’s new automated application.
I have attempted to complete the new automated application to create an account, however I am receiving an error message?
All three fields of information must match the importers Customs Form 5106 Record including:
- Company Name – Should match the format on file with Customs.
- Importer Record Number (IR#) – usually this is the importers EIN number, SS# (for individuals), or Customs assigned number. The format must match (e.g. NN-NNNNNNN, NNN-NN-NNN, or YYDDPP-NNNNN.
- Business Email Address Listed on 5106 Record – Upon completing the form a verification email will be sent to the current email associated with the 5106 Record. The email inserted here must match that record.
I am still having trouble creating an account, how can WWL Help?
If you are unable to complete these three fields, continue to receive error messages, or have not received the verification message we can assist.
- Customs brokers can run a quest of Customs which shows Company Name that must match the application
- Customs brokers can update the email contact on file with CBP electronically via a 5106 Update. Feel free to contact us for assistance.
How do I know if I have an ACE Portal Account?
Most importers have knowledge of an ACE Portal account. However, importers could:
- Attempt to log in via the Step 1 of the CBP’s Electronic Refund Enrollment Reference Sheet using the new automated application. If your company has an ACE account an error message will state that the importer number submitted is associated with an existing account (or similar).
- Contact Ace Support. ACE Portal Support – Trade Users: If you need help establishing an ACE Portal account or have ACE account questions, please contact the ACE Help Desk by phone or email. ACE Help Desk is available 24 hours a day except Saturday from 10pm to Sunday at 5am ET. Importers: please have you Importer of Record Number available when calling. E-mail ACE Support or call (866) 530-4172.
I have logged into the ACE Portal Account how do I input my ACH information for Refunds?
Once an ACE Portal Account has been established, the Top Account Owner of the ACE portal account must follow Step 2 of the CBP’s Electronic Refund Enrollment Reference Sheet.
- Log into the ACE Portal
- Navigate to the Importer sub-account view
- Locate the ACH Refund Authorization tab.
Tip: May have to click on “More” to see the ACH Refund Authorization Tab
Tip: May have to click the “Get info/Refresh” button to view the “Add ACH Info” `Button
- View, add, and update U.S. bank information for receiving refunds.
If an importer inputs the banking information in the ACE Refund Authorization Tab, will they receive some notification from CBP that their ACH has been approved or does it happen without notification (for example, automatically)?
When the importer completes the ACH application tab in the ACE portal, they will receive a message of “success”.
The routing number will be checked to make sure it is a valid routing number. Once the applicant receives a completed/success message at the time of submission the ACH Refund account has been created.
Extreme care is required to enter the correct bank account information as there is no verification by CBP that the account number is valid or tied to the account owner. If there is an issue with the account information provided and the refund rejects back to CBP, the REV-603 report will reflect the Refund Secondary Status as “Check/ACH Returned”.
Do both resident and non-resident importers, with an ACE portal, qualify for ACH refund?
Yes, both resident and non-resident importers can have an ACE Portal Account. The importer, whether resident or non-resident must have a US receiving bank account to participate in ACH refund.
What should a Foreign Importer of Record consider?
Foreign importers will need to obtain a U.S. bank account or authorize their broker to receive refunds on their behalf via the 4811 (Notify Party) process.