(a) When it is found upon, or prior to, liquidation or reliquidation of an entry or reconciliation that a refund of excessive duties, taxes, fees or interest (at the rate determined in accordance with § 24.3a(c)(1)) is due, a refund shall be prepared in the name of the person to whom the refund is due, as determined under paragraphs (b) and (c) of this section. If an authority to mail checks to someone other than the payee, Customs Form 4811, is on file, the address of the payee shall be shown as in care of the address of the authorized persons. If a power of attorney is on file, the address of the payee may be shown as in care of the address of such attorney, if requested. A Form 4811 received by Customs will not be effective if a Customs transaction requiring the use of the owner’s importer number has not been made within 3 years from the date the Form 4811 was filed or if there is no unliquidated entry on file to which such number is to be associated. For purposes of this section:

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(1) Except as otherwise provided in paragraphs (a)(1)(i) through (a)(1)(iii) of this section, the refund shall include interest on the excess moneys deposited with Customs, and such interest shall accrue from the date the duties, taxes, fees or interest were deposited or, in a case in which a proper claim is filed under 19 U.S.C. § 1520(d) and subpart D of Part 181 of this chapter, from the date such claim is filed, to the date of liquidation or reliquidation of the applicable entry or reconciliation. An example follows:

Example:Entry liquidates for a refundImporter is owed a refund of $600 plus interest as follows:The importer makes a $1,000 initial deposit (January 1) and the entry liquidates for $400 (December 1). Upon liquidation, the importer will be owed a refund of $600 plus interest. The interest will accrue from the date of deposit (January 1) to the date of liquidation (December 1).

(i) If an additional deposit of duties, taxes, fees or interest was made prior to liquidation or reliquidation and if any portion of that additional deposit was in excess of the amount required to be deposited, in addition to any other interest accrued under this paragraph (a)(1), the refund also shall include interest accrued on the excess additional deposit from the date of the additional deposit to the date of liquidation or reliquidation of the applicable entry or reconciliation. An example follows:

Example:Additional deposit made and entry liquidates for a refundImporter is owed a refund of $900 plus interest as follows:The importer makes a $1,000 initial deposit (January 1) and an additional pre-liquidation deposit of $200 (May 1) and the entry liquidates for $300 (December 1). Upon liquidation, the importer will be refunded $900 plus interest. The interest accrues in two segments: (1) On the additional deposit overpayment ($200), from the date of the additional deposit (May 1) to the date of liquidation (December 1); and (2) on the initial deposit overpayment ($700), from the date of deposit (January 1) to the date of liquidation (December 1).

(ii) In the case of a refund of duties, taxes, fees or interest made prior to liquidation, such a refund will include only principal amounts and not any interest thereon. Interest on such principal amounts will be computed at the time of liquidation or reliquidation and shall accrue as follows:

(A) Interest shall only accrue on the amount refunded from the date the duties, taxes, fees or interest were deposited to the date of the refund if the amount refunded is determined upon liquidation or reliquidation of the applicable entry or reconciliation to constitute the true excess amount deposited with Customs. An example follows:

Example:Pre-liquidation refund and entry liquidates for net amount collectedImporter is owed a refund of interest on $200 as follows:The importer makes a $1,000 initial deposit (January 1) and receives a pre-liquidation refund of $200 (May 1) and the entry liquidates for $800 (December 1). Upon liquidation, the importer will be refunded interest on the $200 overpayment from the date of the initial deposit (January 1) to the date of the pre-liquidation refund (May 1).

(B) If the amount refunded is determined upon liquidation or reliquidation of the applicable entry or reconciliation to constitute less than the true excess amount deposited with Customs, in addition to any other interest accrued under this paragraph (a)(1), interest also shall accrue on the remaining excess deposit from the date the duties, taxes, fees or interest were deposited to the date of liquidation or reliquidation. An example follows:

Example:Pre-liquidation refund and entry liquidates for an additional refundImporter is owed a refund of $700 plus interest as follows:The importer makes a $1,000 initial deposit (January 1) and receives a pre-liquidation refund of $200 (May 1) and the entry liquidates for $100 (December 1). Upon liquidation, the importer will be refunded $700 plus interest. The interest accrues in two segments: (1) On the pre-liquidation refund ($200), from the date of deposit (January 1) to the date of the pre-liquidation refund (May 1); and (2) on the remaining overpayment ($700), from the date of deposit (January 1) to the date of liquidation (December 1).

(C) If an entry or reconciliation is determined upon liquidation or reliquidation to involve both an initial underpayment and an additional excess deposit, interest in each case shall be computed separately and the resulting amounts shall be netted for purposes of determining the final amount of interest to be reflected in the refund. An example follows:

Example:Additional deposit made and entry liquidates for a refundImporter is owed a refund of $200 plus or minus net interest as follows:The importer makes a $1,000 initial deposit on the required date (January 1) and an additional pre-liquidation deposit of $300 (May 1) and the entry liquidates for $1,100 (December 1). Upon liquidation, the importer will be refunded $200 plus or minus net interest. The interest accrues in two segments: (1) Interest accrues in favor of the Government on the initial underpayment ($100) from the date deposit was required (January 1) to the date of the additional deposit (May 1); and (2) interest accrues in favor of the importer on the overpayment ($200) from the date of the additional deposit (May 1) to the date of liquidation (December 1).

(D) If the amount refunded or any portion thereof exceeds the amount properly refundable as determined upon liquidation or reliquidation of the applicable entry or reliquidation, the excess amount refunded shall be treated as an underpayment of duties, taxes, fees or interest on which interest shall accrue as provided in § 24.3a.

(2) A refund determined to be due upon liquidation or reliquidation, including a refund consisting only of interest that has accrued in accordance with paragraph (a)(1)(ii) of this section, shall be paid within 30 days of the date of liquidation or reliquidation of the applicable entry or reconciliation.

(3) If a refund, including any interest thereon, is not paid in full within the applicable 30-day period specified in paragraph (a)(2) of this section, the refund shall be considered delinquent thereafter and interest shall accrue on the unpaid balance by 30-day periods until the full balance is paid. However, no interest will accrue during the 30-day period in which the refund is paid.

(b) Refunds of excessive duties, taxes, fees or interest shall be certified for payment to the importer of record unless a transferee of the right to withdraw merchandise from bonded warehouse is entitled to receive the refund under section 557(b), Tariff Act of 1930, as amended, or an owner’s declaration has been filed in accordance with section 485(d), Tariff Act of 1930, or a surety submits evidence of payment to Customs, upon default of the principal, of amounts previously determined to be due on the same entry or transaction. The certification of a refund for payment to a nominal consignee may be made prior to the expiration of the 90-day period within which an owner’s declaration may be filed as prescribed in section 485(d) of the Tariff Act, provided the nominal consignee waives in writing his right to file such declaration. If an owner’s declaration has been duly filed, the refund shall be certified for payment to the actual owner who executed the declaration, except that, irrespective of whether an owner’s declaration has been filed, refunds shall be certified for payment to a transferee provided for in section 557(b), Tariff Act of 1930, as amended, if the moneys with respect to which the refund was allowed were paid by such transferee. If a surety submits evidence of payment to Customs, upon default of the principal, for an amount previously determined to be due on an entry or transaction the refund shall be certified to that surety up to the amount paid by it or shall be applied to other obligations of the surety.

(c) If the nominal consignee has become bankrupt, refunds of duties, taxes, fees or interest on merchandise entered in the name of such nominal consignee for the account of the actual owner shall be withheld from payment pending the receipt of a claim therefor and the establishment of rights thereto, unless the declaration of the actual owner has been filed with the port director under section 485(d), Tariff Act of 1930.

(d) The authority of CBP to make refunds pursuant to paragraphs (a), (b), and (c) of this section of excessive deposits of alcohol or tobacco taxes, as defined in section 6423(d)(1), Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended (26 U.S.C. § 6423(d)(1)), is confined to cases of the types which are excepted from the application of section 6423, Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended (26 U.S.C. § 6423), and which are not administered by the Department of the Treasury under section 107(e) of Public Law 116-260, div. EE, title I (December 27, 2020). The excepted types of cases and, therefore, the types in which CBP is authorized to make refunds of such taxes are those in which:

(1) The tax was paid or collected on an article imported for the personal or household use of the importer;

(2) The refund is made pursuant to provisions of laws and regulations for drawback;

(3) The tax was paid or collected on an imported article withdrawn from the market, returned to bond, or lost or destroyed, when any law expressly provides for refund in such case;

(4) The tax was paid or collected on an imported article which has been lost, where a suit or proceeding was instituted before June 15, 1957;

(5) The refund of tax is pursuant to a claim based solely on errors of computation of the quantity of the imported article, or on mathematical errors in computation of the tax due;

(6) The tax was paid or collected on an imported article seized and forfeited, or destroyed, as contraband;

(7) The tax was paid or collected on an imported article refused admission to Customs territory and exported or destroyed in accordance with section 558, Tariff Act of 1930, as amended;

(8) The refund of tax is pursuant to a reliquidation of an entry under section 520(c)(1), Tariff Act of 1930, as amended, and does not involve a rate of tax applicable to an imported article;

(9) The tax was paid or collected on a greater quantity of imported articles than that actually imported and the fact of the deficiency is established to the port directors’ satisfaction before liquidation of the entry becomes final; or

(10) For alcohol excise taxes imposed under the Internal Revenue Code for goods entered or withdrawn from warehouse for consumption on or before December 31, 2022, the refund of tax is claimed pursuant to the assignment of a reduced tax rate or tax credit to an importer by a foreign producer in accordance with CBP implementation of sections 13801-13808 of Public Law 115-97 (December 22, 2017), as amended. For goods entered or withdrawn from warehouse for consumption after December 31, 2022, see the procedures provided in paragraph (e)(2) of this section.

(e) In any instance in which a refund of an alcohol or tobacco tax is not of a type covered by paragraph (d) of this section the following procedures will apply:

(1) Except as provided in paragraph (e)(2), a claim for refund of any overpayment of internal revenue tax on an entry must be filed with the Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau (TTB), in accordance with TTB regulations found in Part 70 of Title 27 of the Code of Federal Regulations.

(2) A claim for refund of alcohol excise taxes based on the assignment of a reduced tax rate or tax credit to an importer by a foreign good producer for goods entered or withdrawn from warehouse for consumption on or after January 1, 2023, and submitted pursuant to 26 U.S.C. § 5001(c)(4), 5041(c)(7), and 5051(a)(6), must be filed with TTB, in accordance with TTB regulations found in part 27, subpart P, of Title 27 of the Code of Federal Regulations.

[28 FR 14808, Dec. 31, 1963, as amended by T.D. 67-33, 32 FR 494, Jan. 18, 1967; T.D. 71-289, 36 FR 23150, Dec. 4, 1971; T.D. 89-1, 53 FR 51254, Dec. 21, 1988; T.D. 99-27, 64 FR 13675, Mar. 22, 1999; T.D. 99-75, 64 FR 56439, Oct. 20, 1999; CBP Dec. 18-09, 83 FR 40676, Aug. 16, 2018; CBP Dec. 22-26, 87 FR 80443, Dec. 30, 2022]