Duty drawback, in plain English.

Duty drawback under 19 USC 1313 refunds 99 percent of the duties paid on imported goods that are later exported. Most eligible importers never claim it. Tariff Wire screens your import and export records to estimate what you could recover, then prepares the paperwork your broker can file.

Request the free screening

Screening is free. Every figure on this page is an estimate until your records are checked.

What drawback is

You paid duty when the goods entered the United States. If those goods, or products made from them, then leave the United States, the law lets you claim most of that duty back.

THE BASICS

The refund is 99 percent of the duties paid. Claims generally must be filed within 5 years of the import date. Miss that window and the claim is gone, so old entries should be checked first.

This is a long-standing program under 19 USC 1313. It is separate from the IEEPA refund process covered on the Refunds page.

Three ways importers qualify

If one of these patterns matches your business, a screening is worth requesting.

PATTERN 1

Unused merchandise

You imported goods and later exported them in the same condition, without using them in the United States. The duties on those imports can come back at 99 percent.

PATTERN 2

US manufacturing

You imported goods and used them in US manufacturing of products that were then exported. The duties paid on the imported inputs can be claimed on the exported products.

PATTERN 3

Rejected merchandise

You imported goods that did not meet your order and returned them to the supplier. Duties paid on rejected merchandise returned to the supplier can be claimed back.

What the service does

Screening first, paperwork second. You or your broker always do the filing.

STEP 1, FREE

Free eligibility screening

We screen your import and export records to see whether any of the three patterns above are present and whether the entries are still inside the 5-year window. Free.

STEP 2, TEMPORARILY UNAVAILABLE

Written assessment

The written assessment is part of the Recovery Report, which is temporarily unavailable, and it is not included with the founding tier. When it returns, it estimates recoverable duties from your records. The number is an estimate, not a promise. Confirm it against your entry records with your broker.

STEP 3, TEMPORARILY UNAVAILABLE

Claim preparation package

Claim preparation is part of the same temporarily unavailable Recovery Report package. It is not sold today, and no price is offered while it is unavailable. When it returns, we prepare claim documentation your broker can file. Your broker checks it and files it. Tariff Wire does not file it.

Pricing follows the same pattern as the Recovery Report on the Refunds page: screening is free. The written assessment is part of the Recovery Report, which is temporarily unavailable, and it is not included with the founding tier. The $29/month founding tier covers deadline tracking and alerts while you stay subscribed. Cancel anytime.

Claim the founding tier

Send your records for screening

Already have your access token? Send your import entries here. This uses the same intake as the Recovery Report, marked for duty drawback. Add up to 50 entries. Attach up to 5 files (PDF, PNG, or JPG, 900KB max each).

From your signup email link, or request the free screening below first. The link prefills this field.

Duty drawback is pre-selected on this page.

PDF, PNG, or JPG. Each file must be 900KB or smaller. Include export records where you can, so the screening can match imports to exports.

RECEIVED

We screen these records and estimate recoverable duties. Any figure we send back is an estimate. You or your broker files the claim. We never touch CBP.

Estimates are estimates: confirm dates and filing strategy with your broker.

Request the free screening

Send us your email to request the free eligibility screening. We screen your import and export records to estimate recoverable duties.

You are on the list. Next step: Tell us what you import so we watch the right categories.

No spam, no sharing. Unsubscribe anytime.