Major ACE Portal Changes for Importers
The President of the Unites States has set the goal of eliminating the use of checks in its transactions. Customs and Border (CBP) has developed programming towards this goal. The first part is that every importer should get its own ACE (Automated Commercial Environment) Portal account. CBP will be using the ACE Portal accounts as its main tool for communicating with importers. CBP will want every importer to have its own ACE account operational by December 15, 2025.
The End of Checks
The current administration wants to eliminate the use of checks that may be paid to the government and the use of checks for refunds. This will be especially important for the numerous refunds that will be issued if the Supreme Court finds that the current IEEPA tariffs are illegal and that refunds should be issued. Not having your portal account set up may delay the receipt of your refunds which could be expedited by electronic issuance. If you have an ACE portal you must link your bank account to your portal account.
Special Note to Foreign Importers of Record: To get electronic refunds from CBP, you must be linked to a U.S. bank.
Information from CBP through ACE
If you are an importer that has an ACE portal account but have not been an active user of the portal, you should check if your contact information is up to date. Your portal account will have a main contact email address named by you to be notified when CBP wants to send notices to the importer. If you are not sure if your contact is current, a new CF 5106 should be submitted. CBP will be sending more information to importers via ACE, and you will not want to miss any important information.
Below, we have two instructional articles to assist you with setting up your ACE Portal account and your electronic refunds.
Automation of the ACE Portal Account Application Process for Importers
Today, importers and other trade parties whose company information is already on record with U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) can apply for an ACE Portal account if they have never received one. This new process provides Importers with an Importer sub-account view by completing a new CBP web form application.
Before completing the new form, we recommend all importers do the following:
1) Determine whether an ACE Portal Account has already been established for your company by someone else within your company.
2) Make the following information available:
a. The full legal name of your company.
b. All CBP Importer Numbers, including suffixes, used for your company.
c. The primary Point of Contact email address to be used to receive all CBP email correspondence.
d. Your company’s physical and mailing address you want to be on record with CBP.
3) Verify what email address was used in filing your company’s information via CBP Form 5106.
a. If you are unsure, please consult with the customs broker who last filed a CBP form 5106 with CBP or contact Carmichael to update your 5106 with your designated email address.
4) Determine who will be your company’s designated Trade Account Owner. The Trade Account Owner (TAO) is the person who can update your company’s information in the ACE Portal, as well as manage and create account users for your account.
5) Follow the instructions in CBP’s quick reference card, Automated ACE Portal Account Application for Importers, on how to complete the new web form.
6) Access the new web form to submit an Application for an ACE Portal Top Account.
If you already have an ACE Portal Top Account and only need assistance entering your banking information to receive CBP refunds via ACH Refund, please contact one of our Carmichael Specialists for further assistance.
CBP ACE Portal Update: Adding ACH Bank Information to Your CBP ACE Portal Account
Executive Order# 14247 mandates that the U.S. Treasury no longer issue paper checks for refunds issued by U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP). CBP is now transitioning from paper checks issued by the U.S. Treasury to Electronic Funds Transfer (EFT) via the Automated Clearing House (ACH) system. CBP has now launched a new ACH Refund Authorization tab within the Importer Account within the ACE Secure Data Portal.
To receive CBP refunds via ACH, we recommend the following:
· Verify that your company has an Importer Account in the ACE Portal. If your company does not, please consult with a Carmichael representative for more information.
· Add your company’s ACH bank account information to the ACH Refund Authorization tab in the Importer Account within CBP’s ACE Secure Data Portal. Instructions for completing this information may be found in CBP’s guidance document titled “ACH Bank Information for Electronic Refunds.”
Please note that only Importers with a U.S. bank account may receive ACH refunds. If your company does not have a U.S. bank account, you will continue receiving refunds via your customs broker or by check until further notice from CBP.
If you need further assistance, please contact your Carmichael representative.
Payments of Customs Bills
Importers will be asked to pay all Customs bills using pay.gov in ACE. It will become mandatory for payment of all bills to CBP sometime in the near future.
SPECIAL NOTE: If you are an importer that is using Periodic Monthly Statement (PMS), beginning December 15, you will be required to stop paying your bill buy check. This includes importers using a broker’s ACH monthly account. If you do use a check CBP will remove your authority to pay using PMS in any format.