Not every IEEPA refund requires an attorney — but some do. Here's the honest breakdown of which situations you can handle with advisory support alone, and which ones genuinely need trade counsel.
Free. No obligation. If your entries need trade counsel, we'll tell you plainly and can connect you with vetted attorneys.
The single biggest factor in whether you need an attorney is whether your entries are unliquidated, recently liquidated, or finally liquidated (liquidated more than 180 days ago with no protest filed). CBP has taken the position that it lacks authority to refund finally liquidated entries without an individual court judgment — which means, for that category specifically, a CIT filing generally isn't optional.
| Your situation | Typically needs |
|---|---|
| Unliquidated entries, CAPE Phase 1 or 2 eligible | Advisory support + customs broker (no attorney required) |
| Recently liquidated, within 180-day protest window | Customs broker for the protest; trade counsel optional but often recommended |
| Finally liquidated, no CIT case filed | Trade attorney — a CIT filing is generally required to preserve recovery rights |
| Considering a claim sale or financing | Advisory support to value the claim; no attorney required to explore options |
Your ES-003 report from ACE shows exactly where each entry stands — this single document determines almost everything else about your path.
If an entry liquidated more than 180 days ago and no protest was filed, it's in the "finally liquidated" category — the one that generally requires a CIT filing.
A clear picture of your entry mix tells you exactly which entries (if any) need legal representation — so you're not paying attorney rates to sort entries that don't need it.
For finally liquidated entries or anything requiring CIT litigation, we connect you with vetted trade attorneys rather than leaving you to find one cold.
Yes, for unliquidated entries and recently liquidated entries within the protest window, most importers work through advisory support and a customs broker without needing an attorney.
CBP has stated it lacks administrative authority to refund entries liquidated more than 180 days ago without an individual court judgment. That generally means a Court of International Trade filing is required to preserve those specific entries' recovery rights.
There's a 2-year statute of limitations under 28 U.S.C. §1581(i), measured from when each tariff wave was published, with outer deadlines landing between February and April 2027 depending on the tariff. Whether you're inside that window depends on your specific entries.
No. We are an advisory service, not a law firm. For entries that require formal legal representation or CIT litigation, we refer you to vetted trade attorneys rather than filing on your behalf.
TariffIQ™ sorts your entries by status and tells you plainly which ones need an attorney — and which don't.
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