U.S. businesses began receiving federal refunds on Tuesday for tariffs that President Trump imposed in 2025 under the International Emergency Economic Powers Act (IEEPA), which the Supreme Court struck down earlier this year.

Sarah Wells, owner of a small company producing accessories and apparel for breastfeeding mothers, informed CBS News that roughly half of her owed amount from the U.S. government had appeared in her bank account.

In April, Wells submitted refund claims for two separate IEEPA tariffs affecting her business - one on a shipment from China and another on imports from Cambodia.

The Supreme Court determined in February that President Trump lacked the authority to enact such tariffs via IEEPA.

"My refund application was approved, and I had been checking the status obsessively to see if funds had hit my bank account," she explained to CBS News. "This morning around 7 a.m., the payment arrived for the first container from China."

Wells noted the refund totaled $10,000, covering the 20% tariff paid on those goods plus interest. She anticipates a similar $10,000 payment for the other IEEPA tariffs her business covered.

By 7 a.m. ET on Monday, federal officials reported approving nearly 87,000 refund requests encompassing over 15 million IEEPA duty payments. More than half were processed, resulting in $35.5 billion in refunds including interest, according to CBP official Brandon Lord in a submission to the U.S. Court of International Trade in New York.

Ryan Petersen, CEO of supply chain firm Flexport, told CBS News that his company's clients had collectively received $137 million in IEEPA tariff refunds from the government as of Monday.

"I'm genuinely surprised at how swiftly the government developed and rolled out this system," he remarked. "Government processes often drag on much longer."

The Trump administration faces roughly $166 billion in total refunds to importers.

Current imports still face a 10% tariff that President Trump enacted in February under Section 122 of the Trade Act of 1974. In March, the White House launched probes into foreign trade practices under Section 301 of the same act, empowering U.S. officials to counter unfair practices unilaterally.

"We have production orders from Cambodia due in July or August, which will incur the 10% tariff, and potential Section 301 duties might apply," Wells said. "We're stuck planning for the unpredictable."