What to Expect During Your Tariff Solutions Impact Assessment

You’re considering requesting an Impact Assessment but you’re not sure what actually happens after you hit submit. That’s fair. Nobody likes walking into a process blind, especially one that involves sharing financial data with a third party. So here’s the full picture — every step, every deliverable, every timeline — laid out before you commit to anything.

The short version: the assessment is free, confidential, and produces a specific financial analysis of your IEEPA tariff recovery options. It takes about 10 minutes to request and a few days to complete, depending on your data availability. No contracts, no commitments, no obligations.

Here’s the detailed version.

Step 1: The Intake Form (10 Minutes)

Everything starts at tariffresolution.com/assessment. The intake form collects basic information about your importing activity. You don’t need to have your customs data in front of you — reasonable estimates work fine at this stage.

What the Form Asks

• Company name and contact information. Who you are and how to reach you.
• Estimated annual import volume. A rough dollar figure is fine. We’re looking for order of magnitude — are you a $1 million importer or a $100 million importer?
• Primary countries of origin. Which countries you import from most heavily. This helps us estimate which IEEPA tariff rates applied to your goods.
• Product categories. General descriptions of what you import. We don’t need HTS codes yet — “consumer electronics,” “automotive parts,” or “apparel” is sufficient.
• Customs broker information. Who handles your entries. This isn’t required at intake, but it speeds things up if you have it.

What the Form Does NOT Ask

We don’t ask for sensitive financial statements, tax returns, bank information, or login credentials to any system. At the intake stage, we need enough to determine whether you likely have recoverable IEEPA duties and to estimate the scope of the engagement.

After You Submit

You’ll receive an automated confirmation email immediately. Within one business day, a member of our assessment team will reach out with a personal acknowledgment and any initial clarifying questions. Most assessments move to Step 2 within 24 hours of intake.

Step 2: The Discovery Call (20–30 Minutes)

This is a phone or video call with an assessment analyst. It’s a conversation, not a presentation. The purpose is to understand your import profile well enough to focus the analysis on the right areas.

What We Cover

Your import history during the IEEPA period. February 4, 2025, through February 24, 2026. Did your import patterns change during this period? Did you shift sourcing, reduce volumes, or absorb the tariffs into your cost structure?

Your current customs broker situation. Are you working with one broker or multiple? Have they mentioned IEEPA recovery? Have they already taken any action, like filing Post-Summary Corrections or protective protests?

Your data availability. Do you have access to your ES-003 reports from ACE? Do you have entry-level detail, or just summary totals from broker invoices? The more granular the data, the more precise the assessment — but we work with what you have.

Your priorities. Are you primarily interested in maximizing total recovery, or is speed more important? Do you have a preference between government filing and claim sale? Understanding your goals helps us tailor the analysis.

What We Don’t Do on This Call

We don’t pressure you to commit to anything. We don’t quote fees for services you haven’t agreed to. We don’t ask you to sign anything. This is purely an information-gathering conversation to make the assessment as useful as possible.

Scheduling

The call is scheduled at your convenience, typically within 1-3 business days of intake. If you have a tight timeline — for instance, if you have entries approaching protest deadlines — let us know and we’ll prioritize accordingly.

Step 3: Data Collection (1–5 Business Days)

After the discovery call, we need your import data to build the analysis. This is usually the longest step, and the timeline depends entirely on how quickly you can get data from your customs broker.

What We Need

The core data requirement is your entry-level import data for the IEEPA period. Specifically:

If you haven’t already requested this data from your broker, we provide a ready-made email template you can send them. Most brokers can produce ACE data within 24-48 hours.

What If You Don’t Have Everything

We don’t require a complete data set to begin analysis. If your broker is slow to respond, or if you have data for some entries but not others, we’ll start with what’s available and refine as additional data comes in.

For importers who can’t get broker data at all — it happens, especially with broker transitions or broker disagreements — we can work from internal records like customs duty payment summaries, broker invoices, and commercial invoices. The analysis will be less precise, but still useful for decision-making.

Data Security

All data is transmitted via encrypted channels and handled under our standard NDA. We take data security seriously — your import data is commercially sensitive, and we treat it accordingly. You’re welcome to request a mutual NDA before sharing any information.

Step 4: The Analysis (2–3 Business Days)

Once we have your data, the assessment team builds your recovery model. Here’s what happens behind the scenes.

Entry Classification

Every entry in your portfolio is classified into one of four categories based on its current status:

1. Unliquidated entries — eligible for Post-Summary Correction, the fastest and simplest government path.
2. Liquidated entries within the 180-day protest window — eligible for formal CBP protest under 19 U.S.C. Section 1514.
3. Liquidated entries past the protest window — require CIT litigation or claim sale.
4. Entries with documentation or classification issues — may need additional work before filing.

Recovery Path Modeling

For each category, we model the expected recovery under both government filing and immediate capital options:

Government filing model:

• Gross recovery amount (IEEPA duties + estimated statutory interest)
• Estimated filing costs (broker fees, legal fees where applicable)
• Expected timeline based on entry status and CAPE queue projections
• Net present value of recovery at your cost of capital

Immediate capital model:

• Estimated claim value (typically 75-90% of IEEPA duties)
• Transaction timeline (14-21 business days)
• Net proceeds after any transaction costs

Scenario Analysis

We don’t give you a single number. We give you a range of outcomes based on different assumptions about CAPE processing speed, interest rates, and market conditions for claim sales. You’ll see a best case, expected case, and conservative case for each path.

Deadline Mapping

For entries with time-sensitive protest windows, we produce a deadline calendar showing exactly when each window closes. This is often the most actionable part of the assessment — it tells you what needs attention immediately versus what can wait. For context on why these deadlines matter so much, see our analysis of the cost of waiting.

Step 5: The Assessment Deliverable

The output is a structured document — typically a PDF report and supporting spreadsheet — that covers everything you need to make an informed decision.

What’s in the Report

Executive Summary (1 page). Your total IEEPA exposure, recommended recovery strategy, and expected net recovery. Designed to be shared with your board or senior leadership as-is.

Portfolio Analysis (2-4 pages). Entry-by-entry breakdown showing status, applicable recovery path, estimated timeline, and projected recovery for each entry or entry group.

Recovery Path Comparison. Side-by-side comparison of government filing vs. immediate capital for your specific portfolio, with present-value calculations at your stated cost of capital. This builds on the general framework in our four recovery paths guide but with your actual numbers.

Deadline Calendar. A chronological list of all time-sensitive actions required, starting with the most urgent.

Recommended Next Steps. Specific, sequenced actions for your first 30 days of recovery activity.

What’s in the Spreadsheet

The supporting spreadsheet contains entry-level detail for your records:

• Every qualifying entry with its current status
• IEEPA duty amount per entry
• Liquidation date (if applicable) and protest deadline
• Assigned recovery path
• Estimated recovery amount per entry

This spreadsheet becomes your master tracking document throughout the recovery process.

Step 6: The Results Review (30 Minutes)

Once the assessment is complete, we schedule a call to walk you through the findings. This is where you ask questions, challenge assumptions, and explore alternatives.

Common Questions at This Stage

“What if CAPE takes longer than projected?” We show you how the economics shift under different timeline scenarios. The answer usually affects whether the split strategy — filing some entries while selling others — makes sense.

“Can I just handle this myself?” Sometimes, yes. If your portfolio is small, well-documented, and your broker is experienced, you may not need advisory services. We’ll tell you that directly. See the DIY vs. professional comparison for a detailed breakdown.

“What are my risks?” The legal risk is essentially zero — the Supreme Court ruling is definitive. The execution risks are procedural: processing delays, documentation gaps, missed deadlines. We quantify each risk for your specific situation.

“What do you charge if I want to proceed?” We’ll explain our fee structure during this call if you ask. But there’s no pressure to decide on the spot. Many importers take the assessment results, discuss internally, and come back weeks later.

What Happens After the Review

The assessment is yours to use however you want. If you decide to proceed with Tariff Solutions for recovery management, we’ll outline the engagement terms. If you decide to handle it yourself or work with another firm, that’s completely fine. The assessment stands on its own as a reference document.

No strings. No guilt. No follow-up sales calls unless you request them.

Timeline Summary: From Intake to Assessment

Here’s the typical timeline for the full assessment process:

Total elapsed time: 5-14 business days from intake to assessment delivery, with the primary variable being how quickly your customs broker provides data. Importers who have their broker data ready at intake can often receive results within 5-7 business days.

What Makes a Great Assessment

The quality of your assessment depends directly on the quality of your data. Here’s how to get the most out of the process:

Have your broker data ready. If you can request your ES-003 report before submitting the intake form, the entire process accelerates dramatically. Our data preparation guide walks you through exactly what to request.

Be upfront about your priorities. If speed matters more than maximizing recovery, say so. If you have specific entries you’re concerned about, flag them. The more context we have, the more useful the analysis.

Include your cost of capital. This number drives the present-value calculations that determine whether government filing or immediate capital is more economically favorable. If you’re not sure what it is, your CFO or controller will know.

Share complications. Multiple brokers, broker transitions, missing documentation, entries you’re unsure about — these aren’t problems, they’re data points. The assessment is designed to handle complexity. Hiding it just makes the analysis less useful.

Frequently Asked Questions

What Makes Our Assessment Different

Not all assessments are created equal. Some firms offer a basic review that amounts to a back-of-envelope calculation. Others provide a detailed, entry-level analysis. Here’s what distinguishes a thorough assessment.

Entry-Level Granularity

A quality assessment doesn’t just give you a total number. It breaks down your portfolio entry by entry, showing the status, applicable recovery path, estimated timeline, and projected recovery for each. This granularity matters because different entries in the same portfolio often require different strategies.

Present-Value Analysis

Raw refund amounts are misleading without time-value adjustments. A thorough assessment calculates the present value of each recovery path at your stated cost of capital, allowing true apples-to-apples comparison between government filing and immediate capital.

Actionable Recommendations

The assessment should tell you exactly what to do, in what order, and by when. Not vague guidance like “consider filing protests” — specific recommendations like “file protests on entries 47-52 by June 15 to preserve the 180-day window, beginning with entry 49 which has the earliest deadline.”

Deadline Calendar

A simple chronological view of all time-sensitive actions. This is often the most immediately useful deliverable, because it tells you what needs attention this week versus what can wait.

No-Obligation Delivery

The assessment is delivered whether or not you engage us for ongoing advisory. It’s your document to use however you choose — take it to another firm, implement it yourself, or file it away until you’re ready. No strings, no follow-up pressure, no guilt.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is the assessment really free? Yes. No credit card, no retainer, no fees of any kind. The assessment is our way of demonstrating value before asking for any commitment.

What if my refund is too small to bother with? We’ll tell you. If your IEEPA exposure is under $25,000, the administrative cost of recovery may not justify the effort. But you won’t know until you look. Many importers are surprised by how much they paid in IEEPA duties.

Can I share the assessment with my attorney or accountant? Absolutely. It’s your document. Many importers share it with their legal counsel, tax advisor, and customs broker for independent review.

What if I have questions after the review call? We’re available for follow-up questions at any time. The assessment relationship doesn’t end at delivery.

Ready to see what your IEEPA recovery looks like? Get your free Impact Assessment → and have a clear, data-driven picture of your options within days. No commitment, no obligation — just the numbers you need to make an informed decision.