FedEx Says It Will Return Any Tariff Refunds to Customers

FedEx stated that it would refund its customers any money the global shipping company gets back from President Donald Trump’s tariffs, which were recently struck down by the Supreme Court.

“Our intent is straightforward: If refunds are issued to FedEx, we will issue refunds to the shippers and consumers who originally bore those charges,” FedEx told The Epoch Times in a statement on Feb. 27.

The corporation, headquartered in Memphis, Tennessee, stated that it would provide additional details about next steps when they become available from the U.S. government and the court.

“When that will happen and the exact process for requesting and issuing refunds will depend in part on future guidance from the government and the court,” FedEx stated.

Shortly after FedEx’s statement, the company was hit with a lawsuit on Feb. 27 filed by customers who demanded compensation for potentially millions of shippers that paid import duties and related fees on products they allege should have entered the United States duty-free.

“Our goal is to return to American consumers every penny they were improperly charged,” said John Yanchunis, a lawyer for plaintiff Matthew Reiser.

FedEx’s announcement came nearly one week after the Supreme Court ruled that Trump’s tariffs issued under the International Emergency Economic Powers Act (IEEPA) were unlawful.

The Supreme Court justices did not elaborate on how refunds would be managed, according to FedEx.

Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh predicted that the refund process could be a “mess,” according to a dissenting opinion of the ruling.

“We remain focused on supporting our customers as they adapt to the latest regulatory changes and have taken a procedural step to preserve our right to refunds for IEEPA tariffs on behalf of our customers and FedEx,” FedEx noted.

FedEx operates in 220 countries and territories and ships about 16 million packages per day.

FedEx filed a lawsuit on Feb. 23 in an attempt to recoup all money it paid as a result of now-reversed IEEPA orders, interest accrued, and attorney’s fees.

The newly filed suit primarily focused on the administration’s use of the IEEPA to impose 10 percent tariffs on Mexico, Canada, and China, which took effect in April 2025.

After the Supreme Court blocked the Trump administration from using IEEPA, the White House announced new global tariffs of 10 percent, which took effect on Feb. 24, under a different legal authority.

Trump repeatedly criticized the Supreme Court’s decision, including in a Truth Social post on Feb. 27.

“The recent Decision of the United States Supreme Court concerning TARIFFS could allow for Hundreds of Billions of Dollars to be returned to Countries and Companies that have been ‘ripping off’ the United States of America for many years, and now, according to this Decision, could actually continue to do so, at an even increased level,” Trump wrote in a post on Feb. 27.

U.S. Trade Representative Jamieson Greer suggested on Feb. 25 that the tariff rates could climb to 15 percent or even more for select countries.

“Section 301 allows the Office of the United States Trade Representative to investigate unfair trade practices on a country-by-country basis,” Greer suggested during an interview on “Mornings With Maria” on Feb. 25. “And we’ve identified a lot of these. This includes things like people who use forced labor in their supply chains.”

Reuters contributed to this report.