Companies are beginning to submit applications for tariff refunds through a newly launched government system, following a Supreme Court ruling that invalidated $166 billion in collected duties.

The government has established a formal process enabling importers to request their portion of the refund pool. According to officials, the system became operational this week as companies work through the application procedures.

The Trump administration has indicated that actual fund distribution may take several weeks to complete, despite the system being available for submissions. The refund process involves companies formally documenting their claims for duties that were collected under the invalidated tariff program.

The $166 billion figure represents the total amount of tariffs that the Supreme Court determined were improperly collected. The ruling established that these duties should be returned to the companies that paid them during the import process.

Questions remain about whether companies will pass any refunded amounts to consumers who may have experienced higher prices due to the tariffs. Many businesses have not indicated their intentions regarding the distribution of refunded funds beyond their operations.