CAPE Error Decoder: Every Error Message and How to Fix It

How do I know which CAPE error code I received?

ACE returns file-level failures when you upload the declaration, with a Validation Result File you can download. Entry-level failures appear in the claim's results file, which gives the reason for each rejected entry. Refund detail for accepted entries is tracked on REV-603 and REV-615, and REV-613 lists refunds held because no ACH refund enrollment is on file.

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File-level errors: the whole declaration is rejected

These come back when you upload the CSV. Nothing in the file is kept; fix the cause and upload a corrected file.

Error: ACCOUNT MISMATCH

Cause: The importer of record number on an entry summary does not match the IOR number of the Importer account that uploaded the declaration, often because some entries were filed under a subsidiary's number or a different suffix.

Fix: Take those entries out, upload the rest again, and file the removed entries from the Importer sub-account for their own IOR number.

Error: FILER CODE NOT MATCHING

Cause: For a broker account, the first three characters of each entry number must match the filer code of the account that submits. Only the importer of record or the licensed customs broker that filed the entries may file a CAPE declaration.

Fix: The importer files from its own Importer account, or the broker that filed the entries files. A new broker cannot file for entries it did not file.

Error: File or entry number format

Cause: The CSV does not follow the CAPE template in the ACE Portal, the header row is wrong, or an entry number has the wrong length or does not exist.

Fix: Rebuild the file from the template in the ACE Portal's CAPE tab and check each entry number. A declaration takes up to 9,999 entries; split larger lists into several declarations.

Entry-level errors: single entries are rejected

The rest of the declaration keeps processing. The claim's results file gives the reason per entry.

Error: HTS RELATIONSHIP MISMATCH or INVALID HTS

Cause: ACE cannot validate an HTS line on the entry. Until June 25, 2026 this came back as HTS RELATIONSHIP/SEQUENCE MISMATCH; CBP then split it into HTS RELATIONSHIP MISMATCH (a companion HTS code is missing) and INVALID HTS (a code's dates do not cover the line date), and removed the Chapter 1-97 goods value validation (CSMS #69056483).

Fix: Resubmit the entry on a new declaration; many now pass. If a new error appears, correct the HTS line with a Post Summary Correction and resubmit. Since August 21, 2026 ACE rejects a PSC that changes an IEEPA HTS line on an FTZ Type 06 entry (error F883). See the FTZ Type 06 guide.

Error: UNABLE TO CALCULATE DUTY

Cause: A duty computation code on the entry cannot be calculated.

Fix: Ask CBP at IEEPARefunds@cbp.dhs.gov; there is no filer-side fix in CBP's guidance.

Error: NO IEEPA HTS ON ENTRY, or the IEEPA line is $0 or FREE

Cause: The entry carries no dutiable 9903.01 or 9903.02 line, so there is nothing for CAPE to refund.

Fix: Drop the entry from the declaration. Do not use a Post Summary Correction to start an IEEPA refund: CBP prohibits it (CSMS #68340863). If IEEPA duty was in fact paid on a liquidated entry, protest within 180 days of liquidation.

Error: ENTRY SUMMARY IS IN FINAL LIQUIDATION STATUS

Cause: The entry liquidated more than 80 days before the CAPE filing, outside CBP's 90-day voluntary reliquidation authority.

Fix: File a Form 19 protest under 19 U.S.C. 1514 within 180 days of liquidation. Past that, the path is a suit at the Court of International Trade, within two years under 28 U.S.C. 2636; since October 6, 2026, CAPE Phase 3 takes finally liquidated entries of plaintiffs whose reliquidation the court has ordered.

Error: PROTEST ON ENTRY, or entry already on a prior declaration

Cause: The entry is under an open or suspended protest, or it already sits on an accepted CAPE declaration.

Fix: For a duplicate, drop it: the entry is already processing. For a protest filed only for the IEEPA refund, on an entry within 80 days of liquidation, CBP allows you to withdraw the protest and file CAPE; otherwise let the protest run.

Error: ENTRY TYPE NOT ALLOWED

Cause: The entry type is one CAPE does not take: temporary importation under bond (23), duty deferral (08), reconciliation (09) or drawback (47), and, since July 7, 2026, warehouse entries (types 21 and 22).

Fix: For a warehouse entry, file the warehouse withdrawals (types 31, 32, 34, 38) instead, since IEEPA duty was paid at withdrawal. Leave the other types off the declaration.

Reconciliation-flagged entries

Cause: Phase 1 did not accept entries flagged for reconciliation.

Fix: Since June 29, 2026, CAPE Phase 2 accepts flagged entries (types 01, 02 and 06) whose type 09 reconciliation entry has not been filed, within the same 80-day limit (CSMS #69066837). See the reconciliation-flagged workflow.

Entry date outside the IEEPA window

Cause: The entry date is before February 4, 2025 or on or after February 24, 2026, when CBP stopped collecting IEEPA duties.

Fix: Drop the entry. Section 301 (9903.88), Section 232 (9903.80, .81, .85) and Section 122 (9903.03) duties are not refunded through CAPE.

Not errors, but money that does not arrive

• Refund held for ACH. CBP accepts the declaration but holds the refund until ACH refund details are on file; as of October 2, 2026, 20,362 refunds worth about $1.1 billion were waiting. REV-613 lists them. Add ACH refund authorization in the ACE Portal; you do not re-file.
• Offsets. Treasury or CBP can deduct a debt the importer owes. See the IEEPA refund offsets guide.
• Netting on reliquidation. Reliquidation recalculates the whole entry, so other duty changes are netted against the IEEPA refund. See CAPE refund came short.

Error Decoding Workflow

Step 1: Download the results. The Validation Result File for file-level failures and the claim's results file for entry-level failures.

Step 2: Group by message. A declaration with 100 rejected entries may have 80 of one kind (for example final liquidation status) and 20 of another.

Step 3: Apply the fix per group. Resubmit what can be fixed, protest what is outside CAPE within 180 days of liquidation, and drop what has nothing to refund.

Step 4: Watch the clocks. Each entry's 80-day CAPE limit and 180-day protest deadline run from its own liquidation date.

Step 5: Record the resolution per entry. For audit purposes, keep the error, the fix and the final route (CAPE, protest, court or none).

Frequently Asked Questions

Where do CAPE error codes appear?

File-level failures come back when you upload the declaration, with a downloadable Validation Result File. Entry-level failures appear in the claim's results file, one reason per entry. Refunds are tracked on REV-603 and REV-615, and REV-613 lists refunds held for missing ACH refund details.

What happened to the GOODS VALUE AMOUNT error?

CBP removed the Chapter 1-97 goods value validation on June 25, 2026, in the same update that split HTS RELATIONSHIP/SEQUENCE MISMATCH into two narrower errors (CSMS #69056483). Entries rejected for it earlier can be resubmitted on a new declaration.

What does HTS RELATIONSHIP MISMATCH or INVALID HTS mean?

HTS RELATIONSHIP MISMATCH means an add, replace or derived HTS code is on the entry without the companion code it needs; INVALID HTS means the line date falls outside the begin and end dates of an HTS code on the entry. Resubmit first; if the error remains, correct the line with a Post Summary Correction and resubmit, except that on FTZ Type 06 entries ACE rejects a PSC that changes the IEEPA line.

Why are Section 301 and Section 232 duties not refunded by CAPE?

CAPE only refunds IEEPA Chapter 99 duties under 9903.01 and 9903.02. Section 301 (9903.88), Section 232 (9903.80, .81, .85) and Section 122 (9903.03) are separate authorities, untouched by the Supreme Court's IEEPA ruling.

Check the Chapter 99 tariff layers after the primary product code, since the base rate is only part of the calculation.

How do I fix a CAPE rejection on an FTZ Type 06 entry?

Most FTZ Type 06 rejections were the old HTS sequence error, which CBP narrowed on June 25, 2026. Resubmit the entry; if a new HTS error appears, correct it with a PSC that does not change the IEEPA line. See our dedicated post on FTZ Type 06 CAPE rejection HTS mismatch.

What if my entry is rejected because it is past 80 days of liquidation?

File a Form 19 protest under 19 U.S.C. 1514 within 180 days of liquidation. Past 180 days, the path is a suit at the Court of International Trade, and CAPE Phase 3 takes finally liquidated entries of plaintiffs whose reliquidation the court has ordered.

How does GingerControl handle CAPE error decoding?

GingerControl's IEEPA refund service, quoted for your scope, reads the results files and your ES-003, sorts each rejected entry by refund route and deadline (resubmit, protest, court or none), and prepares the refund file; our licensed refund partner files it.

Can I resubmit a declaration after fixing errors?

Yes. Upload the fixed entries on a new declaration. Entries that were accepted the first time stay in processing; do not put them on the new file.

What if I receive an error message not listed here?

Email CBP at IEEPARefunds@cbp.dhs.gov with the message and the entry number. CBP has changed CAPE's validations several times since April 2026, so check its latest CSMS messages first.

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Decode Your CAPE Errors and Recover the Refund

If your CAPE declaration produced errors, the right fix per message recovers most of the refund. Each error has a specific cause; entries that cannot be fixed for CAPE route to a protest or the Court of International Trade.

See GingerControl's IEEPA refund service, quoted for your scope. It sorts each entry by refund route and deadline and prepares the refund file, and our licensed refund partner files it.

GingerControl builds GingerOS, the AI trade compliance platform that runs on your process and the data you have, ERP or not. A project starts with Prototype Week, the step before a quote. Talk to our team

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References

1. U.S. Customs and Border Protection, IEEPA Duty Refunds and FAQ
   Data cited: CAPE phases, who may file, ACH refunds
   Source: CBP IEEPA Duty Refunds
2. CBP, CAPE Trade Information Notice (July 10, 2026)
   Data cited: file and entry validation series, refund recipient, ACH refund enrollment
   Source: CBP CAPE Trade Information Notice
3. Declaration of Brandon Lord, CBP, Freestyle World, Inc. v. CBP, CIT No. 26-01088, ECF No. 58
   Data cited: declarations submitted and passing file checks, entries covered, main reasons declarations and entries fail, refunds held for missing ACH details, as of October 2, 2026
   Source: courtlistener.com
   Published: October 6, 2026
4. CBP, CSMS #69056483 (June 25, 2026)
   Data cited: Chapter 1-97 goods value validation removed; HTS RELATIONSHIP/SEQUENCE MISMATCH split into HTS RELATIONSHIP MISMATCH and INVALID HTS
   Source: CSMS #69056483
5. CBP, CSMS #68340863 (April 13, 2026)
   Data cited: no IEEPA refund by Post Summary Correction; 9,999 entries per declaration; withdrawing an IEEPA-only protest within 80 days of liquidation
   Source: CSMS #68340863
6. 19 U.S.C. 1514, Protest of decisions of Customs Service
   Data cited: 180-day protest deadline for entries outside CAPE
   Source: 19 U.S.C. 1514