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What changed at U.S. Customs?
Every message from the CBP Cargo Systems Messaging Service (CSMS), with a plain-English summary and Allied CHB's position. We add new messages every hour.
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CBP added duty calculation error checks for entry summary filings in ACE
CBP announced in January 2026 that it enhanced ACE certification (CERT) to add two new validation codes, 624 and 627, that flag mismatches between estimated and calculated duty on entry summary lines with up to 32 HTS codes. CBP said the enhancement would move from CERT testing into ACE production on February 17, 2026. The message was aimed at software vendors testing ABI filing systems.
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This update concerns the filing software and validation checks brokers like Allied use in ACE, not actions importers need to take. The new codes help catch duty calculation errors on entry summary lines before filing. Clients do not need to do anything; if a specific entry raises a duty mismatch question, we can review it on request.
ACE production maintenance window on the night of January 17, 2026
CBP announced standard invasive maintenance on the ACE production environment. The window ran from 10:00 p.m. ET Saturday, January 17, 2026, to 4:00 a.m. ET Sunday, January 18, 2026.
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This was a routine maintenance window that has already passed. Clients did not need to act, and no action is needed now.
CBP Reminded Trade of Mandatory Electronic Refunds Starting Feb 6, 2026
CBP announced that beginning February 6, 2026, it would issue all refunds electronically via ACH, with limited exceptions, under an interim final rule published January 2, 2026. CBP said it improved the ACH refund sign-up process in the ACE Portal and added a feature for importers to add notify parties. CBP held a support call on January 14, 2026 to help importers and other parties prepare for the transition.
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This message described a support call and enrollment steps for a transition that took effect on February 6, 2026 and is now in the past. Electronic ACH refunds are now the standard method CBP uses, subject to the exceptions CBP listed, so clients who receive CBP refunds should confirm they are enrolled in ACH refund payment through ACE. If a client has not set up ACH refunds or has questions about a specific refund, they should ask us to review their account status.
CBP held ACE maintenance window on January 14, 2026 (historical)
CBP announced an ACE certification standard invasive maintenance window on January 14, 2026, from 5:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. ET. This is a routine system maintenance notice with no other details provided. The window has long since passed.
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This was a routine, time-limited maintenance notice for ACE that occurred in January 2026. It had no lasting effect on entries and does not apply today. Clients do not need to take any action regarding this notice.
CBP held ACE system maintenance in January 2026, now history
CBP announced ACE production standard invasive maintenance from 10:00 p.m. ET on Saturday, January 10, 2026, to 4:00 a.m. ET on Sunday, January 11, 2026. This was a routine system maintenance window affecting ACE availability during those hours. The message did not name any specific ACE functions affected.
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This maintenance window is long past and had no lasting effect on entries. Clients do not need to take any action regarding this notice. If clients had filing issues during that specific window in January, they should ask Allied for details on how it was handled.
CBP added a notify parties feature for importers in the ACE Portal
CBP announced that as of January 2, 2026 it enhanced the ACE Portal so importers who are Trade Account Owners could add notify parties (CBP Form 4811 special address notification) under the Notify Parties tab. CBP held user readiness calls in January and February 2026 to help trade users with this and other ACE enhancements related to electronic refunds. The message affected importers who manage their own ACE Portal accounts.
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This feature let importers manage their own ACE Portal notify party settings and did not change how we file entries for clients. Clients who are ACE Portal Trade Account Owners could use this tool on their own if they wanted to add notify parties. Clients do not need to act now, and the informational calls CBP held in January and February 2026 have already passed. If a client has questions about their ACE Portal account or notify parties, they should ask us to review their setup.
CBP made ACH electronic refunds mandatory starting February 6, 2026
CBP announced that starting February 6, 2026, it would issue all refunds electronically through ACH, with limited exceptions, under an interim final rule published January 2, 2026. CBP said it had upgraded the ACE Portal with an automated ACH Refund Authorization tool and an automated importer account application to support the transition. CBP also held user readiness support calls in January and February 2026 to help importers and other parties prepare for the change.
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This message affected how CBP paid out refunds on entries we file, moving from other payment methods to ACH deposits for importers and other refund recipients. We advised clients at the time to confirm their ACE Portal ACH enrollment so refunds would not be delayed. Later CSMS messages may have updated this process, so clients should ask us to confirm the current refund enrollment status for their entries.
CBP held a short maintenance window for the ACE certification test system in early 2026
CBP announced an invasive maintenance window for the ACE certification standard environment, scheduled from 5:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. ET on January 7. This affected the test environment used to certify filing software, not the production ACE system used for live entries.
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This notice concerned the ACE certification test environment that brokers use to test filing software, not live entry filing. It did not affect entries we filed for clients at the time, and it has no bearing on entries now. Clients did not need to take any action.
CBP Added Notify Parties Feature to ACE Portal in January 2026
CBP announced that on January 2, 2026 it enhanced the ACE Secure Data Portal to let importers who are Trade Account Owners add notify parties, also called Special Address Notification (CBP Form 4811) notify parties, under the Notify Parties tab in the Importer sub-account view.
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This was an optional ACE Portal feature for importers who manage their own Trade Account Owner sub-account, not a filing requirement. It did not change how we file entries for clients. Clients who want to add notify parties in their own ACE Portal account can do so, but they do not need to take any action with us because of this change.
CBP held ACE maintenance window in December 2025
CBP announced a scheduled ACE Production Standard Invasive Maintenance window from 10:00 p.m. ET on Saturday, December 20, 2025, to 4:00 a.m. ET on Sunday, December 21, 2025. This maintenance affected ACE system availability during that overnight period.
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This was a routine, time-limited maintenance notice and has already passed. It required no action from clients at the time and has no ongoing effect on entries we file today.
CBP expanded ACE Portal access for refund authorization in December 2025
CBP announced on December 16, 2025 that it enhanced the ACE Portal to give more account users access to the ACH Refund Authorization tab under the Importer sub-account view. CBP held a deployment support call on December 17, 2025 to explain the change and answer questions. The notice pointed users to an information notice for more detail.
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This update affected how importer account users see and manage refund authorization settings in the ACE Portal, not how we file entries. Later CSMS messages may have changed portal access or refund procedures since December 2025, so clients should ask us about the current process for their entries. Clients do not need to take any action based on this message alone.
CBP added carnet reference codes to ACE truck manifest messages
CBP announced updates to ACE truck manifest implementation guides to add new codes for Carnets, including a Bill of Lading Type code, Carnet Number and Carnet Expiration reference qualifiers, and related error codes. The changes let filers submit a Carnet number and expiration date in the Import Truck Manifest to improve processing at ports of entry. CBP said trade parties and software developers using EDI must update their systems, and that Certification and Production dates would be announced in a future CSMS.
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This message concerns EDI formatting for truck carriers and software providers, not the entries we file for importers. We do not manage truck manifest EDI transmissions, so this update does not change how we process client entries. Clients do not need to act, and a later CSMS may have set the actual effective dates, so ask us if you have a specific carnet shipment question.
CBP added new seal-related codes to ocean and rail import manifest guidance
CBP announced updates to the ACE Ocean/Rail Import Manifest Appendix D document, adding two new disposition codes, D2 for a seal added and D3 for a seal deleted, for a future system enhancement. The message stated a separate CSMS would follow with release dates for Certification and Production. It did not set an effective date for the new codes.
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This notice concerns how CBP's manifest system reports container seal changes to carriers and filers, not entry filing itself. It does not change any duty, entry, or documentation requirement for our clients. Clients do not need to take any action on this item.
CBP held ACE maintenance window in December 2025
CBP announced a scheduled ACE Production Standard Invasive Maintenance window from 10:00 p.m. ET on Saturday, December 13, 2025, to 4:00 a.m. ET on Sunday, December 14, 2025. This is a past, routine system maintenance notice. It affected ACE availability during that overnight window only.
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This was a routine, time-limited ACE maintenance window that has already passed. It required no action from clients then and has no bearing on entries filed today. Clients do not need to do anything in response to this message now.
CBP posted an updated ACE development and deployment schedule
CBP announced in December 2025 that an updated ACE Development and Deployment Schedule was available on CBP.gov. CBP noted that the schedule was notional and subject to change. It pointed readers to CBP.gov/ACE for the most current information on ACE deployments.
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This was an information notice and clients did not need to act. Later CSMS messages may have changed the schedule, so clients should ask Allied if they have questions about ACE changes affecting their entries.
CBP held a test-system maintenance window in December 2025
CBP announced an ACE Certification Standard invasive maintenance window on December 10, 2025, from 5:00 pm to 8:00 pm ET. This affected the ACE certification (test) environment, not the live production system. The message gave no other details.
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This was a routine maintenance notice for CBP's test environment and is now history. It did not affect entries we filed for clients at the time, and no client action was needed then or now.
CBP held ACE maintenance window in December 2025 (historical notice)
CBP announced ACE production standard invasive maintenance from 10:00 p.m. ET Saturday, December 6, 2025, to 4:00 a.m. ET Sunday, December 7, 2025. This was a system maintenance window affecting ACE availability during those hours. The message did not describe any other changes or requirements.
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This was a routine ACE maintenance window that has already passed. It did not change any filing rules, and clients do not need to take any action regarding this notice now. If clients have questions about entries filed around that maintenance window, they should ask Allied to review them.
CBP held a 3-hour ACE test maintenance window on Dec 3, 2025
CBP announced an ACE Certification (test) environment maintenance window on December 3, 2025, from 5:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. ET. This was a standard invasive maintenance window, not a production system outage.
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This message concerned CBP's test environment and did not affect production filings. It is now history and required no action from clients at the time or since.
The summaries and positions are general information, not legal advice. Always check the official CBP message, which each page links to.
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