A FedEx cargo plane at Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport in Florida. (Wilfredo Lee/Associated Press, File)
February 26, 2026 4:00 PM, EST
Key Takeaways:
- FedEx said it will return any tariff refunds to shippers and customers who paid them after suing in the U.S. Court of International Trade over illegal IEEPA tariffs.
- The refunds matter because more than 1,500 companies, including Costco and Revlon, have sought to recover costs after the Supreme Court ruled the tariffs illegal.
- Next, courts and the government must set up a refund process, with key filings due Feb. 27 that could determine when and how repayments occur.
FedEx Corp. said in a Feb. 26 statement that it will return any tariff refund it might get to shippers and customers who paid them.
The statement came after FedEx filed suit in the U.S. Court of International Trade to request a refund on what it paid for tariffs set by President Donald Trump under the International Emergency Economic Powers Act. On Feb. 20, the Supreme Court ruled that the IEEPA tariffs are illegal.
More than 1,500 companies have filed suit in the U.S. Court of International Trade in efforts to recoup costs from the illegal tariffs, including large U.S. corporations like Costco and Revlon.
“If refunds are issued to FedEx, we will issue refunds to the shippers and consumers who originally bore those charges,” FedEx said in its statement. “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.”
The Supreme Court ruling did not address implementation of any system by which the companies and individuals who paid those tariffs could be refunded.
Setting up a system for refunds will likely be a lengthy process. On Feb. 24, the libertarian-leaning Liberty Justice Center, which represented some of the original plaintiffs that were part of the Supreme Court decision, said it, along with co-counsel Neal Katyal, filed coordinated motions in the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit as well as the U.S. Court of International trade, to help set in motion a process for refunds. A response from the government is due Feb. 27.
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“We are committed to transparency and will communicate clearly as additional direction becomes available from the U.S. government and the court,” FedEx’s statement said.
FedEx ranks No. 2 on the Transport Topics Top 100 list of the largest for-hire carriers in North America, No. 3 on the TT Top 50 list of the largest global freight carriers and No. 43 on the TT Top 100 list of the largest logistics companies in North America.
Costco ranks No. 53 on the Transport Topics Top 100 list of the largest private carriers in North America.
