Zollback Launches AI-Powered Duty Drawback Platform to Unlock $15B in Unclaimed Tariff Refunds for SMBs
Key Takeaways
An estimated $11-15 billion in import duty refunds go unclaimed by U.S. companies annually due to complex, manual claim processes.
Legacy duty drawback providers often take 9-12 months to process refunds, making the program inaccessible to most small and mid-sized businesses.
AI-powered automation can reduce refund timelines by over 95% and, in head-to-head comparisons, has recovered 15-20% more than manual methods by optimizing all possible import-export matches.
U.S. importers and exporters can use Zollback to automate the entire process and receive a free eligibility assessment with performance-based pricing.
Zollback's automated platform compresses customs duty refund timelines from up to 12 months to 10–15 days, has recovered 15–20% more than legacy providers in head-to-head comparisons, and makes import duty recovery accessible to small and mid-sized businesses for the first time.
SAN FRANCISCO — 2026 — Zollback, the AI-powered duty drawback platform founded in 2024, today announced the full commercial launch of its automated tariff refund platform. The company is purpose-built to solve one of U.S. trade's most persistent inefficiencies: the annual forfeiture of an estimated $11–15 billion in legitimate government refunds.
Duty drawback is a CBP program that refunds up to 99% of import duties paid when goods are subsequently exported, used in manufacturing for export, or destroyed. It is one of the most powerful tariff mitigation tools available under U.S. law — and one of the most underused. Roughly 80% of eligible import tax refunds go unclaimed every year, largely because the existing industry relies on 20-year-old manual processes that are too slow and too expensive to serve any company outside the Fortune 500.
We change that equation. By combining AI document parsing, proprietary optimization algorithms, and an in-house licensed customs brokerage, our platform processes drawback claims in 10–15 working days — compressing a timeline that has historically stretched 9–12 months. Pricing is fully performance-based: companies pay nothing upfront and only pay a percentage of the refund actually recovered.
The Problem: Billions in Customs Duty Refunds Sitting Unclaimed
The duty drawback industry has a well-documented infrastructure problem. The dominant tool used by approximately 90% of traditional drawback providers is DutyCalc — desktop software whose user interface traces back to the Windows 98 era. Workflows are built around Excel spreadsheets, offshore data entry teams, and labor-intensive manual matching of import and export records.
As one customs broker noted in an industry discussion, "There are many 'other' drawback providers out there and unfortunately companies incur the insane rates you mentioned, hidden fees, less duty recovery." The same thread describes a provider that missed $12.3M in recoverable drawback for a single client.
This model is not just inefficient; it's exclusionary. Manual processing forces legacy providers to require refund potentials of $500,000 or more, locking out most U.S. importers like mid-market manufacturers, retailers, and e-commerce businesses.
The paperwork burden alone is prohibitive. As one claimant notes, "the hurdle wasn't physically calculating the drawback, but getting the paperwork" — a process that can consume weeks of internal resources before a single claim is even filed.
The stakes are higher than ever in the current tariff environment. With Section 301 tariffs on Chinese imports reaching up to 54%, unclaimed drawback can mean forfeiting hundreds of thousands of dollars annually. As one industry expert put it, "duty drawback became extremely attractive to companies importing from China due to additional 25% duties."
The math is urgent, and the legacy manual processing model was never designed to keep up.
At its core, duty drawback is a combinatorial optimization problem: matching millions of import records to export records across multiple drawback types (manufacturing drawback, unused merchandise drawback, rejected merchandise drawback), accounting methods, and Harmonized Tariff Schedule (HTS) classifications to identify the permutation that maximizes the recoverable amount.
Manual processes cannot realistically compute all possible combinations. The result is that even companies that do file claims routinely leave significant recovery on the table.
The Solution: How Zollback's AI-Powered Duty Drawback Platform Works
We designed Zollback from the ground up to automate what has traditionally been a paper-driven, labor-intensive process. Our platform is vertically integrated — combining AI technology, a licensed customs brokerage, and direct CBP filing authority in a single end-to-end solution.
Automated Document Ingestion
Companies upload trade documents in any format — PDFs, CSVs, ERP exports, commercial invoices, bills of lading, customs declarations. Our AI parses and structures everything automatically, eliminating the manual data entry that historically consumed weeks of internal resources.
Proprietary Refund Optimization
Our core algorithms evaluate every possible import-export matching combination under applicable regulatory constraints — across all drawback types and accounting methods — to identify the permutation that maximizes the refund. In head-to-head comparisons, this approach has recovered 15–20% more than traditional providers who match manually. Unlike competitors who make selective matches based on time and staff availability, our engine computes the entire solution space.
Licensed Broker Compliance Review
Every claim is reviewed by our in-house team of licensed customs brokers — including former experts from Charter Brokerage — before submission. This ensures full compliance with CBP regulations and audit readiness under 19 CFR Part 190.
Electronic CBP Filing
Claims are filed directly with U.S. Customs & Border Protection via our certified Automated Broker Interface (ABI) software, enabling electronic drawback filing.
Continuous Monitoring
Rather than treating drawback as an annual project, our platform continuously monitors import and export activity to identify and file new eligible claims on an ongoing basis, turning tariff recovery into a recurring cash flow source.
The result: 10–15 working days from document upload to filed claim, versus the 9–12 month industry standard. For companies carrying the weight of escalating tariff costs, that compression in timeline is not a convenience — it is a material cash flow difference.
The Founders: Where Optimization Science Meets Customs Infrastructure
Zollback was built by a team with direct experience on both sides of the problem.
Elena Zhao, Co-founder & CEO, holds a Stanford PhD in operations research, the mathematical discipline underpinning Zollback's matching engine. She previously led trade analytics at Maersk and served as a quantitative analyst at U.S. Customs & Border Protection, giving her rare insight into CBP processes. The mission is personal: Elena’s family ran a mid-sized business that was eligible for drawback but couldn't access it — a problem she is now solving.
"Eighty percent of American companies eligible for duty drawback never file a claim, leaving over ten billion dollars on the table each year," said Elena. "It's not because they don't want the money — it's because the process has been impossibly complex and expensive. We built Zollback to level the playing field, using AI to turn a year-long, paper-driven ordeal into a 15-day automated process, finally making tariff relief accessible to the small and mid-sized businesses that form the backbone of our economy."
Daniel Park, Co-founder & CTO, brings deep infrastructure expertise from building large-scale data pipelines for government agencies at Palantir, architecting customs data systems at Descartes Systems Group, and developing real-time financial matching engines at Stripe. This experience in pattern-matching-at-scale is foundational to Zollback's core technology.
Elena and Daniel met at a trade compliance technology summit in 2022. They shared a vision to modernize an industry stuck with 20-year-old software and make its tools accessible to all businesses, not just the largest corporations. Zollback is their answer.
Early Traction: Capacity-Constrained and Growing
We have processed over $10M in tariff refunds for clients within approximately the first 1.5 years of founding. We crossed $1M in booking revenue within the first year of our seed round. Following the announcement of expanded Section 301 and reciprocal tariff actions, our revenue tripled — and we are currently turning away new customers weekly due to capacity constraints.
Our platform is SOC 2 Type 1 certified, a critical trust signal for manufacturers, retailers, and financial institutions sharing sensitive trade and financial data with a third-party service provider. Verification is available at our Trust Center.
Who We Serve
We are built for any U.S.-based company importing goods that are subsequently exported, used in manufacturing for export, or destroyed:
Manufacturers importing raw materials, components, or parts and exporting finished goods — eligible for manufacturing drawback under U.S. law
Retailers and distributors re-exporting unsold inventory to Canada, Mexico, or Europe — eligible for unused merchandise drawback
E-commerce companies with international returns or destroyed goods — a drawback-eligible category most companies don't realize applies to them
Customs brokers and freight forwarders looking to offer automated drawback services to their clients without building an in-house practice — available via Zollback's partner program
Accounting firms advising importers who want to surface six- to seven-figure recoveries for clients without adding customs expertise in-house
Start Recovering What You're Owed
U.S. companies that import and export — or import goods that are later destroyed — may be eligible to recover up to 99% of the duties paid, under the CBP's duty drawback program. With tariff rates elevated across a broad range of goods and no sign of near-term relief, the financial case for capturing those refunds has never been stronger.
We offer a free eligibility assessment to determine whether your company qualifies and estimate your potential refund. There are no upfront fees. We earn only when a refund is successfully recovered — with a tiered performance-based model where the rate decreases as total refund value increases.
Find out what you could recover with a free eligibility assessment.
Customs brokers, freight forwarders, and accounting firms can learn more about our partner program.
About Zollback
We are an AI-powered duty drawback platform that automates the recovery of import tariff refunds for U.S. manufacturers, retailers, and importers. Our platform ingests unstructured trade documents, applies proprietary optimization algorithms to maximize refund value, and files claims electronically with U.S. Customs & Border Protection via certified ABI software — all verified by our in-house licensed customs brokers. We are the first solution purpose-built to make duty drawback accessible and economical for businesses of all sizes. Our company is SOC 2 Type 1 certified and operates on a fully performance-based pricing model. Learn more on our website.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is duty drawback?
Duty drawback is a U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) program that provides a refund of up to 99% of duties paid on imported goods that are later exported, used in a product that is exported, or destroyed. It is a powerful but often underutilized tool for U.S. companies to recover tariff costs.
Why do so many duty drawback refunds go unclaimed?
Billions in refunds go unclaimed each year because the traditional process is extremely slow, complex, and paper-based. Legacy providers can take 9–12 months and often require high minimum refund potential, making the program inaccessible for most small and mid-sized businesses due to the cost and effort involved.
How does Zollback make the duty drawback process faster?
Zollback uses AI-powered automation to dramatically speed up the drawback process. Our platform automates document ingestion, uses proprietary algorithms to instantly find optimal import-export matches, and files claims electronically with CBP. This compresses the refund timeline from 9–12 months to just 10–15 working days.
Who is eligible for duty drawback?
Any U.S. company that imports goods and later exports them is likely eligible for duty drawback. This includes manufacturers exporting finished products, distributors re-exporting inventory, and e-commerce companies processing international returns or destroying unsold goods. A free eligibility assessment can confirm your status.
What does it cost to use Zollback?
Zollback operates on a fully performance-based pricing model with no upfront costs or subscription fees. We only earn a percentage of the refund we successfully recover for you. Our fee is tiered, meaning the percentage decreases as your total refund amount increases. If you don't get a refund, you don't pay anything.
How much more can Zollback recover compared to traditional methods?
In head-to-head comparisons, our platform has recovered 15–20% more in refunds than traditional manual methods. This is because our AI-powered optimization engine analyzes every possible import-export match to find the combination that maximizes your refund, a task that is computationally impossible to do by hand or with legacy software.
Is my company's trade data secure with Zollback?
Yes, data security is a top priority. Our platform is SOC 2 Type 1 certified, which is a rigorous, third-party audited standard for managing and securing customer data. This ensures your sensitive trade and financial information is handled according to the highest industry security and compliance practices.
How do I get started with Zollback?
Getting started is simple and risk-free. You can begin by requesting a free eligibility assessment on our website. This will help you determine if your company qualifies for duty drawback and provide an estimate of your potential refund amount. There are no obligations or upfront fees to see what you may be owed.