Duty Drawback for Accounting Firms Add a Revenue Stream for Clients

Duty drawback is a U.S. government program that refunds up to 99% of import duties when goods are subsequently re-exported, used in manufacturing for export, or destroyed. For accounting firm clients in manufacturing, distribution, or retail with international trade activity, this can represent a significant unclaimed refund. An accounting firm can surface this opportunity for clients and partner with a specialist like Zollback to handle the identification, filing, and compliance process end to end.

No. Through Zollback's partner program, accounting firms do not need any in-house customs brokerage expertise, staff, or infrastructure. Zollback handles all document parsing, eligibility assessment, refund optimization, compliance review, and electronic CBP filing. The accounting firm stays client-facing and earns a revenue share on every successful refund, while Zollback operates as the back-end processing engine.

Clients most likely to qualify include manufacturers who import raw materials and export finished goods, distributors and retailers who re-export inventory, and companies that import goods later destroyed or returned. Clients currently paying Section 301, IEEPA, or reciprocal tariffs are often eligible. Zollback's automated eligibility screening can help accounting firms quickly identify which clients have meaningful refund potential before any commitment is made.

Zollback's partner program operates on a revenue share basis. There are no upfront fees to join and no costs to serve clients. When a client receives a drawback refund, Zollback deposits the recovery to the partner first, making fee collection straightforward. Partners can choose between an advisory engagement model where they stay actively involved, or a simple referral model where Zollback manages the client relationship directly.

With Zollback's automated platform, the end-to-end process takes 10–15 working days, compared to the 9–12 month industry standard at legacy providers. This faster timeline means clients see tangible results quickly, which strengthens the value your firm delivers. Traditional providers rely on manual Excel workflows and legacy desktop software that create the lengthy delays most companies have come to expect.

No. While legacy drawback providers have historically focused on large enterprise clients, Zollback is built to serve companies of all sizes, including those under $50 million in revenue. Automation reduces the cost to process each claim, making drawback economically viable for mid-market and SMB clients that incumbents typically decline to serve. This means accounting firms with smaller import or manufacturing clients can still offer meaningful refund recovery.