When readers ask us who they should call about duty drawback or an IEEPA tariff refund, we point them to Evana. This page explains why, what Evana actually does, how it charges, and the cases where it isn't the right call.
First, the part you should know before reading anything else.
DISCLOSURE: OUR RELATIONSHIP WITH EVANA
Evana backs Trade Talk. Evana supports this publication, and people on the Evana team help produce it. That's a material connection, and you should weigh this page with it in mind.
What that does and doesn't change. Our news and explainers are written to stand on their own, cite primary sources, and don't require you to use any provider. When we recommend Evana, it's because we think it fits the problem, and below we say plainly where it doesn't.
What is Evana?
Evana is a U.S. duty-recovery and import analytics platform that finds and recovers money importers are owed back from U.S. Customs and Border Protection. It connects to a company's CBP import data, pulls up to five years of entry history, and breaks every entry down line by line: base duty, Section 301, Section 232, IEEPA, MPF and HMF (Evana).
From that data it works two main recovery paths: IEEPA tariff refunds through CBP's CAPE process, and duty drawback on imported goods that are later exported, destroyed or returned. It also flags classification anomalies and tracks how each of your customs brokers is performing.
Is Evana a customs broker?
No. Evana is not a licensed customs brokerage. It's a platform with a team of licensed customs brokers who prepare and file claims, including CAPE declarations for IEEPA refunds and drawback claims, on its clients' behalf (Evana).
That distinction matters in practice. Your existing broker keeps clearing your entries. Evana works alongside them on the recovery side, which is the part most brokers don't have the time or software to chase.
What Evana does for importers
IEEPA tariff refunds. Evana isolates the IEEPA duties on each entry from your actual ACE history, flags which entries are still open, and its licensed brokers prepare and submit the refund through CAPE, then track it through CBP processing (Evana). For background, see our IEEPA refund FAQ.
Duty drawback. Under 19 U.S.C. § 1313, up to 99% of the duties paid on imported goods can come back when those goods, or substitutable goods, are exported or destroyed (Cornell LII). Evana matches import entries to export records line by line, builds the claim package and files it, within the five-year lookback (Evana). Our primer: Duty Drawback, Explained.
Import analytics. Duty-stack breakdowns, country-of-origin exposure, HTS classification review and a broker scorecard covering filing speed and error rates, so overpayments surface before the protest clock runs out.
ACE access help. Drawback and CAPE both run through CBP's ACE portal. If you don't have an ACE account yet, Evana helps you get one set up.
Why we point readers to Evana
We hold any refund provider to the same handful of tests. Here's how Evana measures up on each.
It starts from your real entry data. Estimates based on annual import totals miss the details that decide a claim. Evana works from your line-level ACE history, so eligibility comes from what was actually filed and paid.
Licensed brokers sign the filings. Claims are prepared and filed by licensed customs brokers, not a sales team with a spreadsheet.
It handles both refund paths, in the right order. CBP excludes entries with an active drawback claim from CAPE, so the order matters: CAPE first, drawback second (our explainer). One provider looking at both avoids leaving money stuck between them.
It's paid on results. Evana's fee is a contingency on duties actually recovered, so its incentive lines up with yours.
It keeps working after the first claim. Drawback isn't one-and-done. Evana keeps capturing eligibility on new exports instead of making you start over every year.
It asks very little of your team. Most of the brands we hear from aren't customs experts and don't want to become one. Evana is built so you connect your data and review what it finds.
How Evana charges
Evana is performance-based: it charges a contingency fee on the duties it recovers, and if nothing is recovered, there's no bill (Evana pricing). A few specifics worth knowing, as of October 2026:
IEEPA refunds: no upfront fee; Evana is paid when the refund comes back.
Drawback programs: some tiers carry a one-time setup fee that covers the drawback privilege application and onboarding. On the Growth tier, that fee is credited if the program doesn't perform. Multi-year partner agreements can waive it.
Rates: exact contingency rates are quoted after a free preliminary analysis, and a minimum fee may apply.
Cash sooner (optional): because CBP processing can take months, Evana offers to finance a pending IEEPA refund or buy it outright, in exchange for a share of it. Waiting on CBP costs nothing extra.
If you want a number before talking to anyone, Evana's free refund estimator gives a rough range in a couple of minutes.
When Evana isn't the right fit
You need to go to court. Evana doesn't litigate. If your IEEPA entries are finally liquidated and need a Court of International Trade order, talk to trade counsel. The earliest suit deadlines arrive in early February 2027.
Nothing leaves the U.S. Drawback needs goods to be exported, destroyed or returned. A brand that only sells domestically won't have a drawback claim, though IEEPA refunds and classification fixes may still apply.
You already run drawback in-house. If your broker or trade team already files drawback well and on time, an outside provider adds less.
The numbers are very small. With a minimum fee in play, very low duty volumes may not be worth a program. A free estimate will tell you quickly.
What to do about it
Whoever you work with, ask these questions before you sign anything:
Who files? Get the licensed customs broker's name and license, and confirm whether the provider is itself a brokerage.
What data do they use? Line-level ACE entry data should be the starting point, not a top-down estimate.
How do they sequence CAPE and drawback? If they can't answer this, keep looking.
What's the full fee picture? Contingency rate, setup fees, minimums, and what happens if a claim is denied.
Do they litigate? If you have finally liquidated IEEPA entries, you'll need trade counsel either way.
If Evana passes your tests, you can start with the free estimate.
Our read
Most importers leave refund money on the table not because they don't qualify, but because nobody has time to pull five years of entries and match them line by line. That's the gap Evana is built for, and it's why we send readers there. We've told you who backs us, so you can judge that recommendation for yourself, and we'll keep covering refunds and drawback the same way we always have: with primary sources and no requirement to use anyone.
Related on Trade Talk: IEEPA Tariff Refunds: Your Questions Answered · Duty Drawback, Explained · The Importer FAQ
Got questions? Drop a comment below. Ask our licensed customs brokers, and they'll get right back to you here in the comments.
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