A portal for U.S. businesses to apply for refunds for tariffs that the Supreme Court ruled were unconstitutional opened up today. Hundreds of Ohio businesses are among those hoping to get a piece of the estimated $166 billion in tariffs that were collected unlawfully, including small businesses that really need the money.
At EarthQuaker Devices in Akron, CEO Julie Robbins was trying to get on the portal when it opened Monday.
“I'm trying to check it out, but I get an error code whenever I try to log in," Robbins said in an interview.
EarthQuaker Devices manufactures pedals used to create effects for guitarists and other musicians. About 35 employees create those products with around a thousand different components, 94% of which come from about 16 countries. Robbins said tariffs have had a huge impact on her business.
“By the end of 2025 we had paid more than $60,000 in tariffs, and in 2026 we've already paid $42,000 in tariffs," Robbins said. "As we continue to draw down our pre-tariff inventory and purchase at current rates, it essentially is a 30% increase to our cost of raw materials."
Robbins said only she expects to get back only about 30% of what her company paid. The rest was paid by importers or wholesalers, and they're the ones who can apply for the refunds.
About a hundred small businesses in Ohio are part of the left-leaning Main Street Alliance. Executive director Richard Trent said a lot of small manufacturers, stores and companies need these refunds.
“Something like 50% of small businesses in this country are operating on about a month of runway in terms of working capital," Trent said. "So if you had to pay these tariffs, it's not just like ‘oh yeah, we got our money back.’ It's like this could be the difference between making payroll for a lot of businesses.”
The glitches that prevented Robbins and other business leaders from getting through on the tariff refund portal seemed to have been worked out by the afternoon.
More than 40 Ohio businesses are also among around 3,000 business across the country suing the federal government for tariff refunds.
