Deterministic
The same inputs return the same designations. A claim can be reproduced line for line months after it was filed, which is what makes it defensible on review.
Duty Drawback Software
Built on 25+ years of expertise. Powered by modern technology.
Apollo was built from decades of hands-on drawback experience, encoded into a secure, cloud-based optimization platform designed to evaluate claims with mathematical precision, operational efficiency, and full compliance control.
DeterministicEvery result tied to documented logic and defined rules
Cloud-scaleLarge volumes of entry and export data analysed efficiently
AuditableAudit trails and snapshots for compliance review
How Apollo works
Linear matching leaves money behind.
Most drawback is matched in sequence: the first available export is designated against the first available import. Apollo evaluates every compliant combination at once and solves for the highest recovery. Same entries, same regulations, different answer.
Duty-paid imports · Mar 2022 to Feb 2024 · $5,267,000 availableQualifying exports · May 2024 to Nov 2025
IMP-22142710.19.06 · 62,000 uImported 12 Mar 2022$496,000$8.00/u$496,000 matched$160,000 matched
IMP-22988711.20.00 · 27,000 uImported 04 Aug 2022$324,000$12.00/u$324,000 matchedunmatched
IMP-23502710.19.06 · 44,000 uImported 19 Jan 2023$1,144,000$26.00/u$520,000 matched$1,144,000 matched
IMP-24118714.10.00 · 31,000 uImported 27 Jun 2023$1,860,000$60.00/u$1,860,000 matched$1,860,000 matched
IMP-24678711.20.00 · 18,500 uImported 15 Feb 2024$1,443,000$78.00/uunmatched$1,443,000 matched
EXP-88012710.19.06 · 62,000 uExported 08 May 2024Netherlands
EXP-88448711.20.00 · 27,000 uExported 22 Sep 2024Australia
EXP-88798714.10.00 · 31,000 uExported 11 Feb 2025Japan
EXP-89022710.19.06 · 20,000 uExported 30 Jun 2025Brazil
EXP-89358711.20.00 · 15,000 uExported 14 Nov 2025USMCA · ineligible
Matched in sequence. IMP-2298 takes the only eligible 8711.20.00 export at $12 a unit, which strands IMP-2467 at $78 a unit with nowhere to go. Its Canadian alternative is barred under USMCA.Solved across all 120 possible assignments. The $78 import takes the 8711.20.00 export and the $26 import takes the large petroleum export, leaving only low-rate duty unmatched.
Sample claim. Every export here post-dates every import and falls inside the 5-year window, so the crossings reorder which entry is designated, never the sequence of events. Eligibility is driven by 8-digit HTSUS match, the 5-year window and USMCA destination. Refund shown at 99% of matched duty. The figures are the arithmetic of this example, not a representation of any client result.
Inside Apollo
Every claim, visible before it is filed.
Apollo shows what was designated, under which provision, and what remains unmatched. The figures below follow the same claim shown above.
Apollo
Last 12 months
Duty available$5,267,0005 import entries
Duty paid by entryIMP-2214$496,000IMP-2298$324,000IMP-2350$1,144,000IMP-2411$1,860,000IMP-2467$1,443,000Sums to $5,267,000 across five entries.
Designated$4,607,0004 of 5 entries matched
Designated by entryIMP-2214$160,000IMP-2350$1,144,000IMP-2411$1,860,000IMP-2467$1,443,000IMP-2298 has no eligible export left after optimization. Sums to $4,607,000.
Estimated refund$4,560,93099% of designated duty
How the refund is calculatedDesignated$4,607,000Statutory rate99%Refund$4,560,930The statutory maximum is 99% of the duties, taxes and fees paid.
Carried forward$660,000Available to future exports
Duty not designatedIMP-2298 in full$324,000IMP-2214 remainder$336,000Stays available to qualifying exports inside the five-year window.
Designated by provision
Totals $4,607,000 designated across three provisions.
Run log
- Optimization complete120 assignments evaluated
- 3 provisions designated1313(b), 1313(j)(2), 1313(p)
- 1 export excludedEXP-8935 · USMCA destination
- $660,000 carried forwardIMP-2298 and part of IMP-2214
Import entries
$4,607,000 designated of $5,267,000 available. Unmatched duty stays available to future qualifying exports.
| Entry | HTSUS | Duty paid | Designated | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| IMP-2214 IMP-2214 · partially designatedQuantity62,000 uRate$8.00/uDesignated20,000 uCarried forward42,000 u20,000 units designated against EXP-8902 to Brazil. The balance stays available. | 2710.19.06 | $496,000 | $160,000 | Partial |
| IMP-2298 IMP-2298 · carried forwardQuantity27,000 uRate$12.00/uDesignatedNoneCarried forward$324,000EXP-8844 went to a higher-rate entry and EXP-8935 is a USMCA destination. | 8711.20.00 | $324,000 | - | Carried forward |
| IMP-2350 IMP-2350 · designated in fullQuantity44,000 uRate$26.00/uExportEXP-8801Designated$1,144,000Exported to the Netherlands under 1313(p). | 2710.19.06 | $1,144,000 | $1,144,000 | Designated |
| IMP-2411 IMP-2411 · designated in fullQuantity31,000 uRate$60.00/uExportEXP-8879Designated$1,860,000Exported to Japan under 1313(b). | 8714.10.00 | $1,860,000 | $1,860,000 | Designated |
| IMP-2467 IMP-2467 · designated in fullQuantity18,500 uRate$78.00/uExportEXP-8844Designated$1,443,000The highest duty rate in the claim, exported to Australia under 1313(j)(2). | 8711.20.00 | $1,443,000 | $1,443,000 | Designated |
Supporting document coverage
One bill of lading is outstanding from the forwarder. Apollo flags the gap and the analyst chases it before the claim is filed.
Entry summaries (7501)5 of 5
Entry summaries · CBP Form 7501Received5Outstanding0SourceBrokerOne 7501 for each import entry designated in the claim.
Commercial invoices5 of 5
Commercial invoicesReceived5Outstanding0SourceClient ERPSupports the value and quantity reported on each entry line.
Bills of lading4 of 5
Bills of ladingReceived4Outstanding1MissingEXP-8902Outstanding from the forwarder. CLM-0414 is held until it arrives.
Proof of export4 of 4
Proof of exportReceived4Outstanding0SourceForwarderOne export line per designated pairing. EXP-8935 is excluded under USMCA.
Claims in progress
Two claims are ready to file. The third is held pending the outstanding bill of lading.
| Claim | Provision | Designated | Status |
|---|---|---|---|
| CLM-0412 CLM-0412 · 1313(b)EntryIMP-2411ExportEXP-8879Refund at 99%$1,841,400Manufacturing substitution. All supporting documents received. | 1313(b) | $1,860,000 | Ready to file |
| CLM-0413 CLM-0413 · 1313(j)(2)EntryIMP-2467ExportEXP-8844Refund at 99%$1,428,570Unused substitution. All supporting documents received. | 1313(j)(2) | $1,443,000 | Ready to file |
| CLM-0414 CLM-0414 · 1313(p)EntriesIMP-2350, IMP-2214ExportsEXP-8801, EXP-8902Refund at 99%$1,290,960Held pending the outstanding bill of lading for EXP-8902. | 1313(p) | $1,304,000 | Awaiting document |
Sample claim data, carried through from the matching example above.
Engineering
Built with world-class engineering rigor.
At its core Apollo is a high-performance optimization engine, evaluating a vast number of possible import to export matching combinations within regulatory constraints and returning the optimal compliant recovery strategy. The process is deterministic and transparent, and every result is tied to documented logic and defined rules.
Trained at
MITGeorgia TechCornell
Built at scale at
AmazonMetaMicrosoftCapital One
That background matters. The system is architected with the practices used in high-scale financial, logistics and technology environments, where security, scalability, computational efficiency and reliability are design constraints rather than afterthoughts.
Built for scale
Cloud computing sized to the volume, so a program with millions of entry lines is evaluated in the same pass as one with a few thousand.
Configurable
Controls are aligned to each client’s operational structure, including accounting method, provision mix and the constraints of their own trade profile.
Auditable
Every designation traces to the entry line, the export line and the provision that permits it, with snapshots retained for review.
Institutions and companies listed are where members of the engineering team studied and previously worked. They are not partners or endorsers of Alliance Drawback Services.
Security
Your data remains your data.
Client trust is foundational. Apollo operates within a secure cloud environment designed to maintain strict data isolation and confidentiality, and the platform is built to hold the records a drawback program is required to keep.
Isolation
Client data is not combined across accounts. Each engagement operates inside its own protected environment, so one client’s entry and export history is never visible to, or pooled with, another’s.
Use
Client data is not used to train public AI models and is not shared externally. It is provided to prepare and defend your claims, and it is used for that.
Auditability
Audit trails and snapshots support compliance review, validation and documentation, including the records a claimant must retain for three years from the date of liquidation of the related claim.
Ownership
Your data remains your data throughout the engagement. Extracts of your entry, export and claim records are available to you at any point.
Security review
Detailed questions are handled directly with your IT and compliance teams before any data moves. We work through your review process rather than asking you to accept ours.
Architecture and hostingAccess control and authenticationEncryption in transit and at restRetention, backup and deletionIncident response and notification
Record retention reflects 19 CFR 190.42(f)(3)(iv), which requires supporting records to be retained for three years from the date of liquidation of the related claim.
Turnkey by design
You appear twice. At the start, and when the refund lands.
Optimization decides what a claim could be worth. Getting there depends on the data being clean, the documents being retrievable and the filing being administered on time. We collect the entry data from your brokers and the export documentation from your forwarders ourselves, so none of that falls to you.
YouApolloAlliance analystsOne reporting file from you. We source everything else directly.
- 01You
Provide ERP sales, BOMs, and/or inventory reporting. That is the only data that has to come from you.
- 02Analysts
Collect the entry data from ACE and import and export documentation from your brokers and freight forwarders, direct from source.
- 03Analysts
Validate and normalize all of it, resolving unit of measure, classification and quantity discrepancies before anything is matched.
- 04Analysts
Account for the compliance factors that change what an entry is actually worth, including reconciliation, post summary corrections, prior disclosures, protests and export value checks.
- 05Apollo
Evaluates every compliant import to export combination within each provision and returns the designation set with the highest recovery.
- 06Analysts
Chase the outstanding documents and close the gaps the platform flags.
- 07Apollo
Assembles the claim from the designated lines, with every figure traceable back to its entry and export.
- 08Analysts
File the claim with Customs as a licensed U.S. customs broker, under the privileges secured for your program.
- 09Analysts
Defend the claim on review, respond to CBP requests, and administer the program going forward.
- 10You
The refund lands. Duty that went unmatched stays available to future qualifying exports.
How the models compare
Software is one part of a drawback program.
Four ways a company can run drawback. The difference is less about who has a matching engine and more about how it matches, and who does the work around it. The example above showed what sequence-based matching costs on a single claim.
| In-house or spreadsheet | General customs broker | Software-focused provider | Alliance with Apollo | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Finding the matches | Manual, usually in date sequence | Linear matching, typically first in first out | Automated, though the strategy depends on the tool | Global optimization across every compliant combination |
| Where drawback sits | A task alongside other duties | One service line among many | The platform is the product | The entire practice |
| Validating entry and export data | Your team | Varies by engagement | Your team | Our analysts |
| Chasing supporting documents | Your team | Varies by engagement | Your team | Our analysts |
| Resolving broker and forwarder discrepancies | Your team | Varies by engagement | Your team | Our analysts |
| Filing and defending with CBP | Your broker files | Licensed to file | Your team or broker files | Licensed to file and defend |
| Duty that goes unmatched | Often written off | Often written off | Reported | Tracked and carried forward inside the five-year window |
A comparison of delivery models rather than of named providers. Arrangements vary between firms. Where a column says “your team”, the work still has to be done, only not by us.
See Apollo on your data
See what Apollo finds in your entries.
A complimentary assessment runs your own import and export history through Apollo, so the recovery figure you see is yours rather than an example.