What is a Verified Account?
Verified Accounts keep your shipments moving. With a Verified Account, Zonos is able to collect duties from you and remit them directly to U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) on your behalf, fulfilling the requirement for prepaid duties on postal shipments under $800 USD.
This allows Australia Post to continue issuing labels—knowing duties will be properly calculated, collected, and paid. Here's how it works:
- Sign up for a Verified Account via the post referral link (we'll connect it to your post account automatically).
- Optionally add duties to your pricing using free tools in Dashboard Lite to find out the duty rates for your products.
- Start shipping confidently with prepaid duty validation on every U.S.-bound parcel.
- Zonos will bill you for the duties and processing/clearance fees on each shipment as they are processed by the post.
Set up a Verified Account
Follow these steps to get a Verified Account so that you can continue shipping to the U.S. with Australia Post.
1. Create an account
- Create an account using the Australia Post referral link.
- It's important to use the link from your post so that your account is linked to them. Do not use this link if you are not shipping with Australia Post.
- You can sign up using one of these options:
- Google – Sign up with your Google account.
- Microsoft – Use your Microsoft account to get started.
- Manual sign up – Enter your details:
- Name
- Phone (optional)
- Password
- Accept the Terms of Service
- Once complete, click Continue.
2. Verify your email/phone number
To keep your account secure, we’ll send a verification code to your email inbox.
- Enter the code in the verification field.
- Didn’t get it? Click Resend to request another code.
If you entered your phone number, you'll also be asked to verify your phone number, after you verify your email.
- Enter the code from your phone in the verification field.
- Didn’t get it? Click Resend to request another code.
3. Add your business information
-
Tell us a bit about your business so we can set things up correctly:
- Business name – The name of your company.
- Website URL – Your store or company website.
- Country – Where your business is based.
- Integration type – Choose the integration method that fits your setup.
- During your Zonos account setup, enter your MLID, APCN, or APBCN accurately. This will be used to connect your Zonos Verified Account to your Australia Post account, without further action on your end.
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Click Save when finished.
4. Set up billing
Reminder: Access to the Zonos Dashboard and its tools is free—no subscription fees. You’ll only be charged for duties (remitted to CBP by Zonos on your behalf) and the postal clearance/processing fee.
To continue shipping to the U.S. via Australia Post, new regulations now require duties to be paid upfront for postal shipments valued under $800 USD. Australia Post has partnered with Zonos, a Qualified Party approved by U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP), to collect and remit those duties directly to CBP. To print Australia Post shipping labels, your account must be verified by having an approved billing method on file with Zonos.
To activate your Verified Account, add billing information using the steps below.
- Navigate to Zonos Dashboard
- Click on Settings
- Select Billing
- Click Add payment method
- Enter your credit card details and click Save
- Add the rest of your details:
- Name
- Phone
- Country
- Address
- Click Save to confirm your billing information.
Keep a valid payment method on file so Zonos can invoice you directly for duties. If the credit card is not valid and the collection of duties fails, you will not be able to create Australia Post labels.
5. Connect your Account Key
Once your Zonos account is approved and a payment method is added, the connection should complete automatically. You do not need to connect the accounts yourself.
At this point, you now have a Zonos Verified Account with Australia Post.
What you can do with your Verified Account
Once you have created your Verified Account, you can now:
Ship parcels under $800 USD to the U.S. via Australia Post
With a Verified Account, you will be able to ship parcels under $800 USD to the U.S. via Australia Post, and your shipments will not be stopped by CBP for lack of duty payment. Here's how it works:
- You ship your package through Australia Post using your connected Verified Account.
- Australia Post and Zonos will ensure the package is marked as prepaid (we use a marker called a Declaration ID, tied to your tracking number).
- Zonos will bill you for the duties and processing/clearance fees on each shipment as they are processed by the post.
- Zonos will remit the duties to CBP on behalf of Australia Post.
How to create Australia Post labels with a Verified Account
Print your labels from anywhere you normally print your Australia Post labels from. No additional steps are required. Australia Post will send the shipment data to Zonos so that Zonos can bill you for the duties and processing/clearance fees.
FREE Use Zonos Dashboard Lite to calculate U.S. duties on your products
Your Verified Account gives you free access to Zonos Dashboard Lite, which includes free tools to help you calculate the duties on your products. With these calculations, you can build the true cost of cross-border shipping into your product or shipping price—so there are no surprises for you or your customers.
By using these tools, you'll know precisely what duties will be charged on your shipments. This transparency allows you to set accurate pricing, protect your margins, and avoid surprise fees for your customers.
Item Quoter
Limit: 5,000 quotes per month (between both Item Quoter and Shipment Quoter).
Item Quoter is your quick tariff calculator for individual products. Perfect for building duty costs into your product pricing before shipping with Australia Post.
How to calculate duty rates
- Go to Dashboard → Item Quoter.
- Add your item price and currency.
- Add your made-in country (where your item was manufactured).
- Select destination country (limited to the U.S. in Dashboard Lite).
- Enter your items description.
- Click Get result.
Review the returned duty rates for postal service. You can use this calculation to know how much to buffer your product prices or shipping prices to cover duty cost.
Best practices for accurate duty rates
- Accurate descriptions: Use "sterling silver ring with gemstone" instead of "jewelry"
- Country of origin: Where the product was made, not your business location
- Pricing strategy: Add calculated duties to your product pricing to ensure profitable DDP shipping
Need just an HS code? Enter item description only. No price or country of origin required for classification-only lookups.
FREE Use Dashboard Lite for HTS code classifications
Your Verified Account gives you access to Dashboard Lite, which includes intuitive tools to classify tour products with HTS codes. HTS codes are required when shipping internationally to the U.S. and tell customs what kinds of products are in the packages entering the U.S.
Item Quoter
Item Quoter is your quick tariff classification tool for individual products.
Limit: 5,000 quotes per month (between both Item Quoter and Shipment Quoter).
How to get an HTS code classification
- Go to Dashboard → Item Quoter.
- Enter your item description (use detailed descriptions to improve accuracy).
- Select destination country (United States).
- Click Get result.
Billing and payments
With a Verified Account, Zonos takes care of duty billing directly, so you don't have to manage anything with the post.
How billing works:
- Zonos invoices you for the duties and clearance fees on each shipment tied to your Verified Account (each shipment you send to the U.S. with your post). Verified Accounts are billed daily or as often as your postal shipment data is passed from the post for U.S. customs clearance. This can take a few days.
- Zonos remits the duties to CBP on your behalf.
Zonos invoices can be seen in your Zonos Dashboard under Invoices. These invoices include a breakdown of duties per shipment and are available to download/export.
The cost of the processing/clearance fee is listed in your Zonos Dashboard under Settings -> Billing, in the Plan section.
As a Verified Account, what do I have access to?
As a Verified Account, you have access to:
- Item Quoter
- Shipment Quoter (coming soon)
- Orders (order history)
- Invoices
- Shipments (shipment history)
- Settings (including business information, billing information, your account key, and team members)
Do I have to pay a subscription fee?
No, you do not have to pay a subscription fee to use Zonos Verified Accounts. The account itself (and its tools) are free for you to use. You will only be billed for duties and processing/clearance fees per shipment that you send to the U.S. using your Verified Account. The cost of the processing/clearance fee is listed in your Zonos Dashboard under Settings -> Billing, in the Plan section.
What systems can I use to print Australia Post labels with a Verified Account?
You can use any of the same systems that you use today. Australia Post will send the shipment data to Zonos so that Zonos can bill you for the duties and processing/clearance fees.
How much does it cost to use a Verified Account?
Your Zonos Verified Account (and its tools) are free for you to use. There is no subscription cost, and no cost for using Item Quoter or Shipment Quoter. You will only be billed for duties and processing/clearance fees per shipment that you send to the U.S. using your Verified Account. The cost of the processing/clearance fee is listed in your Zonos Dashboard under Settings -> Billing, in the Plan section.
When will I see my shipment in Dashboard?
Your shipments will appear in Dashboard once the post sends the shipment data to Zonos. This can take a few days from when you ship your parcel.
I don't see my Account Key. How can I get it?
Your Account Key won't appear until you have added your billing information to Dashboard. Please ensure you have added your billing information, then it should appear in Dashboard -> Settings -> Integrations (if you do not have a payment method on file, you will br prompted to add one).
The other common reason you may not see your Account Key is if you have an existing account with Zonos, that is not a Verified Account. Contact our support team at support@zonos.com and we can switch your account to a Verified Account.
Can I use my Verified Account on shipments over $800 USD?
No, shipments over $800 USD follow the same process that they did before the recent Executive Order—these shipments are not affected by the Executive Order. Your Verified Account should only be used for postal shipments under $800 USD.
Are postal shipments subject to MFN or IEEPA duty rates?
For the first six months (effective August 29, 2025), U.S.-bound postal shipments are subject to IEEPA duty rates only; MFN rates do not apply to postal clearance.
What happens if a platform or merchant uses a provider other than Zonos for duty calculation?
Not an issue. With a Verified Account, Zonos collects and remits duties to CBP for eligible Australia Post shipments, even if another tool produced the duty estimate. You’ll be invoiced by Zonos for the assessed duties.
If a postal shipment contains multiple items with different countries of origin, how are duties calculated?
Duties are calculated per item based on country of origin and aggregated for the shipment total. The total appears on your Zonos invoice once the postal shipment data is received.
How are gifts over 100 USD handled?
Gifts valued over 100 USD are dutiable. Zonos calculates duties on the total gift value and bills your Verified Account accordingly.
What if the gift includes multiple items with different countries of origin?
For gift shipments with mixed origins, Zonos calculates duties per item by origin and sums them for the total duty, which is then billed to your Verified Account.
Verified Accounts for Australia Post
Ensure every U.S.-bound shipment clears with duties paid through Zonos Verified Accounts
As of August 29, a new U.S. executive order now requires all postal shipments valued at less than $800 USD into the United States to have duties prepaid. If you're shipping parcels under $800 USD to the United States through a post, you must now prepay duties before your parcel crosses the border.
To support small businesses and merchants, Zonos partnered with Australia Post to provide Verified Accounts for their merchants.
A Verified Account is only needed if you want to ship packages under $800 USD to the U.S. AND you have a business account with Australia Post or you want to use our Quoter tool to get duty costs with Australia Post. If you are a casual shipper, you can use the retail counter for your U.S. shipments instead.