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 Canada 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) and connect it to your post account settings
- 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 Canada Post.
1. Create an account
- Create an account using the Canada 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 Canada 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.
- Click Continue to Dashboard Lite 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 vis Canada Post to the U.S., the new tariff changes require payment of duties before the shipments leave Canada. Canada Post has partnered with Zonos, a Qualified Party by U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP), to collect and remit those duties to CBP. In order for you to print Canada Post labels, you must have an approved billing method on file to become verified by Canada Post and Zonos. To activate, follow 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.
Upon completing this step, you now have a Zonos Verified Account.
You must 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 Canada Post labels.
5. Connect your Account Key
These steps can vary depending on which system you use to print Canada Post labels, but the goal is the same: to connect your Zonos Verified Account to the system you use to print Canada Post labels.
Once you have added a payment method and your account is approved, you'll receive a Zonos Account Key that you will need to add to your Canada Post Account Preferences.
See the screenshots below the following steps for more guidance.
To locate your Zonos account key and connect it to Canada Post:
- Navigate to your Zonos Dashboard
- Go to Settings -> Account key. This code allows you to connect your Zonos account to Snap Ship/Shipping Manager.
- Copy the Zonos account key (you'll need to add it into your post account preferences using the next steps).
- Log in to your Canada Post online Snap Ship/Shipping Manager account.
- In the navigation, go to Shipping -> Shipping Tool. Select Account preferences.
- Paste or enter your Zonos Account Key in your preferred Canada Post shipping tool under the automatic billing option with Zonos and click Save.
Now, anytime you print a label for a shipment under $800 USD going to the U.S., you can select Automatic billing (Zonos account key) under Method of U.S. duties payment when filling out your shipment details. This will ensure that Canada Post knows duties are covered, so they can issue your label. Zonos will bill you for the associated duties once we receive the shipment data from the post.
Step by step
This is the first page you see when logging in to Zonos Dashboard. Click Settings.
After you click into Settings, click Account key and you will see your account key (example is highlighted in yellow).
The following images show the flow in Shipping Manager (follow the red cirled areas).
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 Canada Post
With a Verified Account, you can now ship parcels under $800 USD to the U.S. via Canada 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 Canada Post using your connected Verified Account.
- Canada 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 Canada Post.
How to create Canada Post labels with a Verified Account
Label creation depends on the shipping system you use.
Once you have completed your setup, there's only one step to check each time you print a label for a shipment under $800 USD going to the U.S.:
- Be sure to select Automatic billing (Zonos account key) under Method of U.S. duties payment when filling out your shipment details.
This will ensure that Canada Post knows duties are covered, so they can issue your label. Zonos will bill you for the associated duties once we receive the shipment data from the post.
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
Item Quoter is your quick tariff calculator for individual products. Perfect for building duty costs into your product pricing before shipping with Canada 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
- 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.
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. Verified Accounts are billed daily.
How billing works:
- Zonos invoices you for the assessed duties and Canada Post clearance fees on each shipment tied to your Verified Account. These are invoiced and charged 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.
What if I have multiple boxes in my shipment? Do I need to process each box individually?
Yes, Canada Post does not support multiple boxes in the same shipment. You will need to process each box as its own shipment. Each box will gets its own Declaration ID.
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.
Do I need a Verified Account if I am using Shopify to print my Canada Post labels?
No, you do not need a Verified Account if you are printing your Canada Post labels via Shopify. Shopify has facilitated a partnership with Canada Post and Zonos to create Canada Post labels with prepaid duties. They handle the billing and remittance of duties to CBP with Zonos on your behalf. There are a couple steps to set this up in Shopify. Currently, this only supports labels through Shopify's Canada Post account ("BYOA" or "Bring Your Own Account" not supported).
I ship CUSMA/USMCA items to the U.S. via Canada Post. Will these have duties?
Yes, CUSMA/USMCA shipments under $800 USD will be charged duties when sent via a postal carrier. In this FAQ from CBP, CBP states that "USMCA preference cannot be claimed for postal shipments subject to Section 3 of Executive Order 14324". CUSMA/UMCA items require additional documentation that is not currently supported in the postal environment.
Can I print Canada Post labels from a different system, not mentioned in this guide?
Currently, labels must be printed from Snap Ship, Shipping Manager, Ship Online (which uses Declaration IDs instead of a Verified Account), or Shopify. We are working to support other shipping platforms soon. You'll receive an email from Canada Post once this is available.
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 they clear customs. 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 -> Account key (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.
Verified accounts for Canada Post
Ensure every U.S.-bound shipment clears with duties paid through a Zonos Verified Account
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 Canada 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 Canada Post or you want to use our Quoter tool to get duty costs with Canada Post. If you are a casual shipper, you can use the Zonos Prepay app for your U.S. shipments instead.