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, email, password)
- Accept the Terms of Service.
- 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.
-
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.
As soon as you complete your business information and create your account, you’ll be prompted to enter your billing information.
If you close out and need to return later, navigate to Zonos Dashboard → Settings → Billing to finish the setup.
To activate your Verified Account, complete these steps:
- Enter your credit card details and click Save.
- Provide your Australia Post shipper number (MLID, APCN, or APBCN).
- If you have multiple shipper numbers, you need to follow these steps to create a Verified Account for each one.
- If you use Parcel Send / eParcel, enter your MLID.
- If you use MyPost, enter your APCN.
- If you use MyPost Business, enter your APBCN.
- For help finding these numbers, see the instructions below.
- Fill in your billing details (name, email, phone, address).
Once saved, your account will be verified and connected to your Australia Post account automatically.
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.
For business contract customers using Parcel Send, your Merchant Location ID (MLID) appears in the screen proceeding the log in to Parcel Send screen. Your MLID appears in the top right of your screen and in this example is made up of the letters following "John Smith -", the example account name. In the below example the account's MLID is "TEST1".
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 are 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
As a qualified party with CBP, Zonos will invoice you directly to collect the duties and postal clearance fees for all of your U.S.-bound postal shipments valued under $800 USD.
Zonos will invoice you once we receive shipment data from Australia Post. As a result, there will be a delay between the time you ship a package and when you receive an invoice. Once an invoice is generated, your payment method on file will be charged within 24 hours.
Delinquent payments
If you have an expired or invalid credit card connected to your Dashboard account and you have shipped parcels on your account, you will receive an email notifying you that you must pay your duties and postal clearance fees. The email will provide a link where you can securely complete your payment. When you pay this outstanding invoice, your payment method will be saved to your account and auto-charged when future invoices are due.
If you do not pay your outstanding invoices, your Account key will be deactivated, and you will not be able to ship with Australia Post to the U.S. until you have paid the outstanding duty bill.
View, download, and filter invoices
To view your invoice:
- Go to Dashboard → Invoices.
- Click on the invoice.
To export a CSV of your invoice:
- Go to Dashboard → Invoices.
- Click on the invoice.
- Click Generate report in the top right of the page.
To export a PDF of your invoice:
- Go to Dashboard → Invoices.
- Click on the invoice.
- Click Invoice PDF in the top right of the page.
- Find the invoice in your Downloads folder.
Note: PDF invoices currently display only the total invoice amount, not a breakdown by shipment. Improvements are on the way.
To view any pending shipments that have not been invoiced:
- Go to Dashboard → Invoices.
- Click on the Generate pending shipments report button in the top right of the page to export a CSV of shipments that have not been invoiced.
To filter invoices, you can toggle between different statuses (Paid, Open, Past due, and Void) and apply additional filters by total amount and date.
Breakdown of invoice summary report
The tables below explain the different fields and data that will be found in your invoice summary report.
| Field | Definition |
|---|---|
| Tracking Number | The Australia Post tracking number for the shipment. |
| Batch Date | The date the shipment was invoiced duty. |
| Currency | The currency used for the transaction, based on ISO 4217 codes (e.g., AUD). |
| Duty | The duty amount collected on the shipment. |
| Clearance Fee | The fee charged for customs clearance services. |
| Total | The total amount billed for this shipment, including duty and clearance fees. |
| Memo | Additional notes or internal references related to the invoice entry. (Optional) |
As a Verified Account, what do I have access to?
As a Verified Account, you have access to:
- Item Quoter
- Shipment Quoter (coming soon)
- 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?
While it is beneficial to confirm you have an account key, the integration with AusPost does not require you to enter your Account Key anywhere. We use your MLID, APCN, or APBCN to link your Verified Account to your Australia Post account.
There are a couple of reasons you may not see your Account Key:
- 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 be 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.
Can I still send letters and documents?
Yes. Letters and documents of no commercial value are not impacted by the suspension. However, you must still declare a value (minimum AUD$1.00) when lodging.
What is a bona fide gift?
Bona fide gifts valued under USD$100 are not impacted by the suspension. These items must comply with declaration requirements.
CBP defines a "bona fide gift" as an item previously owned by a donor and given outright without compensation. Items acquired by purchase, barter, or as "bonus" items are not considered bona fide gifts.
- Individual to individual: The parcel should be clearly marked as a gift. CBP generally recognizes gifts not exceeding USD$100 in value.
- Business to individual: CBP generally does not recognize these as bona fide gifts. However, if it is a true gift, the parcel should be marked as such and include a statement.
To send a bona fide gift, select the Gift category on the customs declaration.
Can I still provide a 6-digit HS code, or is a 10-digit HTS code required?
Yes. Customers can continue using a 6-digit HS tariff code.
A 10-digit HTS code will not be required until 28 February 2026.
What if the Country of Origin (COO) is the US?
Goods with a US Country of Origin (COO) are not subject to IEEPA tariffs. In the Zonos dashboard, US COO items will show 0% tariff for the postal channel.
Where do I find my APCN?
For MyPost (MP) account holders, your Australia Post Customer Number (APCN) is a unique number associated with your MyPost account.
Your APCN is located in your MyPost (MP) profile, under Personal details.
Choose whether you are using a mobile or desktop device to view step-by-step instructions.
Step 1: In your MyPost (MP) dashboard, click your Profile icon (your initials at the top right of the screen).
Step 2: Click on My profile in the menu.
Step 3: You'll see your APCN under Personal details on your profile page. Copy this number into your Zonos Dashboard.
Where do I find my APBCN?
For MyPost Business (MPB) account holders, your Australia Post Business Customer Number (APBCN) is located on your MPB dashboard under your name, as well as in your Business details.
Choose whether you are using a mobile or desktop device to view screenshots.
Directly below your name, you'll see Australia Post Business Customer Number (APBCN) followed by the number itself. Copy this number into your Zonos Dashboard.
Additional view: The APBCN is also visible within your Business details. Click on the three lines in the top left corner to open your menu. Once in the menu, select Business details.
Within your Business details, select Business profile, then you'll see Australia Post Business Customer Number (APBCN) followed by the number itself. Copy this number into your Zonos Dashboard.
Where do I find my MLID?
For business contract customers, your Merchant Location ID (MLID) can be located using the screenshots below, or obtained by contacting your Australia Post account manager.
Your MLID appears in the screen proceeding the log in to Parcel Send screen. Your MLID appears in the top right of your screen and in this example is made up of the letters following "John Smith -", the example account name. In the below example the account's MLID is "TEST1".
Do I still need a Zonos Verified Account if I am already integrated via APIs or platform partners?
Yes, but you do not need to go through the registration process again. You'll create a second, connected Dashboard account for your Verified Account. To do so:
- Log into your Zonos Dashboard, then click on the Integrations tab.
- Click the Connect an account button in the top right.
- Select Australia Post in the list of available integrations.
- You'll be prompted to enter your Australia Post shipping number (MLID or APBCN).
- Click Setup integration to create the second Verified Account.
This second Verified Account will be connected to your existing Zonos account. Any orders placed via your ecommerce website using Zonos' integration will only appear on the ecommerce Dashboard account that you are used to. If you ship other orders (such as those you receive through a different selling platform, not integrated with Zonos) with your AusPost business account, they will appear on your Verified Account Dashboard. You can easily toggle between the two accounts by clicking the name of your account in the top right corner of Zonos Dashboard.
Can I have multiple Zonos Verified Accounts linked to one Australia Post account?
No, each Australia Post account can only have one Zonos Verified Account linked to it. If you would like to link multiple Zonos Verified Accounts to one Australia Post account, reach out to our support team at support@zonos.com to explain your use case.
Why did Australia Post partner with Zonos?
Postal operators like Australia Post must work with an approved third-party to comply with US CBP requirements.
Zonos is one of the first qualified third parties approved by US authorities. Australia Post partnered with Zonos to enable resumption of services to the US as soon as possible.
What will I be charged by Australia Post and Zonos?
There are no additional Australia Post fees.
Business customers with a Zonos Verified Account are invoiced directly by Zonos for:
- Duties (based on COO)
- Postal clearance fee (which varies by post and can be viewed in your Dashboard's Billing Settings, under Plan.)
There are no subscription or hidden charges.
Does the Zonos handling fee apply per item in a parcel?
No. The postal clearance fee is applied per parcel, not per individual item.
Who should I contact for help with my Zonos Verified Account or billing?
Contact the Zonos support team, available 24/7, for assistance: :e-mail: APsupport@zonos.com
Why are there duties on returns?
According to CBP, U.S. returns are not duty-free and require duties to be paid.
There are a couple of exceptions where returns are exempt from duty:
- Un-deliverable items with the original U.S. S-10 Bar code and the package intact
- Refused items with the original U.S. S-10 Bar code and the package intact
What if I use a 3PL? Who should set up the Verified Account?
- If your 3PL allows you to bring your own Australia Post account (BYOA), then you should set up a Verified Account with Zonos for your Australia Post account.
- If your 3PL allows you to use their Australia Post account, then the 3PL needs to set up a Verified Account with Zonos. Many 3PLs have multiple Australia Post accounts; they need to set up a Verified Account for each one.
3PLs should not ask merchants to create a Verified Account with the 3PL's MLID, APCN, or APBCN.
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.