From 24 July 2026, the United States is changing how duties are calculated and collected for postal shipments.
Higher Duty Prepayment Threshold
From 24 July 2026, duties may be charged through your Zonos Verified Account for postal shipments valued up to USD $2,500 that arrive in the United States.
Previously, this only applied to shipments valued at USD $800 or less.
For example, a shipment valued at USD $1,000 that currently does not require prepaid duties will do so from 24 July 2026.
Duty Rates Are Changing
The temporary 10% global Section 122 tariff will expire on 24 July 2026.
From this date, duties will no longer be charged at a flat 10% rate. Instead, each item will be assessed based on its:
10-digit Harmonized System (HS) Code
Country of Origin (COO)
Applicable ad valorem duty rate (a percentage of the declared value of the goods)
Any applicable product-specific tariffs
This means duty costs may vary between products, even within the same shipment.
A proposed replacement Section 301 tariff of 10% to 12.5% (depending on Country of Origin) is expected to replace the expiring Section 122 tariff.
This proposal has not yet been finalised and remains subject to change.
10-Digit HS Codes Required
From 24 July 2026, U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) will only accept 10-digit HS Codes for shipments sent from Australia to the United States.
From 17 July 2026, Australia Post will return an error if you attempt to create a label with an HS Code that is not 10 digits long.
⚠️ Important: ReadyToShip cannot recommend the correct HS Code for your products. It is your responsibility to ensure each product has a valid 10-digit HS Code. If you're unsure, refer to the relevant customs authority or seek advice from a customs broker.
This requirement also applies to shipments sent to all U.S. Overseas Territories.
What You Need to Do
Before creating labels for shipments to the United States:
Ensure every product has a valid 10-digit HS Code.
Confirm the Country of Origin is correct for each product.
Review your expected duty costs in the Item Quoter within your Zonos Dashboard if required.
You can continue creating shipping labels as normal. No changes are required within ReadyToShip.
Duties will continue to be calculated, charged and remitted through your Zonos Verified Account.
Zonos will continue to email you directly with important updates. You can also read more on the Zonos and Australia Post websites.
The Australian Government also provides the latest U.S. tariff updates on its website.