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Canada Post to the US: what prepaying duty adds to each parcel

Duty must be prepaid through Zonos before Canada Post prints a US label. Here is what that adds.

Updated Oct 20 · Ian Chang · We may earn a fee i

Updated October 20, 2026 How we check prices Published by Ian Chang We may earn a fee from some providers. It never changes the prices we show or what we recommend. How we rank

Zonos Verified Account

No subscription fee when you sign up through Canada Post

  • Remittance fee$1.99 (currency not stated)

    "$1.99 remittance fee: A flat charge for transferring the duties and taxes you collect to CBP."

  • Disbursement and bond fee10% of duty

    "10% of calculated duties (disbursement and bond fee): A service fee based on the total duties owed. This covers the cost of advancing the duties on your behalf and providing the required customs bond."

Zonos app (pay per shipment)

No subscription fee

  • (pay per shipment): remittance$3.99 CAD

    "$3.99 remittance (converted): This is the amount is transferred after currency conversion, shown in Canadian dollars."

  • Processing fee10%

    "10% processing fee: A 10% service fee is charged for handling the payment and conversion."

    Canada Post doesn't say what this 10% is charged on.

  • Photo discountminus $1.00 CAD

    "If you use the "Take a Picture" option while setting up your shipment, you'll get a $1 CAD discount."

Canada Post's own figures, checked Oct 26, 2026 on its US duty page. That page still describes the 2025 rules in places, so Zonos may bill differently today.

Vendor statementZonos, Canada Post's duty partner, told us in writing on October 29, 2026 that since October 22 a CUSMA claim on a Canada Post shipment under US$2,500 brings the normal duty to 0%, but does not currently remove the 10% Section 301 tariff, and it has no date for that. Its public page was contradicting itself and Zonos says it is being corrected.

As of Oct 29, 2026 · Source: Zonos Customer Success Manager, email to Honest Fees, 2026-10-29 (page: zonos.com/canada-post)

Exact words from the source
"Since October 22, 2026, CUSMA claims apply to qualifying Canada Post shipments to the U.S. under 2,500 USD ... A successful claim brings the item's standard duty rate to 0%. ... a CUSMA claim on a Canada Post shipment does not currently remove the 10% Section 301 tariff on Canadian-origin goods."

US rules checked October 29, 2026 Estimates, not legal advice. Confirm with a licensed customs broker.

Why Canada Post needs a Declaration ID now

The US stopped collecting duty from the person receiving a mailed parcel. So the duty has to be paid before the parcel leaves, and Canada Post wants proof first:

"Under U.S. regulations, every package entering the U.S. by mail must have proof that duties were prepaid. Canada Post requires a Declaration ID (a 13-character code) before it can generate label for a U.S. parcel as proof. Without a Declaration ID, you cannot create a Canada Post shipping label for U.S. shipments."Canada Post, US duty page

US customs no longer collects duty from your customer when a mailed parcel is delivered, so duty on mail has to be paid up front.

As of Oct 29, 2026 · Source: CBP rule, Federal Register 2026-12669

Exact words from the source
"CBP officers will no longer manually prepare entry forms for such shipments, and duties will not be collected upon delivery of such shipments to addressees."

You get the Declaration ID from Zonos, through a Verified Account or the Zonos app. Zonos advances the duty to US customs and provides the customs bond, then charges you the duty plus the fees above.

What it adds to a parcel

Canada Post next to Chit Chats, same CUSMA-qualifying item

A CA$100.00 order of one CUSMA-qualifying item made in Canada with 0% normal US duty (candles, HTS 3406.00.00.00), duty prepaid by you. On top of postage:

  • Canada Postduty US$7.13, the 10% tariff US$7.84 + $1.99 (currency not stated)
  • Chit Chatsduty US$0.00, CUSMA claimed US$1.50

Our reading, not a ruling Canada Post is shown paying the 10% because its duty partner Zonos says a CUSMA claim on mail removes the normal duty but not the Section 301 tariff (vendor statement, as of Oct 29, 2026). US dollars at the Bank of Canada rate of 1.4036 for Oct 28, 2026. "Not published" parts are never counted as zero.

The fee that grows is the 10% of the duty. Unless a CUSMA claim is applied, most Canadian-made products owe at least the 10% tariff, and on mail the claim isn’t applied yet. That’s why the same item can cost less through a channel that files CUSMA. The comparison for every channel is in the cheapest way to ship to the US.

Three things that catch people out

  • Returns pay duty too. "U.S. postal returns are not duty-free and require duties to be paid."
  • Shipping software may not work for it. "Our DDP solution is currently not available for merchants using a Custom Developed Shipping System (CDSS) or a third-party shipping system (3PSS)."
  • Canada Post’s own guide is out of date. Its business guide to international customs still says the US duty-free limit is US$800. That limit is gone for every country and every mode:

There is no duty-free limit for parcels to the US. The old US$800 "de minimis" exemption is suspended for every country, every value and every way of shipping, Canada and mail included.

As of Oct 29, 2026 · Source: White House, Executive Order 14388 (Feb 20, 2026)

When and how it ended: the de minimis timeline.

Mail: the stricter entry rules start January 20, 2027

From CBP's compliance date, a mailed parcel that owes a chapter 99 tariff (like the 10% or the 50%), needs FDA or other agency data (food, cosmetics), or claims CUSMA needs formal entry. For parcels worth US$2,500 or less, CBP's voluntary Entry Type 13 test (running since September 22, 2026) is an optional electronic alternative to formal entry. (as of Oct 29, 2026, CBP rule, Federal Register 2026-12669)

CBP moved the start of those mail rules to January 20, 2027. Until then, mail keeps the current entry process. (as of Oct 29, 2026, CBP notice, Federal Register 2026-21600 (October 22, 2026))

Next step

Not sure what your product owes? Which rate your product pays sorts it in four questions, and the duty and fee estimator puts Canada Post next to every other channel for your own order.

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