Last updated: August 6th, 2026
In this article:
The three landed costs payer options
When you ship internationally, the parcel usually doesn't clear customs for free - import duties, taxes, and handling fees ("landed costs") are charged on top of the shipping cost. Australia Post needs to know who is going to pay that bill before it can generate a compliant label, so every international shipment now carries a landed costs payer.
This article explains the three options, which destinations they apply to, and how to configure them.
| Option | Who pays | Setup required |
|---|---|---|
| Receiver Pays | The customer pays duties/taxes when the parcel arrives (courier or customs authority collects it, sometimes with a handling fee added). | None |
| Sender Pays – Tax ID | You pay, using your own tax registration for the applicable scheme in the destination (e.g. IOSS for EU shipments) so tax is collected at checkout instead of at the border. | You must supply an Import Reference Number - it's mandatory for this option |
| Sender Pays – Zonos | You pay, through a Zonos-verified account linked with Australia Post. Zonos calculates and remits duties/taxes on your behalf. | Account must be verified with Australia Post/Zonos before use |
A few important notes:
- You can't mix payers on one shipment. Whatever you choose applies to the whole shipment.
- Sender Pays – Zonos is set up and verified with Australia Post directly (outside of this platform) before you select it here.
- If you don't choose anything, Australia Post applies its own default: Receiver Pays for most destinations, but for US-bound shipments under USD 800, it silently defaults to Sender Pays – Zonos instead. If you don't have a verified Zonos account in that case, the transaction will fail rather than fall back to Receiver Pays - so US shipments in particular should have an explicit payer set.
Where this applies
The landed costs payer only matters for shipments going to destinations that require import tax/duty collection at the point of sale or delivery. Currently that's:
- All 27 EU member states (Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Croatia, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Ireland, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, Netherlands, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden)
- United Kingdom
- United States
- Canada
- Norway
For every other destination, the landed costs payer setting is simply ignored - you don't need to configure anything for domestic or other international shipments.
How to set it up
1. Set a default landed costs payer for the courier
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Go to Settings → Couriers and open your eParcel or MyPost Business configuration.
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Find the Default landed costs payer field.
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Choose one of Receiver Pays, Sender Pays – Tax ID, or Sender Pays – Zonos.
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If you chose Sender Pays – Tax ID, an Import reference number field appears - enter your IOSS number, UK VAT number, or Norway VOEC number as appropriate. This field is required whenever the payer is set to Sender Pays – Tax ID; you won't be able to save without it.
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Click Save.
This becomes the default applied to new international shipments for that courier - you can still change it on individual shipments before dispatch if a particular order needs a different arrangement (for example, a high-value item you want to route through Zonos instead of your default Tax ID setup).
2. Double-check it on the shipment before you send
When you create or review a shipment bound for one of the destinations listed above, confirm the Landed costs payer shown matches what you intend, and that the import reference number is present if you're using Sender Pays – Tax ID. If it's missing, you'll see a warning:
Import reference number is required when landed costs payer is set to Sender Pays (Tax ID)
This is a warning rather than a hard block, but the label may be rejected by Australia Post or the parcel may be held at customs if the reference number is genuinely required for that destination - so treat it as a fix-before-you-ship item, not something to dismiss.
FAQ
Do I need to configure this for domestic shipments?
No. The setting only affects shipments to the EU, UK, US, and Canada.
What happens if I leave it unset?
Australia Post applies its own default: Receiver Pays for EU/UK/Canada/Norway destinations. For US shipments under USD 800, it instead defaults to Sender Pays – Zonos - and if you haven't verified a Zonos account, the shipment will fail rather than quietly falling back to Receiver Pays. If you ship to the US, set an explicit payer rather than relying on the default.
Can I use a different payer for a single shipment without changing my default?
Yes - the default from Settings is just a starting point; it can be overridden per shipment before you dispatch it.
I selected Sender Pays – Tax ID but don't have an IOSS/VAT/VOEC number yet - what should I use?
Don't select this option until you've registered for the relevant scheme (IOSS for the EU, VAT for the UK, VOEC for Norway) and have a number to enter. Use Receiver Pays in the meantime.
Does Sender Pays – Zonos need anything set up here?
No extra configuration on this platform - Zonos verification happens directly with Australia Post. Once your Zonos account is verified, just select Sender Pays – Zonos as the payer.
This policy reflects Australia Post's global customs/import changes effective 1 July 2026 (already in effect) - see Australia Post's Global customs & imports updates, "API customers and eCommerce platform partners" section, for the source policy this platform's implementation follows.