diff --git a/include/sys/fm/util.h b/include/sys/fm/util.h
index 18fe49073239..6ee31764bfac 100644
--- a/include/sys/fm/util.h
+++ b/include/sys/fm/util.h
@@ -93,7 +93,7 @@ typedef struct zfs_zevent {
 extern void fm_init(void);
 extern void fm_fini(void);
 extern void fm_nvprint(nvlist_t *);
-extern void zfs_zevent_post(nvlist_t *, nvlist_t *, zevent_cb_t *);
+extern int zfs_zevent_post(nvlist_t *, nvlist_t *, zevent_cb_t *);
 extern void zfs_zevent_drain_all(int *);
 extern int zfs_zevent_fd_hold(int, minor_t *, zfs_zevent_t **);
 extern void zfs_zevent_fd_rele(int);
diff --git a/module/zfs/fm.c b/module/zfs/fm.c
index 246b3d2cf606..d38cb067e12a 100644
--- a/module/zfs/fm.c
+++ b/module/zfs/fm.c
@@ -499,9 +499,13 @@ zfs_zevent_insert(zevent_t *ev)
 }
 
 /*
- * Post a zevent
+ * Post a zevent. The cb will be called when nvl and detector are no longer
+ * needed, i.e.:
+ * - An error happened and a zevent can't be posted. In this case, cb is called
+ *   before zfs_zevent_post() returns.
+ * - The event is being drained and freed.
  */
-void
+int
 zfs_zevent_post(nvlist_t *nvl, nvlist_t *detector, zevent_cb_t *cb)
 {
 	int64_t tv_array[2];
@@ -509,25 +513,37 @@ zfs_zevent_post(nvlist_t *nvl, nvlist_t *detector, zevent_cb_t *cb)
 	uint64_t eid;
 	size_t nvl_size = 0;
 	zevent_t *ev;
+	int error;
+
+	ASSERT(cb != NULL);
 
 	gethrestime(&tv);
 	tv_array[0] = tv.tv_sec;
 	tv_array[1] = tv.tv_nsec;
-	if (nvlist_add_int64_array(nvl, FM_EREPORT_TIME, tv_array, 2)) {
+
+	error = nvlist_add_int64_array(nvl, FM_EREPORT_TIME, tv_array, 2);
+	if (error) {
 		atomic_add_64(&erpt_kstat_data.erpt_set_failed.value.ui64, 1);
-		return;
+		goto out;
 	}
 
 	eid = atomic_inc_64_nv(&zevent_eid);
-	if (nvlist_add_uint64(nvl, FM_EREPORT_EID, eid)) {
+	error = nvlist_add_uint64(nvl, FM_EREPORT_EID, eid);
+	if (error) {
 		atomic_add_64(&erpt_kstat_data.erpt_set_failed.value.ui64, 1);
-		return;
+		goto out;
+	}
+
+	error = nvlist_size(nvl, &nvl_size, NV_ENCODE_NATIVE);
+	if (error) {
+		atomic_add_64(&erpt_kstat_data.erpt_dropped.value.ui64, 1);
+		goto out;
 	}
 
-	(void) nvlist_size(nvl, &nvl_size, NV_ENCODE_NATIVE);
 	if (nvl_size > ERPT_DATA_SZ || nvl_size == 0) {
 		atomic_add_64(&erpt_kstat_data.erpt_dropped.value.ui64, 1);
-		return;
+		error = EOVERFLOW;
+		goto out;
 	}
 
 	if (zfs_zevent_console)
@@ -536,7 +552,8 @@ zfs_zevent_post(nvlist_t *nvl, nvlist_t *detector, zevent_cb_t *cb)
 	ev = zfs_zevent_alloc();
 	if (ev == NULL) {
 		atomic_add_64(&erpt_kstat_data.erpt_dropped.value.ui64, 1);
-		return;
+		error = ENOMEM;
+		goto out;
 	}
 
 	ev->ev_nvl = nvl;
@@ -548,6 +565,12 @@ zfs_zevent_post(nvlist_t *nvl, nvlist_t *detector, zevent_cb_t *cb)
 	zfs_zevent_insert(ev);
 	cv_broadcast(&zevent_cv);
 	mutex_exit(&zevent_lock);
+
+out:
+	if (error)
+		cb(nvl, detector);
+
+	return (error);
 }
 
 static int
diff --git a/module/zfs/zfs_fm.c b/module/zfs/zfs_fm.c
index 05ee84c19e4d..fb65ec6a6525 100644
--- a/module/zfs/zfs_fm.c
+++ b/module/zfs/zfs_fm.c
@@ -112,6 +112,11 @@ zfs_zevent_post_cb(nvlist_t *nvl, nvlist_t *detector)
 		fm_nvlist_destroy(detector, FM_NVA_FREE);
 }
 
+static void
+zfs_zevent_post_cb_noop(nvlist_t *nvl, nvlist_t *detector)
+{
+}
+
 static void
 zfs_ereport_start(nvlist_t **ereport_out, nvlist_t **detector_out,
     const char *subclass, spa_t *spa, vdev_t *vd, zio_t *zio,
@@ -768,12 +773,7 @@ zfs_ereport_start_checksum(spa_t *spa, vdev_t *vd,
 	    FM_EREPORT_ZFS_CHECKSUM, spa, vd, zio, offset, length);
 
 	if (report->zcr_ereport == NULL) {
-		report->zcr_free(report->zcr_cbdata, report->zcr_cbinfo);
-		if (report->zcr_ckinfo != NULL) {
-			kmem_free(report->zcr_ckinfo,
-			    sizeof (*report->zcr_ckinfo));
-		}
-		kmem_free(report, sizeof (*report));
+		zfs_ereport_free_checksum(report);
 		return;
 	}
 #endif
@@ -789,13 +789,15 @@ zfs_ereport_finish_checksum(zio_cksum_report_t *report,
     const void *good_data, const void *bad_data, boolean_t drop_if_identical)
 {
 #ifdef _KERNEL
-	zfs_ecksum_info_t *info = NULL;
+	zfs_ecksum_info_t *info;
+
 	info = annotate_ecksum(report->zcr_ereport, report->zcr_ckinfo,
 	    good_data, bad_data, report->zcr_length, drop_if_identical);
-
 	if (info != NULL)
 		zfs_zevent_post(report->zcr_ereport,
 		    report->zcr_detector, zfs_zevent_post_cb);
+	else
+		zfs_zevent_post_cb(report->zcr_ereport, report->zcr_detector);
 
 	report->zcr_ereport = report->zcr_detector = NULL;
 	if (info != NULL)
@@ -826,7 +828,8 @@ void
 zfs_ereport_send_interim_checksum(zio_cksum_report_t *report)
 {
 #ifdef _KERNEL
-	zfs_zevent_post(report->zcr_ereport, report->zcr_detector, NULL);
+	zfs_zevent_post(report->zcr_ereport, report->zcr_detector,
+	    zfs_zevent_post_cb_noop);
 #endif
 }