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USPS Tool_ How to verify US Result Addresses

The United States Postal Service (USPS) is an independent agency providing mail services in the U.S., with its website serving as a reliable resource for address verification. A ZIP code is a 5-digit postal code, which may include an additional (+4) extension, used to confirm the existence of an address. Users can check address deliverability on the USPS website by entering the address details and interpreting the results, including the DPV Confirmation Indicator, while also considering additional research for accuracy.

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4 views

USPS Tool_ How to verify US Result Addresses

The United States Postal Service (USPS) is an independent agency providing mail services in the U.S., with its website serving as a reliable resource for address verification. A ZIP code is a 5-digit postal code, which may include an additional (+4) extension, used to confirm the existence of an address. Users can check address deliverability on the USPS website by entering the address details and interpreting the results, including the DPV Confirmation Indicator, while also considering additional research for accuracy.

Uploaded by

abhinavkishore999
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
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Download as PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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How to Use the United States Postal System

(USPS)

What is the USPS?


The United States Postal Service (USPS) is an independent agency of the United States federal
government and provides mail/postal service in the United States. For the purposes of our program,
we consider the USPS website as a reliable and official resource for address research in the United
States.

What is a ZIP code?


● ZIP code is another name for a US Postal Code and is a 5-digit number that may or may not
include an additional (+4) number extension on the end of it. Examples: 55410 or
55410-1004
● When validating an address on the USPS, the (+4) number extension that follows the 5-digit
main postal code is only used to help understand whether the address exists. When rating
we do not demote if the result is missing the (+4) number and we ignore it if we return the
(+4) number in the result.

How to Use the USPS Website:


● Link: https://www.usps.com/
● On the main USPS website move your mouse over the “Send” tab at the top of the screen,
and then click the “Look UP a ZIP Code” option from the menu. The webpage that will open
provides 3 options for researching. To confirm whether or not an address exists, select “By
Address.”
● Enter the street address, city and state into the designated boxes and click “Find.”

● Determine if the result indicates a deliverable address, which means the result is an existent,
real-world address.

Existent Address:
● When the USPS returns both the main locality ZIP code and the (+4) extension as well, this is
a good clue that the address is deliverable.
● Click on the arrow tab to the lower right of the returned address, to open the result further.

● Check the DPV Confirmation Indicator: If the DPV Confirmation Indicator has a “Y”, it
indicates that the postal service considers the address as a deliverable. We consider a
deliverable address an existent, real-world address.
Non-Existent Address:
● When the USPS returns only the main locality ZIP code and is missing a (+4), it is likely that
the address does not exist.

● Click on the arrow tab to the lower right of the returned address, to open the result further.
● Check the DPV Confirmation Indicator: If the DPV Confirmation Indicator has a “N”, it
indicates that the postal service does not consider the address as deliverable. This could also
indicate that the address is Non-Existent and not a real-world address.
● Do not solely base address existence on the USPS alone. In some cases, homes without
mailboxes (P.O. Box holders) or POIs without an expected mailing addresses (Parks, etc.)
will not be considered deliverable addresses per the USPS. Always perform additional
research using web sources and street level imagery to ensure that the entity does not
actually have a physical address.

USPS Does Not Return an Address (Gives Error Message)


The USPS clearly indicates that an address is non-existent by including an error prompt. Always
double check for misspellings, incorrect street types, incorrect localities, etc. The USPS does not
always automatically autocorrect incorrectly inputted address information and may present a
False-Negative.

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