How to Interpret Your National Change of Address (NCOA) Results

The "BCC Data Services Processing Certificate, shown at right, outlines the results of your NCOA check. This Certificate is provided to you by Mailrite after running the NCOA service through our BCC software. The section titled "List" tells you the number of addresses submitted as well as the percentage of those addresses for which move update information was provided. The third section of the report gives a breakdown of the results by Return Codes. A definitive interpretation of these Return codes can be a complex exercise. If you desire this information, please do call us and we will work with you on this level of interpretation. The Return Code for each address is included in the electronic file of your list.

Click here to download an example PDF Processing Certificate, or click here to download a PDF copy of the following information.

Here is an easy-to-use interpretation of the Return Codes:

• Return Codes 35, 36, 37, 38 & 39. A move or address update is confirmed. Records with one of these codes have been updated with the addressee’s new address.

• Return Codes 23, 26, 27, 28, & 33. The NCOA was able to make a definitive match and these addressees have moved or have had their addresses closed out, giving no forwarding information.

  For return code 23, in particular, the addressee handed in a change of address card to the post office, however, the information on that card is either incomplete or erroneous so that determination of the new address cannot be made.
  (Addresses with Return Codes 23, 26,27, 28 and 33 should be taken off your list.)

• Return Code 31. These addresses matched to a record and are valid postal addresses.
  (These addresses can be mailed to with reasonable confidence.)

• Return Code 32. These records are missing a suite or apartment information. They may or may not be deliverable.
  (Depending on the value or use of your list, these addresses probably should be mailed. You may find it worthwhile to do the individual corrections.)

• Return Codes 10-17. These records may not be delivered due to poor address quality.
  (Addresses with Return Codes 10-17 should be researched to provide a full and complete address if possible or should be taken off your list.)

• Return Codes 1 – 4 and 43 – 46 indicate that a move is suggested, but that there isn’t enough accurate data to verify the information. The lower the score, the greater the chance that a move has occurred.
  (Depending on the value and use of your list you may want to attempt individual correction of addresses with NIXIE scores of 1-3.)

• Return Codes 21 and 22. For these codes the NCOA check comes up with an invalid city, state or zip combination, or simply cannot find the address in its database or is getting too many responses to make a determination.

  Essentially these addresses do not conform to postal standards and cannot be compared against the database. Some of them may be pre-911 addresses. They may or may not be deliverable, depending often times on the whim of the local post office.

  For example:
  

  Correct Postal Address	List Address
  Joe Smith 672 Fairbanks Drive East Overshoe, VT 05333	Joe Smith Old Fairbanks Road Underfoot, VT 05333

  The local post office knows that Joe Smith has never moved and he still lives on Old Fairbanks Road, even though his official address has changed. As a courtesy the postal worker delivers the piece with the wrong address.
  (You may want to attempt individual correction of addresses with Return Code 21 and 22 depending on the value and use of your list.)