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Non-Deliverable Addresses in Anchor Software Products Overview There are several cases where an address is not deliverable by the USPS®. Even if an address exists in the USPS CASS™ database, certain indicators can be used to identify if the address is deliverable or not. Mail that is not deliverable by the USPS is classified as UAA (Undeliverable as Addressed) and will be re-routed in different ways based on the nature of the delivery failure. Rerouting costs both the mailers and the USPS a lot of money. Address Hygiene software is designed to reduce UAA mail by cleansing the addresses before they are submitted to the USPS for mailing. It is important to understand how to identify non-deliverable addresses, even if they appear to be standardized through CASS software.

Different Non-Deliverable Conditions

The following outline describes the different reasons why an address may not be deliverable by the USPS. This is accompanied by a description of the Anchor output fields that can be used to check for each condition. Unless otherwise noted, addresses matching these cases will not return a +4 code in the main output fields, even if a match was made to the USPS ZIP+4® database. Also in all cases, addresses that fall under these criteria should not be mailed to.

  • An address is not present in the USPS CASS database, and therefore it cannot be ZIP+4 or DPV® coded.
  • An address is identified as Non-Deliverable in the ZIP+4 database. The USPS has records in the ZIP+4 database that are flagged as being non-deliverable. These records contain a +4 code of ND in the USPS data. When matching to one of these records, Anchor’s software will remove the addon code from the main output fields and will set the AN footnote.  MaxCASS CASS Footnote contains the value AN. AddressPro Footnotes contain the value AN. AnchorCoder AC_MATCH_INFO_T.foot.an is populated, or AC_MATCH_INFO_T.foot.a1 contains the value AN .                                                         
  • An address is present in the ZIP+4 database, but not the DPV database. The ZIP+4 database does not contain individual addresses. Each ZIP+4 record covers a range of addresses that all belong to the same ZIP+4 code. The address range can be in the primary or secondary number, and it is indicated by a low and a high value. The DPV database was created to identify when an individual address within that range actually exists in the US, but that does not always guarantee that the address is deliverable by the USPS. (See Phantom Rural Route and Delivery Statistics below.)                                                                                                                  

Note 1: While all the Enhanced DPV values shown above (D, S, N) indicate that the address is not deliverable as presented, the +4 code will only be removed when the Enhanced DPV code is N. The DPV codes of D and S both indicate that there is insufficient information for USPS delivery of the address, but the +4 code will be returned for those addresses. With the DPV codes of D and S, it is possible that a piece of mail sent to that address could still be delivered based on local carrier knowledge of the recipient’s name, but that will only happen part of the time.

Note 2: The Enhanced DPV field is only available in the Cycle O versions of Anchor’s software products. The DPV-A flag can also be used to check for the same values in older versions of Anchor’s software products from previous CASS Cycles. However, in some special cases, addresses that have a DPV-A value of S or D are actually deliverable by the USPS. This was one of the reasons why the Enhanced DPV code was created.

  • An address is assigned to a Phantom Rural Route. This means that an address physically exists, but the occupant receives their mail at a PO BOX in a US post office.
  • The address does not have any Delivery Statistics registered with the USPS. Delivery Statistics are part of the DPV/DSF2® system and contain information about the type of delivery at the address, such as the type of mailbox that is used. If no Delivery Statistics exist, then the USPS does not deliver to the address.

Note: Addresses falling under this condition will still get a returned +4 code in the main output address fields and may also have an Enhanced DPV value of Y, however the address should still not be mailed to. 

How to get the +4 code in the AnchorCoder when it is not Returned in the Main Output Fields

When an address does match at the ZIP+4 level, but is determined to be undeliverable, then the +4 code is often removed from the output address information. This is a requirement from the USPS for CASS certification. However, in some cases, the missing +4 code may be needed for other types of processing, such as NCOALink®. To accommodate this need, the AnchorCoder has an additional output field that is reserved for the +4 code when it is removed from the main output address fields. The +4 code can be found in AC_OUTPUT_ADDR_T.z4_return.addon. Keep in mind that this +4 code should not be used for mailing purposes.