NCOA status codes and Move Update results you can act on

The label "NCOA status no change" usually means the processor didn't return a new address. It does not prove the address is deliverable, the company is still there, or the named person still works there. In the official NCOALink return set, code 00 means the input couldn't be matched to a change-of-address record. "No change" itself is often a vendor's label, not universal USPS wording.

Keep the standardized input only after its address-quality result passes your mailing rules. Then decide how much recipient research the piece deserves. A postcard to a broad audience can tolerate more uncertainty than a gift headed to one executive. For a fuller explanation of the underlying process, start with what NCOA processing does.

What NCOA status no change really means

First, get the processor's data dictionary. One system may use "no change" only for USPS return code 00. Another may put no match, failed address validation, old moves outside its data window, and records it never processed into the same friendly-looking bucket. You can't write a safe automation rule against a label whose contents you haven't checked.

The official 00 result is narrow: NCOALink found no matching change-of-address record for the submitted name and old address. That could mean the recipient hasn't moved. It could also mean no permanent change was filed, the name didn't match closely enough, or the relevant move falls outside the file used by the processor.

It says nothing about current employment. "Morgan Chen at Acme" can get a no-match result even if Morgan left Acme last week, because the office itself never moved. A company might also close a branch without filing a business change of address.

Nor does 00 turn a bad location into a good one. NCOALink processing includes address standardization, but the move result and the delivery-point result answer different questions. Review the CASS and DPV output alongside the NCOA code. The address verification workflow explains that split in more detail.

Read the raw return code before choosing an action

USPS publishes the return set in its Guide to Move Update. Don't force every code into "changed" or "unchanged." There are at least four useful operational groups.

Codes A, 91, and 92 return a new address. The latter two involve secondary-address information being dropped from either the change-of-address record or the input. Apply the returned address, but look closely at suite or unit detail before releasing an expensive piece.

Codes 01, 02, 03, 05, 14, and 19 indicate that the process found a move or change record but couldn't give you a usable domestic new address. The reasons differ. They include a foreign move, moved left no address, a closed post office box with no order, an ambiguous delivery point, a new address that wouldn't convert, and a new address that isn't ZIP+4 coded or DPV-confirmable. Calling these records "no change" hides the main fact: USPS has move information, but your file still lacks a safe replacement address.

Codes 04, 06 through 13, 15 through 18, and 20 are failed or conflicted matches. Name detail, secondary information, or competing change records prevented a single answer. These aren't the same as 00. They contain a reason to inspect the identity or address.

Code 66 is a daily-delete result. USPS says the matched change record is pending deletion and mail may not be forwarded from the old address. I wouldn't release a costly send on that record without fresh research.

Move type matters too. I is an individual move, F is a family move, and B is a business move. A business update can belong at the account level. An individual move needs a person-level decision. In B2B mail, I don't let a family move silently rewrite a company location.

Use this decision table in production

The mailing operator needs one disposition field, one owner, and a reason that survives the next CRM sync. This table is a workable starting policy, not a replacement for your processor's documentation.

For a gift, dimensional mailer, or handwritten note, I use a stricter gate. Research every unresolved result and confirm the recipient at the destination. The extra check costs less than shipping a nice object to an empty suite.

The 95-day Move Update rule is a clock, not a quality score

As of October 8, 2026, the Domestic Mail Manual section 602.5 requires addresses in mailings claiming commercial First-Class Mail presorted or automation prices, or USPS Marketing Mail prices, to be updated with an approved method within 95 days before the mailing date. NCOALink is one approved method. Address Change Service and qualifying ancillary service endorsements are other routes, with rules of their own.

That requirement doesn't apply to every stamp or every package. It is tied to the listed commercial mail prices and their eligibility rules. Your electronic confirmation during eDoc submission certifies compliance, so "the vendor probably ran NCOA" is poor documentation.

Save the processing date, method, input record, standardized address, NCOA return code, move type, and returned address. When production slips beyond the window, process the final list again. Don't use the date when someone uploaded a CSV as a stand-in for the date the approved method ran.

Compliance is still not deliverability. An address can meet Move Update because it went through an approved process and remain a poor choice for the campaign. The reverse distinction matters as well: a current address copied from a company's site may look convincing, but that lookup by itself isn't an approved Move Update method for a mailing subject to the standard.

USPS also allows an address obtained or confirmed directly by the addressee to be used for the following 95 days under the guidance's directly acquired rule. Keep proof of when the recipient supplied it. Data from a broker or public source doesn't qualify as directly acquired.

Suppress some records and research others

Suppression should mean "do not send under this condition," not "delete the person forever." Preserve the bad address, reason, source, and date in a suppression table. Otherwise the next list import will revive it.

I suppress the old destination immediately when the result says moved left no address, closed box with no order, foreign move outside campaign coverage, or a known new address can't be made usable. Those records can come back after research. They shouldn't drift into a triggered send while nobody is looking.

I research conflicted matches when the account matters. Start with the company's own contact or location pages, then check the CRM owner and a current business record. Ask one practical question: where should this exact person receive this exact format? Headquarters may be fine for a letter and useless for a signature-required gift.

For 00, spend effort according to exposure. A recent, DPV-confirmed address for a modest postcard may proceed. An old residential address for a senior buyer receiving a gift gets a human check. This is where a mail-list building policy should define acceptable evidence before a campaign reaches production.

Sincerely combines per-recipient CRM personalization with Salesforce, HubSpot, and CSV sources, trigger-based sends, and address verification and correction on every plan. Keep the raw result and processing date in your CRM even when the platform handles the check.

After the send, feed hard returns and address-correction notices back into the same record. NCOALink is a pre-mail check. Post-mail evidence still tells you where your rules failed, especially when a person changed jobs without a postal move. That feedback also keeps bad addresses out of the denominator when you measure direct mail ROI.

Frequently asked questions

What does NCOA no change mean?

Usually, it means no new address came back. That's all I'd trust until I see the raw code. If the code is 00, USPS says the input didn't match a COA record. The address may still be undeliverable, and the recipient may be long gone.

Can I mail an NCOA no-match record?

Often, yes, if its separate address-quality results pass and your campaign policy allows it. But don't let a no-match result overrule a prior return, a missing suite, or current evidence that the contact left. For an expensive send, I verify the person and destination first.

Does no NCOA match mean the person has not moved?

No. It means the process didn't produce a qualifying match to the change-of-address data it used. Maybe no move was filed. Maybe the name missed, or the move is older than the processor's file. B2B job changes won't reliably appear as postal moves anyway.

How long is NCOA processing valid for Move Update?

For mail subject to the rule, process or otherwise update the address within 95 days before the mailing date. A delay can push a once-compliant file outside that window. I date the actual processing run and rerun the released audience if production drags.