Copy Wrights  one stop convenience

The US Postal Service (USPS) requires NCOA (National Change of Address) processing on lists aimed at individuals. NCOA processing must be completed prior to mailing to achieve the lowest postage rates.

This process is more efficient than the older service request (endorsement) system which included Return Service Requested, Forwarding Service Requested or Address Service Requested printed on the mail piece.

Resident/Occupant lists including lists addressed to a "person or current occupant" are exempt from the NCOA processing requirement because the lists are really aimed at addresses not individuals.

Good News - Compliance is Easy
A no cost form is required by the USPS before a mailer can have his/her list processed by Copy Wrights or any other NCOA processor. Copy Wrights prepares this form for you and emails it to you for your signature. Upon return, Copy Wrights also signs the form and sends it to the proper authority.

The form is sort of a permission slip to allow the USPS to release NCOA data on your list and stay in compliance with the Privacy Act of 1974. It has to be updated once per year but there is no fee.

Better News - Copy Wright Does Not Charge for NCOA Processing
Most NCOA processors charge for this service because the special software required to do NCOA processing is expensive and has ongoing fees. There is also extra work associated with processing each list. Copy Wrights does not charge for the additional processing involved in NCOA compliance. Free NCOA processing is another reason to choose Copy Wrights for mailing services.

Best News - NCOA processing will save you money
The old Service Endorsements were a slow and often expensive way to get feedback on your list. First, you had to pay to print and mail a piece to your list. Second, you slowly got address info back from the USPS - usually not in time to mail a second piece to people who moved.  Third, the info was often not useful such as FOE (forwarding order expired) with no new address or NDA (not deliverable as addressed) with no corrected address. Fourth, you had to pay for the returned pieces if they came back from a bulk mailing.

NCOA processing happens before mailing so your mail goes out to the new addresses of people who have moved.  Undeliverable addresses are removed from the mailing.  Copy Wrights will send you feedback files of the new addresses. We also provide a list of people who have moved but for whom no new address information is available. 

All the frustration and cost of the endorsement system is eliminated.

Warning - You Must Update Your List
Feedback files are provided so you can update your data base with the information. NCOA feedback has an expiration date of 18 months from the time the person who moved submitted a change of address card to the post office.

After 18 months, the USPS no longer gives out the new address for a peron who has moved. If you do not update your data base after each mailing, members who have moved begin to fall into the forwarding order expired category. Over time, your list quality will go down if you do not update it.

After 18 months, phone or internet research will be your only options to find new addresses for people who have moved. An service endorsement mailing will not produce results and will be a waste of money.