Us postal service zip codes plus 4

Your ZIP+4 is a basic five-digit code with four digits added as an extra identifier. It helps to identify a geographic segment within the five-digit delivery area, such as a city block, a group of apartments, an individual high-volume receiver of mail, or a post office box. ZIP+4 Codes improve the mail sorting and delivery process - the increased level of accuracy helps speed up delivery time, decrease the chance of delivery errors, and qualify mailers for bulk mailing discounts.

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Why Melissa?
ZIP+4 Codes
Why should you care about ZIP+4?
Retrieve ZIP+4 in Salesforce
Book a free demo
What is the 4 digit ZIP Code extension?
What are the 4 numbers next to ZIP Code?
What is a valid ZIP 4?
Can US ZIP codes be 4 digits?

Melissa’s ZIP+4 lookup returns a list of addresses within the provided ZIP Code. It also returns information related to addresses such as current resident, phone number and more. To use the lookup tool, simply

Enter a 5-digit ZIP Code and see a list of all ZIP+4 Codes within the given 5-digit ZIP Code.
Enter a ZIP+4 Code and get all addresses within that ZIP Code and other consumer records.

Why Melissa?

Melissa has over 35 years of experience providing leading-edge address management and mailing solutions. Our Address Verification service CASS processes your mailing list by matching the addresses in your mail file to the monthly updated USPS® National Address file, adding the correct ZIP+4 postal codes and standardizing to meet USPS CASS requirements. We verify, correct and standardize address data for over 240 countries, and our CASS processing service can help you improve mail deliverability and qualify your mailings for postal discounts.

Try WinPure Clean & Match Enterprise with Address Verification today and discover why large companies such as Bank of America, Vodafone, McAfee, Hewlett-Packard, and Emirates are happy to use our leading data cleansing and data matching software.

ZIP codes, the postal code system used by the US Postal Service (USPS), were introduced in 1963. Their basic, and most familiar, format consists of five digits that indicate a specific delivery area. In 1983, the USPS introduced the extended ZIP+4 code.

ZIP+4 Codes

Also called “plus-four codes”, “add-on codes”, or “add-ons”, the ZIP+4 code starts with the standard five-digit ZIP Code. The four extra numbers are added after a hyphen to complete the ZIP+4.

So what do the extra numbers mean?

These last 4 digits represent specific delivery routes within delivery areas. This extra detail means an even more precise matching to a more granular level. It could represent a handful of houses on one side of a street, or even a single building that receives a high volume of mail.

So ZIP+4 Codes help the USPS more effectively sort and distribute mail. How does this affect you?

Why should you care about ZIP+4?

Faster deliveries

As we already discussed, using the ZIP+4 Code narrows down your delivery address to a handful of addresses. There are plenty of resources that suggest ZIP+4 accelerates the overall delivery process by one or even two days since it reduces the processing time needed at a mail centre.

Reduced misdeliveries

Delivery addresses do not require ZIP+4 Codes. However, ZIP+4 codes require an address to be first standardized and verified to exist. This means that an address with a ZIP 4 code can be sure to exist and therefore deliverable.

ZIP+4 Codes can change

Delivery addresses do not require ZIP+4 Codes. However, ZIP+4 codes require an address to be first ZIP+4 Codes are based on actual delivery routes. This means that they can change fairly regularly. Some resources state that the USPS can update a ZIP+4 Code as frequently as once in two months. However frequently or infrequently the case may be, it’s important to note that they can change. Sounds like you want some *cough* automated software to find that for you…

Save money

The USPS discounts on bulk mailings if you do tasks that the USPS would normally do, like bundling mail, adding barcodes and, most relevant here, if you add the ZIP+4 Code extension.

PO boxes

If you frequently work with PO boxes, ZIP+4 Codes are incredibly useful. The USPS usually assigns each PO Box its own +4 Code, which matches the box number. In other words, the ZIP+4 Code will likely include the actual PO Box number in the +4 part of the ZIP Code.

Retrieve ZIP+4 in Salesforce

Now you know why you should care about ZIP+4 codes. The next step is how to start using them. If you use Salesforce then there’s some good news for you.

Easily retrieve the ZIP+4 for your addresses in Salesforce with AddressTools. Our solution includes US-specific interactive functionality to help you easily look up and verify full ZIP codes.

Book a free demo

We love talking about all things address related! See AddressTools, our address data solution that can retrieve ZIP+4 codes for Salesforce, on a free demo.

What is the 4 digit ZIP Code extension?

What are the 4 numbers next to ZIP Code?

So what do the extra numbers mean? These last 4 digits represent specific delivery routes within delivery areas. This extra detail means an even more precise matching to a more granular level. It could represent a handful of houses on one side of a street, or even a single building that receives a high volume of mail.

What is a valid ZIP 4?

A ZIP code is a postal code used by the United States Postal Service (USPS) in a system it introduced in 1963. An extended ZIP+4 code was introduced in 1983 which includes the five digits of the ZIP code, followed by a hyphen and four additional digits that reference a more specific location.

Can US ZIP codes be 4 digits?

Yes, when using a ZIP+4 ZIP Code, the number must consist of five digits, a hyphen (or dash), and four digits. Improperly labeled mailpieces may progress slower through the mail system and may be returned to sender if the United States Postal Service® is unable to deliver the item.