GLOSSARY
NCOALink
By Justin Winter · Updated August 28, 2026
The USPS-licensed dataset of change-of-address records used to update mailing lists before a mailing goes out.
NCOALink lets a licensed processor match a mailing list against filed change-of-address orders and substitute the new address. It is the standard way large mailers avoid sending to addresses people have already left.
Running a list through it is cheaper than paying postage on mail that will be forwarded, returned, or thrown away.
See also
- Change of address — The USPS request that forwards mail from an old address to a new one for a limited period after a move.
- CASS certification — A USPS certification programme for address-matching software, confirming it can correctly standardise and code addresses.
- Undeliverable as addressed — USPS’s classification for a piece that cannot be delivered to the address written on it — the umbrella term behind most returned mail.
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