UW-Extension Mail Services

N.C.O.A. Frequently Asked Questions

What is N.C.O.A.?
N.C.O.A. stands for National Change Of Address. The U.S. Postal Service maintains a database of everyone who has filed an official change of address form with them over the last three years (approximately 27 million people). N.C.O.A. is a service that allows you to update your address lists with the most accurate address information possible.
Who should use N.C.O.A.?
N.C.O.A. is useful for anyone who wants to maintain an accurate mailing list. You should consider using the N.C.O.A. service if your mailing list is mainly comprised of individuals (as opposed to business addresses), and you do not have other means of keeping your addresses current. Although N.C.O.A. processing will update business addresses, businesses tend to move less frequently than private individuals and your results may not justify the cost.
How much does it cost?
Currently our NCOA provider is not charging for the service so Bulk Mail is not charging for this service either. If the service provider does impose a fee for the service in the future, there maybe an additional cost for this service.

How do I do it?
The UW-Extension Bulk Mail Center must receive your file in one of the following formats:

ASCII Fixed - Plain text format with all fields aligned in nice columns and rows.

ASCII Delimited - Plain text format where each field is delimited with a special character (e.g. comma or tab) and each record (address) is delimted with another special character (e.g. CR/LF).

dBase - A popular database file format. Many programs such as MS-Access, Excel and Filemaker Pro have the ability to export data to this format.

We will return your file to you in the same format as it is received. The addresses in the file will be automatically updated to reflect any changes. Along with your address file, we will include a report that details changes that were made.
We can also return a file containing only the addresses that have changed, which may make it easier for you to update your internal databases.
Please let us know what would be best for you.

To send an order for NCOA service, complete the online order form. Use the "Special Instructions" area if you would like your files returned in any specific format or if you have any questions or concerns.
After your order form is filled out, send your file to us via our online upload form.

If you have further questions about NCOA services, please contact Bulk Mail Automation at 265-2256.