What Does Address Correction Requested Mean? USPS Rules by Class

If you’ve seen “Address Correction Requested” printed on an envelope, it’s a legacy USPS instruction that asks the Postal Service to forward the piece to the recipient’s new address when possible and send the sender a separate notice showing that updated address. So what does “Address Correction Requested” mean today? It still functions, but USPS replaced the wording in 1997 with “Address Service Requested,” and any new mailpiece should use the current phrase.¹

What USPS Does With the Mailpiece

When a piece bearing the endorsement enters the mailstream, USPS checks the delivery address against its National Change of Address database. If the recipient filed a forwarding order, the piece is sent to the new address and the sender receives a separate notice listing the update. If the mail can’t be forwarded or can’t be delivered at all, USPS returns it to the sender with the reason for non-delivery attached.¹

For mailers using the Intelligent Mail barcode, the correction data can flow back electronically instead of on paper. Full-Service and Seamless Acceptance mailers who print “Address Service Requested” request the Address Change Service through their barcode, and USPS returns the update as a digital record.¹

What to Print on New Mail

Use “Address Service Requested.” It is the current name for the same endorsement and is what USPS documentation and pricing tables reference. Older templates carrying “Address Correction Requested” are handled the same way in practice, but printing the current phrase avoids confusion with staff, printers, and mail service providers who work from today’s rules.

The Other Endorsements You Might Want Instead

“Address Service Requested” is one of four ancillary service endorsements. Each one tells USPS to handle undeliverable mail differently, and the right choice depends on whether you care more about the physical piece coming back, the address update, or the cost.²

Address Service Requested: USPS forwards the mail and sends a separate notice with the new address. If forwarding isn’t possible, the piece comes back with the reason attached.
Return Service Requested: USPS does not forward. Every undeliverable piece is returned to the sender with either the new address or the reason for non-delivery.
Change Service Requested: USPS does not forward or return. The piece is destroyed, and the sender receives only a separate notice with the new address or the reason for non-delivery.
Forwarding Service Requested: USPS forwards the mail and returns it only when forwarding fails. No address notice arrives when the piece is successfully forwarded.

One boundary worth noting: if you send USPS Marketing Mail with no endorsement at all, the Postal Service simply discards undeliverable pieces without telling you.³

What the Correction Notice Contains

Whether the notice comes back on paper as Form 3547 or as an electronic record, it includes the original address you printed, the recipient’s new address from postal records if a forwarding order is on file, and the recipient’s name as it appeared on the piece. If the mail couldn’t be delivered at all, the notice carries a standardized reason code. Common codes include “Moved, Left No Address,” “Attempted, Not Known,” and “No Such Number.”

Where the Endorsement Goes on the Envelope

The endorsement has to be printed in at least 8-point type and stand out against the background of the envelope or package. Brilliant-colored envelopes and reverse printing aren’t allowed because they interfere with readability, and there must be at least a quarter-inch of clear space on all sides of the text.²

Acceptable positions are directly below the return address, above the delivery address block, to the left of the postage area, or below the postage area. The endorsement and the return address must read in the same direction as the delivery address.¹ If automated sorting equipment can’t detect the endorsement because of placement or contrast issues, the piece gets default handling for its class instead.

How Handling Differs by Mail Class

First-Class Mail

First-Class Mail is forwarded to the new address at no charge and returned at no charge if it’s undeliverable, whether or not you print an endorsement.⁴ The endorsement adds value because it triggers a separate address correction notice during the forwarding window. Without it, the piece reaches the recipient but you never learn the new address.

The forwarding period runs 12 months from when the recipient filed a change-of-address order. During months 1 through 12, the piece is forwarded free and USPS sends a separate notice of the new address. During months 13 through 18, the piece is returned with the new address attached. After month 18, it’s returned with the reason for non-delivery.¹

USPS Marketing Mail

Marketing Mail does not include free forwarding. Without an endorsement, undeliverable pieces are discarded and no notice is sent.³ Adding “Address Service Requested” gets the mail forwarded and gets the sender an address update, but returned pieces carry a weighted fee equal to the single-piece First-Class letter price multiplied by 2.472. At the current $0.78 First-Class rate, that’s $1.93 per returned piece.¹ Mailers who care about updating the list but don’t need the physical piece back often use “Change Service Requested” instead, since USPS destroys the piece and sends only the address data.

Periodicals

Address correction is mandatory for all Periodicals publications. USPS forwards copies free for 60 days after the recipient’s change-of-address order takes effect. After that window, undeliverable copies are disposed of and the publisher receives a correction notice with the address update or the reason for non-delivery, and a correction fee applies to each notice.³ Publishers who add “Address Service Requested” get slightly different handling: after the 60-day forwarding period, undeliverable copies come back with the new address attached instead of being destroyed, though return postage is charged at the First-Class single-piece rate.

1
PostalPro. Ancillary Service Endorsements
2
United States Postal Service. 507 Quick Service Guide
3
United States Postal Service. 507 Mailer Services
4
United States Postal Service. Business Mail 101 – Special Address Services