Extended zip code finder

Most business owners and marketers treat ZIP codes as something unimportant. They fail to realize that mailing details, especially a complete ZIP code with a 4-digit extension, are a valuable source of information about their customers. Besides, verified ZIP code plus 4 addresses are subject to mailing discounts and can help optimize business expenses. Learn how this information can benefit your business or marketing and the limitations of the Extended ZIP code lookup service below.

Extended ZIP code lookup is an online service supplied by the United States Postal service to enable businesses, organizations, and individuals to complete a ZIP code with a 4-digit extension.

At the output, users get the formatted address of the recipient with a nine-digit ZIP code. The first five digits stand for the delivery area or the destination post office. The additional four digits of the ZIP code plus 4 indicate a specific delivery route within the overall mail delivery area.

This information helps the postal service to sort the mail and, for this reason, is rewarded with USPS mailing discounts. Note that you will be able to complete a ZIP code with a digit extension only if the street address is standardized, validated, and mailable. What are those last four numbers in a nine-digit ZIP Code?

The last four digits are not specific to a city but to a street address or Post Office Box. The first five digits identify the area of the country and the delivery office to which the mail is directed. ZIP Codes start with a zero 0 in the northeast and gradually get higher as you move west.

ZIP Codes in the far west start with a nine 9. Some do handle more than one ZIP Code, but a one-on-one game plan is the norm. It's very important to note that ZIP Codes aren't "boundaries. They don't follow geographic or administrative boundary lines; they can cross city, county, or even state lines. They follow where the delivery trucks go. Some ZIP Codes are special cases. Among them are "military" ZIP Codes, which include everything from military bases domestic or otherwise to battleships at sea.

Then there are "unique" codes. Businesses and organizations sometimes get their own ZIP Codes, due to the volume of mail they send and receive. These are frequently benefiting from bulk mailing discounts, since the organization usually has a mail department that 1 presorts mail before giving it to the USPS, and 2 distributes mail internally so the USPS doesn't have to.

Using full ZIP Codes ensure the fastest, most accurate mailing possible. They're only provided for an address once the address has been standardized , validated and proven real. These codes indicate a specific delivery route , meaning the actual path the mail truck would travel in a single drop-off. Usually this comprises ten to twenty homes or locations.

Because ZIP codes plus 4 extra digits are based on delivery routes instead of more permanent boundaries, the last 4 digits of a complete ZIP Code can change often. Not so for the full 9-digit ZIP Code.