USPS Address Validation Feature

Modified on Mon, 13 Apr at 6:44 PM

Overview

Cornerstone provides a lookup to the United States Postal Service (USPS) to validate mailing addresses and add Zip +4. This ensures addresses are correct and that invoices can be successfully mailed to the location or bill-to address.

This article explains how address validation works, how to interpret validation results, and how to apply corrected addresses to your records.

How Address Validation Works

Automatic Validation

Address validation automatically occurs when you:

Insert a new customer or prospect
Add a bill-to address to an account
Click OK to save the information

The system will check the address against the USPS database and provide validation results.

Manual Validation

To validate an existing site or bill-to address, click the validation icon at any time.

Understanding Validation Results

Common USPS Errors

The system will return errors from the USPS database. The two most common are:

Error Message	What It Means	What To Do
"Address Not Found"	The address does not exist in the USPS database	Review your entry for typos or incorrect information
"The address you entered was found but more information is needed"	Additional details are required (apartment, suite, or box number)	Add the missing information to match a specific address

Special Character Restrictions

USPS does not recognize special characters. If your address contains any of the following, review your entry, make edits, and validate again:

Double quotes (")
Ampersand (&)

What Address Validation Does

The validation feature will:

Check spelling — Correct misspelled street names and cities
Provide correct Zip +4 — Add the four-digit extension to the zip code
Fill in city names — Enter the city when you provide a zip code
Verify street addresses — Confirm the address exists in USPS records

Using Validated Addresses

Reviewing Validation Results

After validation completes, review the suggested corrections:

Check the corrected address information
Verify the Zip +4 code
Ensure city and state are correct

Updating Your Record

Select Update to use the validated address in Cornerstone.

⚠️ IMPORTANT

Make sure the Address 1 line has a street address or PO Box before validating.

Benefits of Address Validation

Improved data accuracy — Reduce address errors in your database
Better mail delivery — Ensure invoices reach customers
Complete zip codes — Zip +4 improves USPS processing
Reduced returned mail — Fewer undeliverable invoices
Time savings — Automatic validation catches errors immediately

Need Additional Help?

Our Customer Success team is here to assist you.

Phone: 847-405-9517 x1
Email: customer.success@alarmbills.com