IRA Guide to Style and Usage: Postal Standards and Standard Abbreviations

envelopes and mailing labels: standard format

1. Use all capitals.

2. Use no punctuation except a hyphen between the 5-digit and + 4 Zip code.

3. Follow the line arrangement shown in this example:

ELBERT F POWELL
POWELL PRINTING CO
STE 412
5800 BRATTLE ST
CAMBRIDGE MA 02169-1058
USA

recipient or attention line
(omit "attn" or "attention")
company or institution line
secondary address unit
street address line
city/state/zip line
country line

4. Use standard abbreviations for street address, secondary address, and city/state/zip lines as specified below.

5. Except for such universal forms as "Co.," and "Inc.," DO NOT abbreviate recipient, company, or institution names unless you must do so to avoid line wrapping. When it is necessary to abbreviate, use the "ad hoc" abbreviations specified below.

abbreviations, secondary address unit designators Note that TIMSS/Group 1 will allow only STE or APT. For other terms, data entry must manually override Group 1. Also, TIMSS/Group 1 will force secondary address to a new line above street address. To enable another position, manually override Group 1.
Apt Box Bldg Dept Fl Ofc Rm Ste Unit	Apartment Box Building Department Floor Office Room Suite Unit	No. #	Number (omit this word) Number or space (omit this symbol)

abbreviations, ad hoc Use the following abbreviations where needed to allow address elements to fit on a single line.
Admin Apt Assoc Assn Asst Attn Bd of Ed Bl Bldg Bur Capt Ctr Chair	Administration Apartment Associate Association Assistant (omit this word) Board of Education Block Building Bureau Captain Center Chairman, chairperson	Libr Lit Loc Ltd Mnr Mfg Mtg Metro Mid MS Mt Mtn	Library Literature Location, local Limited Manor Manufacturing Meeting Metropolitan Middle Middle School Mount Mountain
Cir City Colg Col Cdr Comm Cmnty Co Cond Conf Coop Corpl Corp Cty Curr	Circle City College Colonel Commander Commission Community Company Condominium, condition Conference Cooperative Corporal Corporation County Curriculum	Mtwy Mus Natl No. Ofc Org Phil Plz Pt Port PO Pr	Motorway Museum National Number Office Organization Philosophy Plaza Point Port Post Office Prairie
Dept Dev Dist Div Dr Educ Elem Engl Ens Est Expy Ext	Department Development District Division Doctor Education Elementary English Ensign Estate Expressway Extension	Pres Prof Prop Psych Pvt Pub Qtr RR Rcvng Regl Rep	President Professor Proprietor Psychology Private Public Quarter Railroad Receiving Regional Representative, republic
Farm Fax Flat FPO Fwd Gdn Gdns Gen Govt GPO	Farm Fax Flat Fleet Post Office Forward Garden Gardens General Government Government Post Office	Rsrch Ret St Sch Bd Sci Sec Sr Sgt Shpg Src Sq	Research Retired Saint School Board Science Sector, section Senior, Sister Sergeant Shipping Source Square
Hbr Hon Hqtrs HS Hts Inc ISD Inst Instr Jr K	Harbor Honorable Headquarters High school Heights Incorporated Independent School District Institute, institution Instruction, instructor Junior Kindergarten	Sta Strm Supt Sys Tel Twp Univ US USA Vil Vis	Station Stream Superintendent System Telephone Township University United States (adjective) United States of America (noun) Villa Vista
Lab Lang Ldg	Laboratory Language(s) Lodge	&, #, c/o	Eliminate these marks

Additional information on USPS address standards and standard abbreviations is available in the publication United States Postal Service Postal Addressing Standards. (PDF document available for download on this site.)

addresses: IRA post office boxes

1. Use the following address as standard for materials sent to 800 Barksdale:
IRA
800 BARKSDALE RD
PO BOX 8139
NEWARK DE 19714-8139

2. Use the following address for orders for Building 700:

IRA
800 BARKSDALE RD
PO BOX 6021
NEWARK DE 19714-6021

3. Use the following address for POSTAGE PAID #9 RETURN ENVELOPE:

IRA
800 BARKSDALE RD
PO BOX 6021
NEWARK DE 19714-9900

4. Use the following addresses for POSTAGE PAID 4 x 6 POST CARD:

IRA
800 BARKSDALE RD
PO BOX 6021 (for items delivered to 700 Barksdale)
NEWARK DE 19714-9958

IRA
800 BARKSDALE RD
PO BOX 8139 (for items delivered to 800 Barksdale)
NEWARK DE 19714-9874

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