Last Updated: 12/12/2023

NCOA Spreadsheet Format

This topic describes the format required for the Microsoft® Excel spreadsheet used in importing address changes from NCOA response data. Voter Focus is designed to read a spreadsheet containing the NCOA vendor’s findings based on the organized described in the table below.

The spreadsheet should consist of the columns described below in the order in which they are presented. The inclusion of column headings in the file is optional. The first row of the spreadsheet can contain column headings to help clarify what each column contains. The suggested column headings below align with USPS terminology; they can be changed or abbreviated if your county has different requirements.

When you complete entering the NCOA response data in the spreadsheet, save the spreadsheet in Excel (XLSX) format.

The NCOA input-processor reads each row until it comes to a blank entry in the first column (that is, the Voter ID column). At that point the processor stops and reports that processing is complete.

Spreadsheet Column	Suggested Column Headings	Max. No. of Characters	Description
A	Voter ID	10	This number was included in the data given to the vendor in the NCOA export file.
B	New Street Number	10	Details of the new address. If the new address is a post office box number, set up the address like this: New Street Number = <box number> New Street Name = PO BOX If the New Street Name field is blank, the USPS is reporting that the voter has moved away without leaving a forwarding address.
C	New Street Pre Directional	2
D	New Street Name	30
E	New Street suffix (Type)	4
F	New Street Post Directional	2
G	Unit Designator (Unit Type, such as APT or STE)	5
H	Unit Number (such as the apartment number)	15
I	AddressLine2	50	Details of the new address.
J	City	40	Details of the new address. The zip code should not be hyphenated.
K	State	2
L	Zip Code Plus Four	12
M	Effective Date of Move	MM/DD/YYYY	Date when voter's move went into effect. If this date is after the date of the most recent NCOA input process, the item will be ignored.
N	Move Type	1	I—Individual move F—Family move B—Business move Note: Changes to business addresses are not processed.
O	NCOA Link Footnote	2	A—Change-of-address match (including moves without a forwarding address) Note: Only items with the A value are processed. Items with other values are ignored.
P	Remarks	n/a	This column, and those beyond, can be used for county comments and memos. They are ignored during input processing.