Can You Change the Shipping Address on a UPS Shipping Label?

As the old saying goes, to err is human; sometimes we make mistakes even when we’re absolutely sure we have double-checked everything. Some mistakes are easy to fix, others not so much. Say, you’ve made a typo or a mistake on a UPS shipping label. Is it possible to edit the label and change the shipping address? If no, are there any other ways to fix the mistake?

Why is it so important to ensure that the shipping address you provide is accurate? The answer is simple: an incorrect or incomplete delivery address can result in delays, misdeliveries, returns, and even lost packages. If you want your package to reach its intended destination on time and without any problems, it is very important to get the address right. Human error (typos, missing or incorrect information) is the most common reason for address errors, so the best way to avoid them is to double-check the delivery address before creating and printing your shipping label.

But what if you end up making a mistake anyway? Can you simply correct the shipping address manually once you print the label? No, you can’t because shipping labels don’t work like that. When you create a shipping label, the delivery address is saved in the UPS system and encoded in the barcode on the label.

Most postal and courier companies process packages automatically throughout most of the delivery route by scanning their shipping labels. Automated processing systems don’t “see” the address you’ve written on the label manually; they sort packages according to the addresses in the system that correspond to the barcodes. This means that a package with a manually modified shipping address will most likely be returned to the sender.

So what you need to do if you’ve made an error is let UPS know that you’ve made a mistake in the delivery address and have the address modified in their system. Your further actions will depend on whether you have already shipped the package or not. If you have already paid for the shipping label but have not shipped the package yet, you should void the erroneous label and create a new one; the money will be refunded to your UPS.com account.

Note that you can void only those shipping labels that were credited or billed using a UPS shipping account number. An unused UPS shipping label can be voided within 90 days of its creation. If between 90 and 180 days have passed, you can request a void by contacting the UPS customer support. If more than 180 days have passed, a shipping label can’t be voided.

To void an erroneous label, log in to your UPS.com account and go to your shipping history. Find the label you want to void, select the tickbox next to it, then select “Void Shipment”. Once the label has been successfully voided, an X should appear in the Voided column next to it.

If you used a third-party service to create a UPS shipping label, you can typically void it using that service. Keep in mind that such services may have different label cancellation policies. For example, some allow to void shipping labels within a more limited period of time than UPS, and some may charge a cancellation fee.

But what if you realize you’ve made a mistake after shipping the parcel? In this case, you can try to change the delivery with UPS Delivery Intercept, a service for senders that allows to reroute shipments to a new address. It is available for domestic deliveries within the United States and Puerto Rico.

Requesting a delivery intercept is easy: you should log in to your UPS.com account, find the shipment you want to intercept, select it from the list and choose the option “Deliver to Another Address”, then follow the instructions. You may be charged additional fees for having your package rerouted, but only when your request is completed, not before. Keep in mind that you cannot request to reroute the shipment once a delivery attempt was made.

So what’s the takeaway here? If you’ve made a mistake on a UPS shipping label, there is no way to edit it. However, you can void the label and print a new one if you haven’t shipped the package yet, or try to reroute the package using UPS Delivery Intercept if the package has already been shipped.