Ribbon Research · 2023 mailing test
Registered-office mail delivery: a 2023 Atlantic Canada study
Nicholas Wesley-JamesCEO, Ribbon BusinessWe mailed 190 letters to newly incorporated federal corporations in Atlantic Canada. 10.5% came back return to sender, roughly one in ten.
These were newly incorporated businesses, yet some of the addresses on their corporate records were already causing delivery problems. Our test offers a small, practical look at what can go wrong between recording a business address and receiving mail there.
Around one in ten letters came back
The test covered newly incorporated federal corporations in 
New Brunswick, 
Newfoundland and Labrador, 
Nova Scotia and 
Prince Edward Island.
| What we measured | Result |
|---|---|
| Letters mailed | 190 |
| Return-to-sender rate | 10.5% |
| Region | Atlantic Canada |
| First published | December 4, 2023 |
The main finding is simple: an address appearing on a corporate record did not always mean mail could reach the business there.
Why the mail came back
The returned letters pointed to several problems:
- Incomplete addresses: details needed for delivery were missing.
- Invalid addresses: the address could not be used for delivery.
- Relocations: the addressee had moved.
- Missing PO box numbers: some post office addresses did not include a box number.
The original report did not break down how many letters came back for each reason. For the distinction between a mailing address and a registered office, see our guide to PO boxes and registered offices.
What this means for a business address
Choosing an address is only the first step. Someone also needs to receive the mail, let the business know it has arrived and keep the registry details current when anything changes.
A useful address check is straightforward:
- Does the record contain the full address, including the unit number where needed?
- Can the business actually receive correspondence there?
- Who checks incoming mail and tells the business about it?
- If the business moves, who updates the registered office?
Our registered-office guide explains the address's role. If yours needs updating, follow the registered-office change guide.
About the test
Ribbon first published these findings on December 4, 2023. We sent 190 letters to newly incorporated federal corporations in the four Atlantic provinces and reported a 10.5% return rate.
This was a small regional test, so the result should not be read as the return rate for every Canadian corporation. The original write-up does not include exact mailing dates, how recipients were selected or a province-by-province breakdown. A letter not coming back also does not prove the intended recipient received it.
This page was updated in September 2026 to bring the study into our Research section. The figures are still from the 2023 test.
Download and cite the findings
- Download the results (CSV).
- Download the study summary (JSON).
- Read the original 2023 article (Markdown).
The downloads contain the figures from the original article, rather than a list of recipients or addresses.
Suggested citation
Ribbon Business. Registered-office mail delivery: a 2023 Atlantic Canada study. December 4, 2023; updated September 22, 2026. https://resources.ribbonbusiness.com/research/registered-office-mail-delivery-2023/
If you quote the return rate, include that it came from 190 letters sent in Atlantic Canada in 2023.
Nicholas Wesley James is co-founder of Ribbon Business. Questions about the study can be directed to him through his author profile.