Can I use a PO Box as my home address?

Last updated: August 31, 2026

Classification: Public · Contractor Support · applies to [us_w2, us_ic, ca_t4] · tags: Contractors, Onboarding · (policy: no)

Applies to: US workers — W-2 employees and 1099 independent contractors — and Canada T4 employees. If you work outside the US and Canada as an International EOR employee, your personal records are maintained by your in-country HR contact, so ask them instead.

Summary: No. The home address on your worker record has to be a physical street address. If you enter a PO Box, the change will not save and you will see a message asking for the street address where you live. Apartment, unit, and suite numbers are fine, and rural route addresses still work.

Why a PO Box is not accepted

Your home address is not only a mailing address. It determines which state or province (and sometimes which city or county) you are taxed in, and it appears on official employment and tax documents that have to show where you actually live. A PO Box does not identify a place of residence, so it cannot be used for that purpose.

This applies to your own home address as a worker. It is not a restriction on business addresses generally.

What you will see

If you enter a PO Box, your change is rejected and the address is not saved. The message reads:

A PO Box cannot be used as a residential address. Please provide the physical street address where the contractor lives.

Nothing else on your profile is affected, and you can try again straight away with a street address.

What counts as a physical address

Accepted:

  • A normal street address — for example 548 Market St.

  • An apartment, unit, or suite on the second address line — Apt 4, # 12, NUM 28656

  • Rural route and highway contract addresses — RR 2 Box 152, HC 4 Box 12

Not accepted, on either address line:

  • PO Box 123, P.O. Box 4, P O BOX 55

  • Post office box 12, POB 44

  • Box 12 or Box12 on its own

Note that the second address line is checked too, so a street address on line 1 with a PO Box on line 2 is still rejected.

How to fix it

  1. Log in at app.ascen.com and open your Profile from the menu.

  2. Replace the PO Box with the street address where you live.

  3. Put any apartment, unit, or suite number on the second address line.

  4. Save. Your update takes effect right away.

For the full list of what you can change yourself and what you need to ask us to change, see How to update your personal information (address, name, phone, email).

If you already have a PO Box on file

If your address was recorded before this requirement, you do not need to do anything right now, and you can still update the other details on your profile. The next time you change your address, you will need to give a physical street address.

If you cannot give a street address

If there is a reason you cannot provide a residential street address — for example you are between homes — contact Ascen at support@ascen.com and explain your situation, rather than entering a PO Box. We will tell you what we can accept.

Changing your address can also change your state tax withholding, especially if you move to another state, so it is worth reviewing your withholding elections afterwards. This is not individual tax or legal advice — for your own situation, consult a tax professional or your state tax agency.

Who to contact

  • HR, payroll, tax, address and profile changes, or anything about your account — Ascen at support@ascen.com

  • Timesheet entry, scheduling, and placement on your next assignment — your staffing Partner