Billing Address vs Shipping Address: Everything You Need to Know
Cindy Ellis - March 28, 2025
It may seem like an obvious difference when you compare a billing and shipping address. While this is often true, there are circumstances where it’s easy to mix these addresses up, which can mess with product orders and even basic postage.
This article will compare a billing address vs a shipping address. We take you through what these addresses are, how they work, and why they might be confusing for some people. Plus, we cover what you can do if you make a mistake when entering a billing or shipping address to help you clean things up if something goes wrong.
Read on to learn everything you need to know, and more, down below.
What Is a Billing Address?
A billing address is an address that’s used for billing. This means that when you make an order or when someone purchases something from you, the address associated with the payment information needs to be used. For example, if your credit card address is at your business location and not your house, entering your home address can cause issues during the payment process.
The way a billing address works is simple. When a payment is processed, it’s matched against the billing address. If the addresses don’t match, the payment won’t go through. You can think of this as a safeguard and prevention method against theft.
When you move homes or move your business office, always change the billing address to prevent problems. The last thing you want is someone stealing your information. You can also have more than one billing address if you have multiple payment methods.
That’s why you need to make sure you’re using the right billing address for the card you’re using. In these cases, it helps to have one specific location for most of your billing addresses to prevent any confusion.
What Is a Shipping Address?
A shipping address is an address that’s listed to send or receive things in the mail. When you want to have something sent to your office, the shipping address will be the office location.
This is true even if your billing address is your home location, so you need to make sure the shipping address is always the location where you want the package to be sent. If you put the wrong shipping address down, you’ll end up shipping the package to a different location or not receiving the package at all.
When ordering something or sending something, this address is often the first one that’s provided. There should also be room for alternate addresses and P.O. boxes if you have to make changes.
How to Tell if an Address Is a Shipping or Billing Address?
It’s tricky to tell the difference between a shipping vs billing address, but you don’t have to be in the dark. Tools like our reverse address lookup tool make the entire process a breeze when you enter the address into the search bar. Once you enter the street address, along with the state and city, you should have no problem identifying a specific address.
Aside from helping you determine if something is for shipping or billing, our address lookup tool will also help you learn where someone lives. You can find out who something is billed or shipped to, along with more contact information for the property owner. If you have any issues sending postage or receiving payment from an address, this will help you prevent any further problems.
That said, this is only the tip of the iceberg. With Information.com, we can help you find the following information about an address:
- Current owner
- When the address was last sold
- How much a property is worth
- The type of address you’re looking at
- Businesses associated with an address
- How an address is zoned
- When the property was built
Depending on the address, you may find some or all of this information when you search with Information.com. While there are additional ways to learn about a property, we always recommend starting here for the best and fastest results.
How to Find a Billing or Shipping Address
While you can ask someone and wait for a response, you can also use an online tool like one of our people search tools. If you know someone’s name or something else about them, like their current home address or phone number, you can use that information to find their billing or shipping address.
All you have to do is enter the information you have available into one of our people search tools. From there, we’ll pull all available public records including someone’s billing and shipping addresses.
With our people search tools, you can find anything that’s publicity available, so it doesn’t stop there. You can find someone’s email address, phone number, or any other contact information you may need.
Billing vs Shipping Address FAQ
Have more questions about a billing address vs a shipping address? We answer the most common questions below.
Can a Shipping Address Be a P.O. Box?
Yes, you can use a post office box (P.O. box) as a shipping address. That said, it has to be a specific post office box provider that allows the address to be listed as such. This isn’t true for those small P.O. boxes you see in most post offices, so make sure you keep this in mind.
There may also be restrictions based on the size of the package. For example, some postal centers might not be able to handle large boxes, glass, or other materials. Therefore, you may have to come up with another address for your shipping address.
Can a Billing Address Be a P.O. Box?
No, a P.O. Box can’t be a billing address. In fact, a P.O. Box can’t be a primary address for a driver’s license, credit card, or other personal identifying information. In these cases, you’ll need a standard street address instead unless you’re a business or have a special arrangement with the local government.
Can Billing and Shipping Addresses Be the Same?
Yes, they absolutely can be the same thing. Billing and shipping addresses tend to be the same when you’re ordering a package and you want it delivered to your home. For example, if you’re ordering something on Amazon and use your personal debit or credit card, the billing and shipping address will be the same if the package is going to your home.
The only time it would be different is if you’re ordering something online and you’re using your personal debit or credit card to ship something elsewhere. For example, if you’re sending someone a gift the addresses will be different.
Does Anything Get Sent to Your Billing Address?
Yes and no. Items will only be sent to your billing address if it’s the same as your shipping address. If it’s not, then nothing should go to it, and putting it as the shipping address by mistake can lead to packages going to the wrong places. For this reason, it’s important to evaluate your billing address and shipping address before you place any orders.
Make Use of a Billing and Shipping Address
Now that you know everything you need to know about a billing vs shipping address, you can use them properly. Make sure the business address matches the payment method and always check to ensure that you’re receiving a package at the right location. The last thing you want is for a payment to fail or for a package to end up at the wrong location.
Fortunately, you never have to guess the right address when you work with Information.com. You can use our address lookup tool to verify an address or any of our people search methods to find someone’s billing or shipping address. These tools will also help you determine which address you should use for billing or shipping, so you never have to be left in the dark about an address or location again.
