There is provided a method and system for sorting mailpieces in which a mailpiece is diverted into a sorting compartment of a sorting machine as a function of a sorting code associated with the mailpiece, where several sorting code ranges are each associated with a sorting compartment. An exemplary method comprises associating at least one first sorting code range with at least another sorting code range which is a subrange of the first sorting code range and checking consecutively for the sorting code ranges associated with each other whether the sorting code belongs to the sorting code range. The exemplary method further includes diverting the mailpiece into the sorting compartment that is associated with the last sorting code range for which the sorting code belongs to the sorting code range.