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A simple guide to sending mail labeled as “care of”
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You need that letter to get to the right person, but there’s one problem: you know their building or business place, but not their exact address. No worries, just address your letter in the care of (℅) the building, business, or someone else at the residence! What does that mean? How do you do it? Great questions, we’ve got the answers. This easy guide will walk you through how to address a letter or envelope so that it gets to where it needs to go, and we’ll also fill you in on all the handy ways you can use “℅” on your mail.
How to Write a C/O Address
- Write the recipient’s full name in the center of the envelope in neat, legible handwriting.
- Write “℅” and the name of the person, business, or building the letter will be sent to underneath the recipient’s name.
- Add the street address of the location or person who will then care for and deliver the letter to the final recipient, along with your return address and postage.
Steps
Sample Envelope
Section 2 of 3:
Sending Mail with “℅”
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Write the intended final recipient near the center of the envelope. This is the person who will ultimately open and receive your letter. [1] X Research source Write in clear, legible handwriting so that it can be read by your local postal service.- If you want to be sure the address is legible, type and print it onto a printable address label .
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Write “℅” and the person that will care for the letter under the recipient. This is the caretaker, or the person who will receive the mail first, but then will ensure it gets to its final recipient. It might be an individual person, a business place, a hotel, or any other organization. For example:- John Smith
- ℅ wikiHow
- In the above example, John Smith is the intended recipient, and wikiHow is the caretaker. This means the letter will come to the wikiHow office first, where John works, and someone at the office will then deliver the letter to John.
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Write the address of the caretaker under their name. Now, continue to address the mail like you would any other letter, with the street address and apartment or unit beneath the caretaker’s name. Then, write the city and state abbreviation beneath the street address followed by a comma. Finally, write the zip code after the comma. Your envelope now looks something like this:- John Smith
- ℅ wikiHow
- 123 Technology Way
- Los Angeles, CA 90001
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Write your return address in the top left corner. The return address is the place the mail will be returned to if it cannot be delivered for any reason. This address follows the typical format, with your name on the top line, your street address beneath it, and finally your city, state, and zip code beneath that. [2] X Research source -
Add the appropriate postage to the top right corner and mail the letter. Visit a post office or go to the USPS website to purchase stamps. Affix the stamp to the envelope and place it in your mailbox or a post office box to mail it out.- In the United States, thin envelopes of up to 8.5 by 11 inches (220 mm × 280 mm) can be mailed for $0.60, or with a single Forever Stamp. [3] X Research source
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Section 3 of 3:
When to Use “℅”
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Use “℅” when you don’t know the recipient’s exact address. In these cases, address the mail to the most specific address you can think of, like their business place, apartment complex, dormitory, or other general location, with the recipient’s name in the first line and “℅ [caretaker]” in the second line. [4] X Research source You can also use “℅” to send mail to someone through their nursing home or the hospital where they’re staying.- Maya Robinson
- ℅ Rose Hospital
- 495 Wellness Way
- Frankfort, KY 40003
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Use “℅” to send mail to a friend by way of someone else. Say you have a wedding invite you need to send, but it’s been a while since you spoke to the recipient and you’re not sure where they live anymore. But you do know someone else who has that information. In this case, send the letter to the person you’d like to invite, but address it in care of the person who does know the recipient’s address.- It’s polite to also invite the caretaker of the letter, so that they don’t feel left out or overlooked.
- [Friend’s Name]
- ℅ [Person who knows friend’s address]
- 7703 Acquaintance Road
- Augusta, ME 04538
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Use “℅” to send mail to someone’s hotel. If your intended recipient is traveling and you don’t know their room number, write “℅ [Hotel Name]” on the envelope beneath the recipient’s name. The letter will be delivered to the hotel, and the hotel staff will deliver the mail to the appropriate room. [5] X Research source If the recipient is no longer at the hotel, the letter will be returned to the return address.- Finn O'Lear
- ℅ Sunnyside Inn
- 8056 Magnolia St.
- Helena, MT 45678
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Use “℅” to receive sensitive documents. These might be things like paperwork that concerns only yourself and your attorney or your doctor; or just anything that should only be read by its intended recipient. In these cases, when prompted to provide your own address, you can instead provide your name and “℅ [Your Attorney].” [6] X Trustworthy Source Internal Revenue Service U.S. government agency in charge of managing the Federal Tax Code Go to source Then, your attorney will receive your mail and deliver it to you the next time you meet.- [Your Name]
- ℅ [Your Attorney’s Name]
- 901 Evergreen Lane
- Salt Lake City, UT 84044
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Community Q&A
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QuestionIf I need to address a letter to a celebrity in c/o their manager, would I put recipient first, then c/o person, followed by corporate headquarters address?This answer was written by one of our trained team of researchers who validated it for accuracy and comprehensiveness.wikiHow Staff EditorStaff AnswerExactly! It'd look something like this: Lady Gaga c/o [Lady Gaga's Manager] [Street address of manager's office]
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QuestionDo I address someone with their title when addressing an envelope?This answer was written by one of our trained team of researchers who validated it for accuracy and comprehensiveness.wikiHow Staff EditorStaff AnswerIt's not strictly necessary, but it may help the letter get delivered to the most accurate residence, and it can't hurt!
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QuestionHow do I address a letter to a friend's employer if she works there?This answer was written by one of our trained team of researchers who validated it for accuracy and comprehensiveness.wikiHow Staff EditorStaff AnswerIn that case, address the letter like this: [Friend's Name] c/o [Friend's Employer] [Address of friend's employer]
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Tips
- You can also address it To the Attention of someone who works at a large company. In the example above, you might write "ATTN: John Smith," then "wikiHow" on the next line and the rest of the address as normal.Thanks
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References
- ↑ https://www.theclassroom.com/how-do-i-address-an-envelope-to-someone-in-a-nursing-home-12081385.html
- ↑ https://www2.luther.edu/mail-center/envelope-package-addressing/
- ↑ https://www.usps.com/ship/letters.htm
- ↑ https://www.theclassroom.com/how-do-i-address-an-envelope-to-someone-in-a-nursing-home-12081385.html
- ↑ https://maphappy.org/can-i-mail-something-to-a-hotel/
- ↑ https://www.irs.gov/pub/irs-pdf/f8822.pdf
About This Article
Article Summary
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To address an envelope in care of someone else, write the name of the intended recipient on the front of the envelope. Below that, write C/O, which stands for "Care Of," a colon, and then the name and mailing address of the person or company responsible for passing the letter on. Next, put proper postage on the upper right hand corner of the envelope. Include your return address, then put your envelope in a post box to be delivered. For where to include your return address, read on!
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Reader Success Stories
- "I needed to know how to instruct my mail to go to my office for safe deliveries of packages so they would arrive safely without being stolen. As the postman left packages with my name and apt number in common area where many thefts of packages have occurred." ..." more
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"I needed to know how to instruct my mail to go to my office for safe deliveries of packages so they would arrive safely without being stolen. As the postman left packages with my name and apt number in common area where many thefts of packages have occurred."
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"The article was well written, and especially well illustrated! I was looking up how to mail 'in care of' for my brother. If he had access to a computer this would have helped him greatly to see the illustrations. Thank you!"
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"This site gave very clear directions in words. Since I am a very visual learner, I very much appreciated the clear examples. Having more that one example helped clarify the information."
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"I needed to know the proper way to use c/o to ensure that official documentation was received at the appropriate address, but was delivered to the appropriate person."
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"This was a nice friendly reminder of how to address the letter I was sending! It's nice not looking like a bigger dork than I actually am! Thanks! =)"
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