How To Address An Envelope In Care Of Someone Else

If you are trying to send a letter to someone at their job or someplace other than their own home--maybe a birthday card to your grandmother who is in a nursing home, or your friend who is staying with a relative--you want to be sure it doesn't get lost in the shuffle. This article will teach you the proper way to address your envelope to make sure it ends up in the right hands.

Method 1. Gathering The Necessary Information


1. Write the address on the front of the envelope in clear, all capital letters and using a pen or permanent marker. Don't writ the address in pencil, crayon, or something else that could smudge or rub off.

If the address includes and apartment number, box, or other unit, do not use a number or pound sign (#) to indicate the unit number. Instead, write "Apt. 6," "Room 52," or "Box 230."
If you don't know what the number stands for, you may use the number sign, but make sure you leave a clear space between the symbol and the actual number. Instead of #6, write # 6.
Capital letters are preferred, but your letter will still be delivered if you write in upper and lowercase letters. Just make sure it is legible and no one line is longer than 40 characters, or the scanner will not be able to read the address
Method 2. Formatting The Envelope


1. Follow the example below (but with the appropriate information) to send your mail to someone at a business. For this example, a letter for John Smith is being sent to his workplace, wikiHow. Because wikiHow is responsible for passing the letter on to John, it is in their care. The c/o goes before "wikiHow," and not John's name, as follows:
John Smith
C/O wikiHow
250 EMERSON ST.
PALO ALTO, CA 94301

2. Follow the example below to send a letter to someone who is staying at another residence. If John Smith is staying with his cousin Jane Doe, then it is her responsibility to make sure the mail gets to him. The care of symbol (c/o) will go before her name.
John Smith
C/O Jane Doe
543 MAIN ST
APT. 12
CHICAGO, IL 60601

3. Attach the appropriate amount of postage. Postcards, letters, and packages all require different stamps, and the cost of international mail can vary. If you are unsure how much it will cost to send your letter or package, bring it to the post office and they will make sure you get the right stamps.


4. Place your return address in the upper left-hand corner or on the back for the envelope. If, for some reason, the letter is undeliverable, it will be sent to the return address listed.

5. Drop your properly addressed mail in the post box and you're all done!

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How To Label An Envelope

Labeling an envelope incorrectly will slow down the process of getting your letter or card to its intended recipient. An incorrect label could even prohibit your mail from getting to its destination. Follow these steps to learn how to label an envelope and ensure prompt delivery of your outgoing mail.

PART 1. Writing The Return Address


Position the envelope. Lay your envelope on a flat surface. Situate the envelope so the envelope flap faces down, towards the surface of the table, and the front of the envelope faces up, towards you.
The envelope should be oriented long ways left to right, not top to bottom.
For example, a standard business envelope measures 4 1/8¨ x 9 1/8¨.
When you begin to label your envelope, the 9 1/8¨ length of the envelope should run from your left to right hand.
The front, smooth side of the envelope is where you will write all the information needed to get your envelope to the addressee.

Print your name for the return address. The return address is necessary in the event the mail is undeliverable. If the mail cannot reach its intended destination, the postal service will send it back to you at the location indicated by the return address.
The return address is written in the upper-left corner of the envelope and contains three lines of text.
The first line will be your name. You do not have to write your complete name.
For example, you can write just “J. Doe” if you like. Be certain, though, that your mail carrier will be able to recognize your name and deliver it to your address by the name indicated on the return address.

Print your street address. The second line of text in the upper-left corner will include your street address.
Don't forget to include your apartment number, if you have one.
If you receive your mail at an address different from where you live, you should indicate that address instead.
For example, if you receive mail at a post-office box, print that on the second line.

Print your city, state, and zip code. This information should appear directly under your street address as the third line of text.
If, for some reason, your city and state information takes up a lot of space (you find yourself writing far out into the middle of the envelope), it is acceptable for you to write the zip code on a fourth line.
PART 2. Writing The Mailing Address


Print the name of the person to whom the mail is being sent. The mailing address indicates your letter's destination and also include at least three lines of text. The first line will be the name of the person to whom your letter will be delivered.
Write that person's name in the very center of the envelope. You will be writing lines below this name, so be sure to start high enough up in the middle of the envelope to leave yourself space.
Know when and how to use the abbreviation “Attn.”. For some letters, you may need to add an additional “name” line. For example, if you are sending your letter to an individual at a company, start the first line of the mailing address with the name of the company. For example, “Big Corporation X”.
Write the name of the individual to whom you are writing underneath the name of the company with "Attn:" right before his or her name. For example, “Attn: J. Doe”.
This helps ensure that your letter will wind up in the correct person's hands instead of getting lost in the company's mail-room.

Know when and how to use the abbreviation “c/o”. You may also consider using the designation “c/o” (which stands for “in care of”) instead of “Attn:”. Use this convention when you are mailing a letter either to a person or business but know that the letter will be handled or delivered by an intermediary.
For example, if you are applying for a job, you will want to address your letter to the head of the hiring committee, but the advertisement may include the name of the administrative assistant who handles the applications. In this case, the first line of the mailing address will indicate the name of the head of the hiring committee, and the second line will read “c/o Mr. J. Doe (the administrative assistant)”.
You may also use “c/o” when you are trying to send a letter to a person whose address you do not have, but when you do have the address of someone you believe will be able to forward the letter.
For example, if you do not have the current mailing address of a childhood friend, but do know where her mother lives, you can mail the letter to her mother. The first line will include the friend's name, the second line will read “c/o Mother's Name”, and you will then include the mother's address below that.
Write the street address of the recipient. Once you have filled in the name of the letter's recipient, you will print the street address to which the letter will be delivered.
Print this immediately below the name. This will be the second or the third line of the mailing address, depending upon whether you had a second line with “Attn:” or “c/o”.
Be sure to include the complete address, including any relevant apartment or suite numbers.
Also be sure to include any directions, such as NW (for northwest); many towns and cities have multiple streets with the same name which are only distinguished by these directionals.
Write the city, state, and zip code (or postal code) of the recipient. This information is the last line of the address, and appears directly under the street address.
If you are sending mail internationally, you will also need to include the country to which your letter is being delivered. This does not need to be included if you are mailing domestically.

Be prepared with more information for military addresses. If you are sending a letter to a military address, be sure to include all relevant information.
This includes the full name of the recipient (including either the middle name or middle initial), the PSC number, unit number, or ship name.
Instead of writing the city name, include instead APO (Air/Army Post Office), FPO (Fleet Post Office), or DPO (Diplomatic Post Office).
The state should be replaced with AA, AE, or AP.
Finally, the zip code should include the full ZIP+4.

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