What is in care of name?

The term "in care of" is often seen in mailing addresses and is typically abbreviated as "c/o." It is used when sending a piece of mail to someone via another person or entity. This usually happens in situations where the recipient does not have a direct personal address or when sending mail to someone temporarily residing at a different address, such as staying with a friend or family member, at a hotel, or an office.

Here's how the format usually looks:

Recipient's Name
c/o Another Person or Business
Street Address
City, State, ZIP Code

For example, if you are sending a letter to John Doe, who is staying with Mary Smith, the address might look like this:

John Doe
c/o Mary Smith
123 Main Street
Anytown, USA 12345

Using "in care of" ensures that the intermediary (Mary Smith in the example) knows that the mail is intended for John Doe and helps to ensure that the mail reaches the intended recipient, even if they don't have a permanent address.