Correctly addressing a business letter is a component of professional communication. It conveys respect for the recipient, establishes a positive first impression, and ensures your correspondence is delivered efficiently. When a letter is formatted according to established conventions, it removes ambiguity for both the recipient and the postal service. Following these standards demonstrates attention to detail and helps your message be taken seriously from the moment it arrives.
Formatting the Heading
The first element of a properly formatted business letter is the heading, which contains the sender’s address and the date. This information is placed at the top of the page and is aligned to the left margin in what is known as a block format. This section should include your full street address, followed by your city, state, and ZIP code on the next line. If you are writing on behalf of a company, you might include the company name above your street address. After your address, leave one blank line and then type the full date, for example, “July 16, 2025,” and avoid abbreviating the month to maintain a formal tone.
Formatting the Inside Address
A few lines below the date, you will format the inside address, which is the recipient’s complete mailing information. Begin with the recipient’s full name, preceded by a courtesy title such as “Mr.,” “Ms.,” or “Dr.” If you are unsure of a woman’s preference, “Ms.” is the standard neutral option. Following the name, include the recipient’s professional title, such as “Director of Human Resources” or “Lead Project Manager.”
The line following the recipient’s name and title should contain the full name of the company. Below the company name, write the street address. The final line includes the city, state, and ZIP code. Verifying these details, especially the spelling of the recipient’s name and their official title, is an important step that reflects your thoroughness and respect.
Crafting the Salutation
The salutation is the greeting that formally opens your letter, appearing directly after the inside address with a blank line in between. The standard format is “Dear [Courtesy Title] [Last Name]:”. For instance, a letter to John Smith would begin with “Dear Mr. Smith:”. A defining characteristic of formal business correspondence in the United States is the use of a colon after the salutation, rather than a comma.
When the recipient’s gender is unknown, you can use their full name, such as “Dear Alex Johnson:”. If the recipient’s name is entirely unknown, you should direct the letter to their role or department. Using a specific title like “Dear Hiring Manager:” or “Dear Customer Service Department:” is more effective than the dated and impersonal “To Whom It May Concern.”
Addressing the Envelope
The sender’s information, or the return address, is placed in the top-left corner. This should match the heading used inside your letter, including your name, street address, and city, state, and ZIP code. The recipient’s address should be centered on the front of the envelope and be an exact copy of the inside address from your letter.
For optimal machine readability, the U.S. Postal Service (USPS) recommends printing the address in all capital letters and without any punctuation. For example, you would write “MS JANE DOE” instead of “Ms. Jane Doe,” and “ANYTOWN TX” instead of “Anytown, TX.” While this is a preference for automated sorting systems and not a rigid requirement, following this guideline can help ensure your letter is processed without delay.
Special Considerations
Certain situations require slight modifications to the standard addressing format. If you are sending a letter to an organization but wish to direct it to a specific person or department, you can use an “Attention” line. This line should be placed on the envelope above the company name. For example, you would write “Attn: Accounts Payable Department” directly above the company’s name in the main address block.
When a person needs to receive mail at an address that is not their own, the phrase “in care of,” often abbreviated as “c/o,” is used. The “c/o” line should be placed on the second line of the address, just below the intended recipient’s name and before the name of the person or entity at that permanent address. If you are addressing a letter to a Post Office Box, you replace the street address line with the “P.O. Box” number.