How to finish formal letter

Formal Letter Closing and Signature Examples

Once you write the final paragraph of a formal letter, you may feel like you’re finished and can move on to proofreading. But just as there are rules about how to address someone in a formal letter, there are also guidelines in place for how to sign off.

When ending a formal letter, it’s important to convey the appropriate amount of respect to the person receiving the letter. For example, you would use a different, more conservative complimentary close for an unknown recipient than you would for a business associate you know quite well. Your closing and signature should be as professional as the rest of your letter or email message.

Using a Complimentary Close

A complimentary close, also known as a complimentary closing, is the term inserted prior to your signature in an email message or a formal letter.

This signoff phrase shows your respect and appreciation for the person who is considering the request in your letter or email.

Although it may seem somewhat old-fashioned, using a complimentary close is still considered important when writing formal business correspondence. When writing or emailing a cover letter for a job or any type of business letter, it’s appropriate to use a complimentary close. Make sure to choose one, though, that is professional rather than casual.

Formal Letter Closing Examples

The following options are all good ways to close a formal letter:

More Closing Examples

Here are more examples of letter and email closings and signatures:

How to Choose the Best Complimentary Close

All of the options listed above are appropriate for use in business correspondence.

Choose which one to use based on how well you know the recipient and the circumstances behind your letter writing.

For instance, limit options that are some form of a thank you (such as «With appreciation» and «With gratitude») to instances where you are requesting a favor or expressing appreciation.

You can think of «Best regards,» «Sincerely,» “Cordially,” and the variations on these closers as the little black dress of complimentary closes. You can’t go wrong choosing one of these options—they’re always appropriate.

Keep in mind that if you are writing someone in the armed forces, it is customary in the military to use the complimentary close, “Very Respectfully” or its abbreviation, “V/R.”

Avoid Being Overly Casual

You are not emailing with a friend or sending a thank you note to a relative. Do not use casual signoffs like “Love,” “Cheers,” “Later,” “Ciao,” or “Always.” These options do not match the formality of your letter. Keep the professional tone of your correspondence consistent, from the salutation through the content to the signoff.

How to Format the Closing and Include Your Signature

Always remember to follow up the close with a comma, as in the examples below. Your typed name will go after the complimentary close.

If you are sending a hard copy letter, leave four lines of space between the closing and your typed name. When you print out the letter, this will give you plenty of space in which to sign your name in blue or black ink between your complimentary close and your typed name.

You can write your title below your name, as well as your phone and email address. In emails, you can include an email signature section with contact information.

How to End a Formal Letter

Updated March 3, 2022

Throughout your life, you will have many occasions that call for a formal letter.

These might include:

Even in these days of texting and emailing, the formal letter still has a place and knowing how to create one, and end it properly, will serve you well in many areas of your life and career.

A well-written letter can easily make the goal you are aiming for that much easier to reach. A good letter shows you to be articulate, professional and polite.

While the body of your letter is important, it holds all the key information you want to impart, the final paragraph is just as important. This is your last chance to leave a good impression and invite further action.

The closing is essentially a few words to sign off. Doing so correctly shows professionalism, respect and appreciation for the person reading.

Primarily, you want your reader to feel positive about the letter and you. You also want to leave them wanting to know more and, in the case of a job cover letter, wanting to meet with you to discuss things further.

The Benefits of a Strong Closing

In many ways, the closing of your letter is more important than the opening. By the end of the letter, the reader has likely forgotten your opening but will remember your closing.

Your closing is essentially your last word, and your last chance to make your point. It allows you to emphasize again your enthusiasm and interest, as well as to encourage the conversation to continue further.

The wrong conclusion can send the message that you are not interested in furthering your discussion and may work to end the professional relationship.

Things to Consider When Writing Your Ending

There are a few things to consider when ending your letter.

You want to be polite, professional, summarize your purpose and leave an opening for them to contact you.

Polite. Even if you are writing a letter you do not want to be writing, or to someone whom you dislike, it is always important to remain polite. If you are rude this time, that reputation could follow you.

Professional. Always remain professional when writing a formal letter, even if the recipient is someone you know well. If you are in a professional setting, keep the closing formal.

Summarize your purpose. By the ending, your reader may have forgotten some important points you raised early on. Give a brief summary of those points.

Leave an open ending. Ensure that your ending encourages the recipient to take further action. You want them to be open to speaking or meeting with you to discuss things further and have a way to do so.

What to Include in Your Ending?

There are several things to consider when crafting your ending:

The call to action is important because it lays out what you would like the next steps to be and how your reader can get things moving.

They may be unsure themselves, so inviting them to contact you or follow up will move things in the right direction.

Reiterate Your Skills and Values

Depending on the type of letter you are writing, you have likely gone into some detail about your skills in the main part of your letter.

While you do not need to go into a lot of detail in your closing, it is good to mention them again to emphasize the ones that are most important.

Show Your Appreciation

Whatever your letter is about, it is usually appropriate to acknowledge the time the reader took to read or respond to your letter and give your thanks.

Professional Sign Off

Even if your letter is directed to someone you know well, your sign off should remain professional.

‘Sincerely’ or ‘Yours truly’ are most often used.

The following are some examples of letter endings for three situations:

Formal Endings: Have Not Meet the Recipient

In this example, your reader does not know you from any other stranger sending them a letter.

It is important to remain very professional because there is no personal relationship here, only business.

Several closings can be used in this case:

‘Yours faithfully’ should only be used when you don’t know the name of the recipient (for example, addressing it to ‘Dear Sir/Madam’); ‘Yours sincerely’ is most commonly used for letters addressed by name.

Thank you for taking the time to look over my resume. I believe I have the skills and experience necessary to fill the position you have open.

I would love the chance to meet and discuss the position further at your convenience. I can be reached at the information below.

Thank you for allowing me to bring these issues to your attention. I believe they deserve prompt attention so please do not hesitate to contact me at your earliest convenience. I am open to meeting in person as well.

Formal Endings: Met the Recipient

These endings are for instances where you may have met the recipient of your letter, but you did not establish a relationship.

Keep in mind that your reader may not remember you and you may have to refresh their memory. Do not rely on them having the same memory of your meeting.

Several closings can be used in this case:

Here are some examples:

Again, it was wonderful to have met you at the career fair in July. I enjoyed our talk about the job market and what is available in our field right now. I will be graduating in two weeks and would love to get together to go over any job openings you might have or prospects at other places.

I look forward to hearing from you, you can contact me on the number below.

I thank you again for taking the time to show me the apartment. As promised, I have attached the signed lease and have enclosed a cheque for my deposit. As noted on the paperwork, I will be there to move in on [date]. I look forward to a good relationship as I continue as a tenant.

I found my experience as part of your work/study team to be unparalleled. I cannot express how much I both enjoyed the work and how much knowledge I gained from it. I would love to be considered for any groups you do in the future.

I look forward to hearing from you on the email address provided.

How to End a Request Letter

This article was co-authored by wikiHow staff writer, Jennifer Mueller, JD. Jennifer Mueller is a wikiHow Content Creator. She specializes in reviewing, fact-checking, and evaluating wikiHow’s content to ensure thoroughness and accuracy. Jennifer holds a JD from Indiana University Maurer School of Law in 2006.

This article has been viewed 101,631 times.

You might write a formal request letter for any number of reasons, including to ask someone for money or other assistance, or to ask that they take a particular action. Your letter should generally be brief – no longer than a page – and explain what you want directly and confidently. How you end your letter depends on the purpose of the letter and the person to whom you’re writing. Generally, you would close a personal letter to someone you know more casually than you would close a letter written for a business or professional purpose. [1] X Trustworthy Source Purdue Online Writing Lab Trusted resource for writing and citation guidelines Go to source

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Tip: If you include additional information, you may also want to add another little line that simply says «thanks again!» This reinforces that you’re not taking the recipient’s response for granted.

Structure of a Formal Letter

Formal English letters are quickly being replaced by email. However, the formal letter structure you learn can still be applied to business emails and other formal emails. Follow these structure tips to write effective formal business letters and emails.

A Purpose for Each Paragraph

First Paragraph: The first paragraph of formal letters should include an introduction to the purpose of the letter. It’s common to first thank someone or to introduce yourself.

Thank you for taking the time to meet with me last week. I’d like to follow up on our conversation and have a few questions for you.

Body Paragraphs: The second and following paragraphs should provide the main information of the letter, and build on the main purpose in the introductory first paragraph.

Our project is moving forward as scheduled. We’d like to develop a training program for staff at the new locations. To this end, we have decided to rent out space in the local business exhibition center. New staff will be trained by our experts in personnel for three days. In this way, we’ll be able to meet demand from the first day.

Final Paragraph: The final paragraph should shortly summarize the intent of the formal letter and end with some call to action.

Thank you for your consideration of my suggestions. I look forward to an opportunity to discuss this matter further.

Formal Letter Details

Open with an expression of formal address, such as:

Always use Ms for women unless you are specifically requested to use Mrs or Miss.

Beginning Your Letter

First, provide a reason for writing. If you are beginning correspondence with someone about something or asking for information, begin by providing a reason for writing:

Frequently, formal letters are written to express thanks. This is especially true when writing in response to an inquiry of some kind or when writing to express appreciation for a job interview, a reference, or other professional assistance you have received.

Here are some useful phrases of gratitude:

Use the following phrases when asking for assistance:

The following phrases are used to offer help:

Enclosing Documents

In some formal letters, you will need to include documents or other information. Use the following phrases to draw attention to any enclosed documents you might have included.

Note: if you are writing a formal email, use the phase: Attached please find / Attached you will find.

Closing Remarks

Always finish a formal letter with some call to action or reference to a future outcome you desire. Some of the options include:

A referral to a future meeting:

An offer of further help

A Formal Sign Off

Sign the letter with one of the following phrases:

Make sure to sign your letter by hand followed by your typed name.

Block Format

Formal letters written in block format place everything on the left-hand side of the page. Place your address or your company’s address at the top of the letter on the left (or use your company’s letterhead) followed by the address of the person and/or company you are writing to, all placed on the left side of the page. Hit the key return a number of times and use the date.

Standard Format

In formal letters written in standard format place your address or your company’s address at the top of the letter on the right. Place the address of the person and/or company you are writing on the left side of the page. Place the date on the right-hand side of the page in alignment with your address.

How To End A Letter?

Hi!I need just a little help to finish a formal letter. I have to write a business letter but I’m not sure how to end it with a formal greeting.

I’ve found several choices:

I could guess the first two of them mean that I’m waiting any kind of response, but I wonder if I can combine some of them or perhaps it is just allowed to use only one of them.

Thanks in advance
jsalruiz77

P.D. By the way, do the two following sentences have the same meaning?

When you use Dear Sir, Dear Madam go for the slightly more formal:

More familiar forms of address like Sincerely yours, Yours sincerely can be used when the name is known e.g. Miss Smith in the letterhead.

Though Regards is becoming more and more popular.

What of ending the letter simply with: Yours, «Name». This is not formal.

For a formal letter, 99% of the time you can just use ‘Yours sincerely’.

Best wishes, Clive

If you know the name of the person you are addressing, you started the letter Dear Mr. then you should end the letter with Yours sincerely.

If you do not know the letter of the person you are addressing, if you started the letter Dear Sir or Madam or To Whom It May Concern, you should end the letter with Yours Faithfully or Yours Truly.

It is possible to end with:

«I´ve found several choices:
a) I am looking forward to hearing you
b) I am looking forward to meeting you