Business letter: format and content (with template)

There are certain elements that should be included in all official business cor­re­spon­dence. What defines a business letter and what guide­lines should you observe when writing them? Find out here.

What is a business letter?

A business letter is any written com­mu­ni­ca­tion or cor­re­spon­dence between two business entities or pro­fes­sion­als that is directed to a specific recipient or group of re­cip­i­ents. Business letters are used to establish, maintain, or manage business re­la­tion­ships and often follow specific for­mat­ting and content guide­lines.

What purpose do business letters serve?

In the U.S., business letters serve as a formal and pro­fes­sion­al means of com­mu­ni­ca­tion between or­ga­ni­za­tions, clients, and stake­hold­ers. Their key purposes include:

• Proposals and offers
• Order con­fir­ma­tions and inquiries
• Ac­knowl­edg­ments of receipt
• Invoices and payment receipts
• Pricing lists
• Order forms
• Per­son­al­ized marketing letters (addressed to a named recipient)

The format of the letter—whether printed or digital (fax, email, etc.)—does not change its clas­si­fi­ca­tion as a business letter. However, certain legal and in­for­ma­tion­al re­quire­ments may apply depending on the business structure and context.

The following types of written com­mu­ni­ca­tion are not clas­si­fied as business letters:

• Internal company cor­re­spon­dence (e.g., emails or memos between de­part­ments, branches, or sub­sidiaries)
• Mass marketing com­mu­ni­ca­tions (e.g., direct mail, generic ad­ver­tis­ing materials sent to large groups)
• Pre-filled business forms used in ongoing trans­ac­tions (e.g., delivery notes, shipping con­fir­ma­tions, or pick-up no­ti­fi­ca­tions)

Business letters fa­cil­i­tate com­mu­ni­ca­tion in both business-to-business (B2B) and business-to-consumer (B2C) in­ter­ac­tions.

Business letters should be clearly dis­tin­guished from personal letters, which are intended for private, non-com­mer­cial com­mu­ni­ca­tion.

Required in­for­ma­tion for business letters

While business letters are used to establish contact and maintain pro­fes­sion­al re­la­tion­ships, there are no federal legal re­quire­ments for what must be included. However, busi­ness­es typically include standard company details to ensure clarity and pro­fes­sion­al­ism, which are:

• Company name (matching the legal business name)
• Business address
• Phone number & email address
• Website (if ap­plic­a­ble)
• Date of the letter

Ad­di­tion­al details may be included based on business structure or industry re­quire­ments.

Sole pro­pri­etor­ships

Business letters from sole pro­pri­etors typically include:

• Business name (DBA, if ap­plic­a­ble)
• Owner’s full legal name
• Business address

If operating under a fic­ti­tious name (DBA – “Doing Business As”), the owner’s personal name must also be included on official business cor­re­spon­dence.

Part­ner­ships (General & Limited Part­ner­ships)

Business letters from general part­ner­ships (GP) or limited part­ner­ships (LP, LLP) usually include:

• Reg­is­tered business name
• Part­ner­ship des­ig­na­tion (e.g., LLP, LP)
• Primary business address

It is common (but not required) to list key partners’ contact in­for­ma­tion on official business cor­re­spon­dence.

Limited Liability Companies (LLCs)

For LLCs, business letters should include:

• Company name (matching the reg­is­tered LLC name)
• LLC des­ig­na­tion (e.g., “LLC” or “Limited Liability Company”)
• Business address
• Optional: Reg­is­tered agent in­for­ma­tion (if relevant for legal or con­trac­tu­al purposes)

Cor­po­ra­tions (Inc., Corp., PC, etc.)

Business letters from cor­po­ra­tions typically include:

• Legal company name
• Entity des­ig­na­tion (e.g., Inc., Corp., PC, etc.)
• Business address
• Optional: CEO or au­tho­rized signatory’s name (if required for contracts)

Cor­po­ra­tions do not need to list all board members or ex­ec­u­tives in regular business cor­re­spon­dence.

How should a business letter look? Page structure and design

To ensure pro­fes­sion­al and effective com­mu­ni­ca­tion, business letters should follow a stan­dard­ized format. While there are no legal re­quire­ments for the structure and design of business letters in the U.S., using pro­fes­sion­al for­mat­ting enhances cred­i­bil­i­ty and read­abil­i­ty since poorly formatted letters can appear un­pro­fes­sion­al and create un­cer­tain­ty or distrust among re­cip­i­ents.

Page format

Business letters in the U.S. should be formatted on Letter-size paper (8.5 x 11 inches) in portrait ori­en­ta­tion. The rec­om­mend­ed page margins are:

• Top margin: 1 inch (25.4 mm)
• Bottom margin: 1 inch (25.4 mm)
• Left margin: 1 inch (25.4 mm)
• Right margin: 1 inch (25.4 mm)

Font and ty­pog­ra­phy

There are no legally required fonts for business letters, but pro­fes­sion­al, easy-to-read fonts are rec­om­mend­ed. Common choices include:

• Arial
• Times New Roman
• Calibri
• Helvetica

The rec­om­mend­ed font size is 11 or 12 points for read­abil­i­ty. If using a custom corporate font, adjust the size ac­cord­ing­ly to maintain leg­i­bil­i­ty.

Let­ter­head design

A business let­ter­head typically includes:

• Company logo (optional but rec­om­mend­ed)
• Company name
• Business address
• Phone number, email, and website (if ap­plic­a­ble)

Logos and design elements should be placed at the top of the page, ensuring they do not interfere with read­abil­i­ty or printing.

Recipient address block

The recipient’s address should be formatted according to USPS mailing standards and placed one inch below the let­ter­head or, if there is no let­ter­head, below the sender’s address. The standard format includes:

Recipient’s name Recipient’s title (if ap­plic­a­ble) Company name (if ap­plic­a­ble) Street address City, State ZIP Code

Example:

John Smith Marketing Director ABC Cor­po­ra­tion 123 Business Ave New York, NY 10001

Date placement

The date is placed one inch below the top margin or two lines below the let­ter­head. The rec­om­mend­ed format for U.S. business letters is:

• Month Day, Year (e.g., March 20, 2025)

Subject line (optional)

A subject line is placed two lines below the recipient’s address and is usually bolded.

Subject: Proposal for Part­ner­ship Agreement

Salu­ta­tion (greeting)

The greeting is placed two lines below the subject line (or recipient’s address if no subject is used). Formal business cor­re­spon­dence typically uses:

• Dear [Recipient’s name],
• Dear Mr./Ms. [Last name],
• Dear Sir/Madam, (only if the recipient’s name is unknown)

For ongoing business re­la­tion­ships, a less formal approach may be used:

• Hello [Recipient’s name],
• Dear [First name],

The salu­ta­tion ends with a comma or colon, depending on formality.

Letter body for­mat­ting

The body text should be:

• Left-aligned
• Single-spaced
• Divided into short, clear para­graphs
• Separated by blank lines

If a letter exceeds one page, the footer should contain page numbers (e.g., “Page 2 of 3”).

Closing and signature

The closing phrase is placed two lines below the body text and is followed by the sender’s signature. Common business closings include:

• Sincerely,
• Best regards,
• Yours truly,

After the closing, leave three blank lines for the signature and then type the sender’s name and title:

Best regards, [Signature] John Smith Marketing Director ABC Cor­po­ra­tion

At­tach­ments & en­clo­sures

If ad­di­tion­al documents are included, an enclosure or at­tach­ment note should be placed one or two lines below the signature block:

En­clo­sures: Business Proposal, Contract Draft

Footer and contact details

The footer (if used) should contain:

• Company’s legal business name
• Main office address
• Phone number and website

Example:

ABC Cor­po­ra­tion | 123 Business Ave, New York, NY 10001 | (555) 123-4567 | www.abc.com

Business letter – down­load­able template

Here you can find our business letter template as a Word file for download :

The dos and don’ts of writing a business letter

Dos

Be clear and concise

• Business letters, whether printed or emailed, should be direct and to the point.
• Most re­cip­i­ents receive multiple business com­mu­ni­ca­tions daily**, so ensure your message is brief, clear, and pur­pose­ful.
• Use a concise, relevant subject line for clarity.
• Business letters should not exceed one U.S. Letter page (8.5 x 11 inches) unless ab­solute­ly necessary.
• For complex in­for­ma­tion (e.g., tables, figures, or invoice details), include at­tach­ments instead of over­load­ing the main letter.

Use a personal greeting

• Address the recipient per­son­al­ly whenever possible.
• If necessary, research the correct name and spelling of the contact person.
• If the recipient’s name is unknown, use a neutral but pro­fes­sion­al greeting, such as:
  • Dear Hiring Manager, (for job ap­pli­ca­tions)
  • Dear Customer Service Team, (for customer inquiries)
  • Dear Sir/Madam, (if no specific contact is available)

Use a post­script (PS) strate­gi­cal­ly

• A post­script (PS) was tra­di­tion­al­ly used in hand­writ­ten letters but still serves a purpose in modern business writing.
• In a business letter, use a PS to highlight important in­for­ma­tion or provide an extra note, such as:
  • A special offer or promotion
  • A website link for more details
  • A friendly reminder or follow-up request
• The PS should be brief and relevant to avoid dis­tract­ing from the main message.

Don’ts

Avoid clichés and outdated phrases

Write in a modern, reader-friendly style. Skip generic phrases, bu­reau­crat­ic language, or for­mal­i­ties that feel outdated. Your letter reflects your company’s image—so aim for clear, direct language that’s tailored to your audience. A well-written, per­son­al­ized letter shows respect and creates a lasting im­pres­sion.

Don’t overlook spelling and grammar

Errors make your message seem un­pro­fes­sion­al. This includes not just grammar and punc­tu­a­tion but also layout and structure. Always proofread your letters carefully—or ask a colleague or pro­fes­sion­al to review them.

Don’t use negative language

Even when de­liv­er­ing bad news, frame it pos­i­tive­ly. Instead of saying “Un­for­tu­nate­ly, I can’t answer that,” try “Let me look into that and get back to you.” Offer solutions, not dead ends. Avoid harsh or overly formal wording, and choose a tone that is courteous and con­struc­tive.

Avoid passive voice

Passive sentences can feel vague or im­per­son­al. Active voice, on the other hand, is clear and engaging. Compare:

“Your request will be processed as soon as possible”

vs.

“Mr. Smith will process your request as soon as possible.”

The second version is more re­as­sur­ing and direct.

Skip overly complex sentences

Long, com­pli­cat­ed sentences make your letter harder to follow. Use straight­for­ward language, short para­graphs, and a logical flow to ensure clarity and read­abil­i­ty.

Please note the legal dis­claimer for this article.