Letter format

Question

I have two questions about business letter format in the States. First, is the writer's name placed at the top before his returning address? Second, where does today's date go? Here's a sample how I'd write.
Company ABC
John Doe

123 Avenue ASending Town, NA, 12345
Company CBS

321 Avenue BReceiving Town, NA, 54321
ATTN: Mary Anne
January 23, 2005
Dear Mrs. Anne,
Blabla...
Dadada...
Regards,
John Doe

Usenet · Accepted Answer

[nq:1]I have two questions about business letter format in the States. First, is the writer's name placed at the top before his returning address? Second, where does today's date go?[/nq]
Usual N.American layout on plain paper is:
Top right Sender's address
below that, right date
below that, flush left Address to whom
Greeting (flush left)
Text body (flush left)
Closing (centred)
Signature (centred)

Don Phillipson
Carlsbad Springs
(Ottawa, Canada)

Usenet · Answer

[nq:1]I have two questions about business letter format in the States. First, is the writer's name placed at the top ... Avenue B Receiving Town, NA, 54321 ATTN: Mary Anne January 23, 2005 Dear Mrs. Anne, Blabla... Dadada... Regards, John Doe[/nq]
There is no one style that is universally used. A commonly used style is:
Sender's Name
Sender's Street Address
Sender's City and State
Date
Recipient's Personal Name
Recipient's Company Name
Recipient's Street Address
Recipient's City and State
Salutation (Dear Mr Jones) OR Attention: (Department name) if personal name is not known.
Body
Complimentary Close (Sincerely,)
Signature (handwritten)
Signature (John H. Doe)
Some people prefer to put the Date as the first line and the Sender's name and address as the Signature block at the end. I prefer this style - with the Sender's name and address last - since it makes it clear who the letter is to, and who the letter is from.

Don't expect that there will be a standardized form or a standardized Complimentary Close. The things that are really important are: spell the recipient's name correctly, and type or print your name so the reader won't have to figure out your handwriting. The rest is style choice.

Usenet · Answer

[nq:2]I have two questions about business letter format in the ... before his returning address? Second, where does today's date go?[/nq]
[nq:1]Usual N.American layout on plain paper is: Top right Sender's address below that, right date below that, flush left Address to whom Greeting (flush left) Text body (flush left) Closing (centred) Signature (centred)[/nq]
I agree, except that the last two items are usually flush left also.
Skitt (in Hayward, California)
www.geocities.com/opus731/

Usenet · Answer

Don Phillipson:
[nq:1]Usual N.American layout on plain paper is: Top right Sender's address below that, right date[/nq]
In business mail these are often on the left.
[nq:1]below that, flush left Address to whom Greeting (flush left) Text body (flush left)[/nq]
Uh-huh.
[nq:1]Closing (centred) Signature (centred)[/nq]
Don must see some very unusual "usual" letters. Traditionally these go on the right; in business mail today they're often at the left. Centered is just bizarre.
Minor variations are not important anyway.

Mark Brader, Toronto > "You can write a small letter to Grandma (Email Removed) > in the filename." Forbes Burkowski

My text in this article is in the public domain.

Usenet · Answer

[nq:1]I have two questions about business letter format in the States. First, is the writer's name placed at the top ... Avenue B Receiving Town, NA, 54321 ATTN: Mary Anne January 23, 2005 Dear Mrs. Anne, Blabla... Dadada... Regards, John Doe[/nq]
In the UK, the usual format is:
sender's address
date
sendee's address
greeting
(title/heading)
body
closing
signature
all flush left, except the title is usually centred.

Adrian

Usenet · Answer

[nq:2]I have two questions about business letter format in the ... 23, 2005 Dear Mrs. Anne, Blabla... Dadada... Regards, John Doe[/nq]
[nq:1]In the UK, the usual format is: sender's address date sendee's address greeting (title/heading) body closing signature all flush left, except the title is usually centred.[/nq]
Judging from the letters scattered about my desk at the moment, in the UK the sender's* address is usually flush *right, although on printed company letter heads it may be centred. The position of the date is variable: sometimes it appears flush right below the sender's address, level with the sendee's address.

Laura
(emulate St. George for email)

Usenet · Answer

[nq:2]In the UK, the usual format is: sender's address date ... signature all flush left, except the title is usually centred.[/nq]
[nq:1]Judging from the letters scattered about my desk at the moment, in the UK the sender's* address is usually flush *right, although on printed company letter heads it may be centred.[/nq]
That's certainly old-fashioned (except on printed stationery). It was already out-of-date when I was in typing class twenty years ago.

Adrian

Usenet · Answer

[nq:2]Judging from the letters scattered about my desk at the ... although on printed company letter heads it may be centred.[/nq]
[nq:1]That's certainly old-fashioned (except on printed stationery). It was already out-of-date when I was in typing class twenty years ago.[/nq]
Which, the centred or the right-flush version?

I think denial as a coping strategy is often underrated. (Akuvikate, mkp)

Usenet · Answer

[nq:2]That's certainly old-fashioned (except on printed stationery). It was already out-of-date when I was in typing class twenty years ago.[/nq]
[nq:1]Which, the centred or the right-flush version?[/nq]
With the use of word processing programs, formatting for flush right, center, etc. is so easy (no more counting letters and backspacing). and change of fonts is so easy, that letters have become artistic statements instead of communications. Back in my day (thread drift) of manual typing with a fixed font made for easier-to-read letters. That is, if the ribbon was fresh and none of the keys were mushed up with soggy ink.

Usenet · Answer

[nq:2]Judging from the letters scattered about my desk at the ... although on printed company letter heads it may be centred.[/nq]
[nq:1]That's certainly old-fashioned (except on printed stationery). It was already out-of-date when I was in typing class twenty years ago.[/nq]
But it's practical if you use window envelopes. I have a template for letters in Word with my address at the right and a mini-form at the left for the recipients's address placed to fit neatly within the envelope's window.

John Dean
Oxford

Letter format

Top answer

Get the Weekly English Kit 📬

Related Questions