What are the parts of a business letter?

The parts of a business letter include your contact information, the date, the recipient's information, the body of the letter, and a conclusion. Here are the parts and steps to writing a business letter:

• List your contact information. You can skip this step if you use paper with a business letterhead. However, if not, you must list your address when writing a business letter.

  You should place the address clearly at the top of the page, or the left-hand corner, of your organization, business, company, or school. You do not have to add your name or title if you don't want to since you will include it in the closing of your letter.

  You must include the street address, city, state, and ZIP code for you or your organization.

  You should also include your phone number and email address.

• List the date you are writing the business letter. Just below your address, you should list the current date.

  In the United States, the formatting for a date is a month, day, and then year, in that order. For example, on December 17, 2023.

• Write the recipient's name and address. After the last step, you should skip a line and write out the name and address of the person or organization the letter is intended for.

  If possible, you should list an actual person. This helps get your business letter to the right person or department.

  If you are unsure who you should address it to, do some research into the organization and see if you can find an appropriate person that relates to the contents of your letter.

  If you can not find this information, simply list the organization itself. However, if you can be more specific, like listing the particular department of an organization for which the letter is intended, this can also be helpful.

• Select a professional greeting. Generally, business letters use the term "Dear X" as a standard greeting.

  However, some prefer to use the recipient's name solely. Unless you know the individual receiving the letter, you should not use their first name. Instead, address them as Mr., Miss, Ms., Mrs., or Dr., along with their last name.

  If you are unsure of a person's gender, it is acceptable to use their full name, first and last, instead of a personal title. Be sure to add a colon after the person's name or title, regardless of which style you choose.

• Write the body of your business letter. Business letters are most successful when they are concise and clear. You should stick to the letter's objective and attempt not to add much "fluff" or "small talk."

  Generally, you should start with a friendly introductory sentence followed immediately by the reason for writing the letter. After briefing on the letter's intent, you should follow up with supporting details, background information, and justification that warrants the letter's sending.

  In your conclusion paragraph, you should restate the purpose of the business letter and ask for some call to action, if necessary. You can also conclude with a standard statement, such as "Please contact me if you have any questions or concerns regarding this matter."

• Write an appropriate conclusion. At the end of your business letter, you should include a polite and professional sign-off followed by a comma and then your full name or title, if appropriate.

  Good sign-off examples include "best regards," "thank you," and "sincerely."

  Once you have closed the letter, you should skip around four lines and include a section for your signature. You also should type out your name below your signature for clarity.