The 12 Best Ways To Close A Business Letter (With Examples)

Closing your business letter correctly can be just as important as how you start it. The tricky part is that it can be difficult to know how to professionally and relationally close a business letter.

If you’re writing the closing to a business email or letter to your boss, client, or colleague, we’ll go over how to end a business letter, the best ways to end a letter, and what not to use in your business letter.

Key Takeaways

• “Sincerely,” “Regards,” and “Best,” are some of the best ways to close a business letter.

• Close the body of your business letter with a call to action, an invitation for further contact, or a note of thanks.

• Choose the best closing for your business letter based on the purpose of your letter and your relationship with the recipient.

12 Best ways to close a business letter

There are two different ways to close a business letter which are formal and informal closings. Here are the best closing salutations examples:

Formal closing salutations

The following closings convey a formal or very formal tone. These are the closings you might use when writing to your boss, a prospective employer, a potential business connection, or a new client.

1. Sincerely. This one is a great all-purpose formal standby. It doesn’t draw much attention to itself but still fulfills the requirement of ending a formal letter.

2. Best regards. This option takes a typical closer and amps it up a bit. You can also use “warm regards” or “kind regards” to keep the formality but add a touch of extra (appropriate) friendliness.

3. Respectfully. This closing is perhaps the most formal and is best used when you would like to convey the utmost deference to someone. You can also use it at other times when to reinstate your respect for your recipient.

4. Thank you. Naturally, this is an excellent closer for a letter expressing thanks, admiration, or gratitude. You may want to consider a different closing if you have already said thank you more than once in the body of your letter.

5. With gratitude. Another great choice for a letter of appreciation, this closing emphasizes the positive impact your recipient has had on you.

6. Appreciatively. This is a great sign-off to avoid using “thanks” too often. It also sounds less formal and clunky as “gratefully.”

Informal closing salutations

These closings convey a more friendly or familiar tone that is still professional and business appropriate. You might use these in letters to colleagues, established clients, subordinates, or anyone you know on a personal basis.

6. Regards. This closing is the less formal counterpart to “sincerely” in that you can use it as a neutral standby.

7. Best. This is a brief closing with a positive tone. Some may consider this closing a bit too curt, but most find it perfectly acceptable as a business letter closing.

8. Thanks again. If you’ve already started your thanks in the body of the letter, but you’d still like to end with a note of gratitude, this is the choice for you.

9. Many thanks. Similarly to “thanks again,” this sums up the gratitude expressed in the body of your letter. This is also a great closing if you are requesting something.

10. Best wishes. This closing is cheerful and warm without being inappropriate, so use it whenever you’d like to convey that message.

11. Warm regards. This is one of the newer ways to sign off. This is a good way to close off when you are well acquainted with someone.

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What to consider when deciding on your closing

When closing your business letter, you should consider the context of your letter and the level of formality with the recipient when choosing your closing. Here are more details on what to consider when deciding on your closing:

1. Consider the context of your letter. Your chosen closing should, of course, be in line with your purposes for writing the letter.

   A closing for a thank you letter will be different from a closing for a cover letter or a letter expressing concerns about an employee’s performance. For instance, “many thanks” is really not the best choice for a disciplinary letter.

2. Consider the level of formality you’d like to keep. For many, this is a chief concern in their choice of closing. For this reason, we’ve divided our suggested letter closings into two categories: more formal and less formal.

   The aspect that largely determines your choice of letter closing is your relationship with the recipient. The level of formality is usually inversely correlated with the level of familiarity you have with the sender. In other words, choose more formal closings for strangers or people you don’t know well, and select less formal closings for those you know well or work with often.

   You’ll also want to consider whether this person is your senior or someone you are subordinate to, or if this person is a colleague on the same professional level as you. You’ll obviously want to use a more formal closing for the former and a less formal closing for the latter.

3. Consider for the last time what you are trying to accomplish with this letter. Choose whichever closing achieves these aims best and aligns with your personal style of writing.

How to format your business letter closing

To format your business letter, you need to first decide if you’ll be sending a physical letter or an email and that will help you decide your closing. Be sure to include your contact information and ensure you’ve been professional throughout the letter. Here is a more detailed list of how to format your business letter closing:

1. Decide whether you’ll be sending this letter via physical mail or email. If it’s a more formal setting or occasion, consider sending the message by mail. In this day and age, a physical letter holds more weight and has more of a personal touch, but is, of course, less time-sensitive. Emailed letters have a quicker and slightly less formal feel, but still, be sure to follow proper formatting and formalities.

   Closing a physical letter
   If you are sending your letter by physical mail or as a PDF, you’re going to want to leave space between your complimentary closing and your name so that you can add your signature. Something like:

   “Sincerely,
   Joseph Miller”

   And you would sign your signature in pen on the printed letter between the closing and your typed name.

   Closing an email
   If you’re sending an email, you don’t usually need to add a written signature. So email closings simply don’t leave space for one. So it would look more like:

   “Sincerely,
   Joseph Miller”

2. Add your contact information. In both emails and physical letters, after your typed name, include all relevant contact information. You do this to provide a centralized area that your letter-receiver can refer back to as they prepare their response. Include your phone number, email, and — if you sent a physical letter — your home or business address.

3. Ensure that you’ve maintained consistency and professionalism throughout your letter. Be sure you’ve used the same font throughout, your paragraphs are correctly aligned and spaced, and that the tone of your letter matches what you are trying to say in a polite way.

What not to use as a business letter closing

You should avoid the following closings in professional letters as they either express a bit too much familiarity or don’t convey a professional tone. By all means, please use these as closers in your letter to grandma or your postcard to a friend, just never in your business relationships

• Love

• Fondly

• XO

• Yours truly

• Bye for now

• Cheers

• Ciao

• Peace

• See ya later

Best ways to close your business letter body paragraphs

Before you give your complimentary closing, make sure you end your letter with impact. Your final sentence should be one that summarizes the purpose of your message. Think, “If they only read this final sentence and nothing else — what would I want them to take away?”

Here are some of the best ways to close the body paragraphs of your business letter:

• A call to action. If you are making a request, offering an invitation, or in any other way needing something back from your recipient, you’ll want to include what’s called a “call to action.” This is a way of applying a gentle amount of social pressure on someone to respond to your request by letting them know you will be waiting to hear back.

  A call to action might be something like telling your recipient you are looking forward to hearing their response. Or it may look more like giving a specific date and time when you would like your request filled by.

• An offer for further contact. Suppose you don’t need anything specifically from your recipient, but you would still like to let them know they are free to contact you at any time. In that case, you might think about working with the phrase “Please don’t hesitate to contact me” or “Please let me know if you need any further assistance.”

• A note of thanks. Sometimes, our letter’s primary goal is to extend gratitude or let someone know they are appreciated. If this is the case, the final sentence is your place to really drive home the impact this person (or their actions) has had on you.

Whatever your main purpose is, make it clear in your closing sentence.

Business letter closings FAQ

1. What can I use instead of “Sincerely” in business?

   You can use any of the following instead of “Sincerely” in business:

   • Best regards

   • Respectfully

   • Thank you

   • With gratitude

   • Regards

   • Best

   • Thanks again

   • Many thanks

   • Best wishes

   Just choose the one that best fits the purpose of your letter and its level of formality.

2. How do you politely end a letter?

   You politely end a letter by closing with a call to action, a note of thanks, or an invitation to further discussion and a professional closing salutation. These closing salutations include:

   • Sincerely

   • Best

   • Respectfully

   • Thank you

   • Best regards

   • Thanks again

3. How do you say thank you professionally?

   You say thank you professionally by ending your letter with a reiteration of your thanks.

   Whether you’re writing a thank you note or simply want to thank someone for taking the time to read your professional letter, close your body paragraphs with a salutation such as, “I appreciate your time” or “I sincerely appreciate your taking the time to __.”

   You can also sign off with a professional “Thank you,” or “With gratitude,” followed by your signature.

4. How do you end a business letter professionally?

   To end a business letter professionally, you should use “Sincerely,” “Regards,” or “Respectfully.” These closings are professional and are best used when writing to your boss, client, or a business connection.

References

1. Purdue University – Writing the Basic Business Letter

2. NMU Writing Center – Parts of a Business Letter

Author

Chris Kolmar

Chris Kolmar is a co-founder of Zippia and the editor-in-chief of the Zippia career advice blog. He has hired over 50 people in his career, been hired five times, and wants to help you land your next job. His research has been featured on the New York Times, Thrillist, VOX, The Atlantic, and a host of local news. More recently, he's been quoted on USA Today, BusinessInsider, and CNBC.