What Are the Parts of a Letter? Heading, Date, Inside Address, Salutation, Body, Closing and Signature Explained

So, what are the parts of a letter? A formal business letter has seven main parts, in this order: the heading (sender’s address), the date, the inside address, the salutation, the body, the closing with a signature and the typed name, and any notes below it such as enclosures. Each part has a fixed place, and that order is what makes a letter look professional.

Once you can answer what are the parts of a letter, writing a letter stops feeling like guesswork. You know what goes where and why. Below I explain each part, show a table you can keep next to you, and give a full sample you can copy. This guide is about the formal business letter. If you want the friendly, personal version, read our sibling article on the simple parts of a letter for students and friends.

What are the parts of a letter at a glance?

Here is the whole answer to what are the parts of a letter in one table. Keep it handy while you write.

Order	Part	What it contains	Where it sits
1	Heading	Sender’s address or letterhead	Top of the page
2	Date	Month, day and year	One blank line below the heading
3	Inside address	Recipient’s name, title, company, address	Left margin, below the date
4	Salutation	“Dear [title and last name]:”	Left margin
5	Body	Opening, details, request or action	Left margin, single spaced
6	Closing and signature	“Sincerely,” handwritten signature, typed name	Below the body
7	Notes	Enclosures, cc, reference initials	Bottom left

Note that a small number of styles add a subject line between the salutation and the body. It is optional, but handy when the reader handles many letters.

What goes in the heading?

The first of the parts of a letter is the one most people rush. The heading tells the reader who sent the letter and how to reach you. If you write for a company, you probably use letterhead that already carries the name, address, phone and website. Then you do not type a separate heading.

If you write as a private person, type your street address, city, state and postal code on separate lines at the top. Leave your name out of the heading because it appears in the signature. Add an email or phone line if you want a reply by those routes.

Where does the date go?

Put the date one blank line below the heading. Write the full month, the day and the year, for example “October 3, 2026”. Avoid “3/10/26” because it can mean March 10 or October 3 depending on the country.

Use the date you finish the letter, or the date you send it if that differs. A dated letter is a record. Years later, it proves when something was said.

What is the inside address?

The inside address is the recipient’s information, repeated from the envelope. It goes at the left margin, below the date, with one blank line above it. List the lines like this:

• Full name, with a courtesy title (Ms., Mr., Dr.)
• Job title, if you know it
• Company or organization
• Street address
• City, state and postal code

If you do not know the name, call the company or check its website. A letter to a named person gets read more often than one to “To Whom It May Concern”. When you must write to an office, address it to the department. For a worked example in a legal setting, see how to write a letter to an attorney.

How do you write the salutation?

The salutation is the greeting. In a formal letter, use “Dear” plus a title and last name, such as “Dear Dr. Patel:”. Then add a colon in American business style, or a comma in a more relaxed style. Both are accepted, though the colon looks more formal.

Some tips:

• Use the person’s own title if you know it.
• If you are unsure of gender or preference, use the full name: “Dear Jordan Lee:”.
• Avoid “Dear Sir or Madam” when you can find a name.
• Match the tone to the situation. “Dear Hiring Team:” is fine for a job letter with no named contact.

How should you write the body?

The body is the real message. A good body has three jobs: say why you are writing, give the facts the reader needs, and state the action you want.

Opening paragraph

Get to the point in the first two sentences. “I am writing to request a copy of my records dated June 2025” is clear. A long warm-up is not.

Middle paragraphs

Give details, dates, numbers and reasons. Keep paragraphs to three or four lines. Single-space inside each paragraph and leave a blank line between them. Use plain words.

Final paragraph

Say what you expect next and thank the reader. “Please reply by October 20” is better than “I look forward to hearing from you at your convenience”. If you are writing as part of a job, follow the same rule: be specific. Our guide to how to sign off a letter of application covers closing lines for that case.

What are the closing and signature?

The closing is the polite goodbye. “Sincerely,” “Respectfully,” “Best regards,” and “Yours truly,” all work in business. Capitalize only the first word and put a comma after it.

After the closing, leave three or four blank lines. Sign your name in that gap by hand, in blue or black ink. Below the gap, type your name. If your role matters, add your job title on the next line.

The signature block therefore has four pieces:

1. The closing word
2. The space for the handwritten signature
3. The typed name
4. The title or company, if useful

For more detail on spacing and special cases, read where the signature goes on a letter.

What are enclosures and other notes?

The last lines of a letter are small notes. They are easy to forget, but they matter.

• Enclosure: type “Enclosure” or “Enclosures (2)” when you attach papers. It tells the reader to look for them.
• cc: type “cc: Name” to show who else gets a copy.
• Reference initials: a typist’s initials, such as “MS/lk”. Many offices still use them, though many have dropped them.
• Postscript (P.S.): rare in business, common in sales letters.

Put these at the left margin, one or two lines below the typed name. Practice varies by company, so follow your office style guide if there is one.

Which layout should you pick?

Three layouts are common. The parts stay the same. Only the alignment changes.

Layout	How it looks	Best for
Block	Everything flush left, no indents	Most business letters, easiest to type
Modified block	Date and closing start at the centre, the rest flush left	Traditional letters on letterhead
Semi-block	Like modified block, but paragraphs are indented	Older style, less common now

If nobody tells you which to use, choose block. It is clean, fast and looks modern. The Purdue Online Writing Lab shows each layout with annotated examples, and Indeed’s career advice section has workplace letter samples.

Full sample business letter

This sample uses the block layout. Names and addresses are made up.

Harbor Design Studio
48 Market Street
Portland, OR 97204

October 3, 2026

Ms. Dana Rivera
Operations Manager
Brightline Supplies
920 Pine Avenue
Seattle, WA 98101

Dear Ms. Rivera:

I am writing to confirm the details of our meeting on
September 28 about the packaging redesign.

As agreed, we will deliver three concept sketches by
October 17. After your feedback, we will prepare the
final files within ten working days. The fee remains
as listed in the attached quote.

Please confirm the schedule by October 10 so we can
reserve the design team.

Sincerely,

(handwritten signature)
Alex Morgan
Account Director

Enclosure: Quote #1042
cc: Jordan Lee, Project Lead

If you are still asking what are the parts of a letter, check each part against the table above. Heading, date, inside address, salutation, body, closing, signature, typed name and notes all appear in order.

How to put the parts together

Follow these steps each time you write a business letter and want every one of the parts in the right place.

1. Set one-inch margins and pick a plain font, such as Arial or Times New Roman, at 11 or 12 points.
2. Add the heading or open your letterhead template.
3. Type the date, then a blank line.
4. Type the inside address, then a blank line.
5. Write the salutation and a blank line.
6. Write the body in short paragraphs with blank lines between them.
7. Add the closing, leave four blank lines and type your name.
8. Add enclosure and cc lines if they apply.
9. Proofread aloud, print, sign by hand and send.

People often ask what are the parts of a letter when they start a new job, and the honest answer is that this sequence is easy to learn, and a template saves time. Medical, legal and office staff often keep one. If you work in a clinic, our article on how a medical assistant composes business correspondence shows the same parts in a workplace setting.

What do letter parts have in common with a proposal?

When our team bids for clients on Upwork, we write short notes to strangers all day. The structure is not far from a letter: a greeting that uses the client’s name, an opening that says why we are the right fit, a middle with proof, a clear request and a polite close. The reader makes up their mind within seconds, just like the person opening your business letter.

That is why BidStaff exists. It writes proposals in your own winning tone from your past winning proposals, so every note sounds like you. You can see what it does here. BidStaff does not write letters, though, so for letters you still write the words yourself. It also scores each job from 0 to 10 against your profile and checks the client first, which is the proposal version of finding the right name for the inside address. Our guide to checking an Upwork client before you apply explains that step.

If you want to see how the credits work, the pricing page lists them. For a general view of how to open a conversation with a new contact, see what to put on a letter.

Frequently asked questions

What are the main parts of a formal letter?

When people ask what are the parts of a letter in business, the main parts are the heading, date, inside address, salutation, body, closing, signature and typed name. Optional notes such as enclosures and cc lines come last.

Which part of the letter comes first?

The heading or letterhead comes first, followed by the date.

Do I need an inside address?

For a formal business letter, yes. It shows who the letter is for and helps the recipient file it. For a short note to a friend, you can skip it.

Should the salutation end with a colon or a comma?

Use a colon for formal business letters. A comma suits friendlier letters. Either is acceptable, so follow your employer’s style if it has one.

How many blank lines do I leave for the signature?

Leave three or four blank lines between the closing and the typed name. That is enough room for a handwritten signature.

Is a subject line a part of a letter?

It is optional. It goes between the salutation and the body, and helps when the letter covers one clear topic.

What is the difference between a block and a modified block letter?

In block format, every line starts at the left margin. In modified block format, the date and closing begin at the centre of the page.

Does it matter if I use a different order?

Slight changes happen, such as a date placed above the heading. It depends on the employer or school, so follow their instructions. If nothing is specified, use the order in this article.

Conclusion

Knowing what are the parts of a letter turns a blank page into a simple checklist. Heading, date, inside address, salutation, body, closing, signature and notes: put them in that order and you will produce a clean business letter every time.

Your action list:

1. Save the table in this article as a template.
2. Choose block layout unless told otherwise.
3. Find the recipient’s real name before you write.
4. Keep the body to three short paragraphs.
5. Sign by hand in the gap above your typed name.

If you also write short notes to clients, try the BidStaff demo to see how a proposal is built.

Other related articles

• What are parts of letter: a simple guide for students and friends
• Where does the signature go on a letter
• How to write a letter to an attorney
• A medical assistant is composing business correspondence
• What to put on a letter

About the Author

Muhammad Shahzad is the founder of BidStaff and Leadslancer. He runs Upwork accounts for a freelance and agency team, and builds BidStaff around that daily work.