How to End a Formal Email Properly (With Closing Examples)

When you write a letter, it isn’t simply important to get the main messages across. You should also ensure that you close off as suits the occasion. Otherwise, you might end up not being an effective communicator. If you’re wondering how to end a formal email properly, there are a few ways to do it.

Since we work hard to help people live out their career goals, we at HiCounselor know that communication is a big part of your success. You’ll learn how to end a formal email properly (with closing examples) below. When you need help finding a good job, get in touch with us to find out how we do just that!

Ways to end a formal email

There are a few tried and tested methods that are used across the board. Sincerely, Regards, Yours truly, Cordially, Yours respectfully, Best wishes, and Warm regards are some perennial favorites. They can be used when you’re writing a formal email to both known and unknown people. You’ll often find these used by people who communicate with you professionally. 

Examples of ending a formal email

We’ve listed some other common ways to end a formal email. Any of these will do in a pinch. Some are more reserved while others are warmer. You can simply pick one that fits your style of communication. 

• All the best,

• Best,

• Best wishes,

• Cordially yours,

• Fond regards,

• In appreciation,

• Kind regards,

• Kind wishes,

• Many thanks,

• Regards,

• Respectfully,

• Respectfully yours,

• Sincerely,

• Sincerely yours,

• Stay well,

• Stay safe,

• Take care,

• Thank you,

• Thanks again,

• Thank you for your assistance in this matter,

• Thank you for your consideration,

• Thank you for your time,

• Thanking you in advance,

• Warm regards,

• Warm wishes,

• With appreciation,

• With gratitude,

• With sincere thanks,

• Yours cordially,

• Yours faithfully, 

• Yours sincerely,

• Yours truly,

Format to end a formal email

As you may already have noticed in the examples above, only the first letter of the first word is capitalized. The closing also ends with a comma, never a full stop. It has become common practice to leave a single line space between the closing and your signature. Include your contact information in the sign off. See the example below for greater clarity:

Yours sincerely,

Simon Woo

Senior Manager,

[email protected]

Phone: 1234567890

Ways to never end a formal email

As important as it is to know what to do, it’s equally important to know what to avoid doing. Having spent a great deal of time communicating on social media can make informal greetings easy to fall back on, but they’re inappropriate when ending a formal email. Here are some closing styles to avoid at all costs:

• Cheers,

• Hugs,

• Keep on, keepin’ on,

• Later,

• Live long and prosper,

• Love,

• Peace,

• Rgds,

• See ya,

• Stay awesome,

• Tag, you’re it,

• Talk soon,

• Thx,

• TTYL,

• XOXO,

We hope this article on how to end a formal email (with closing examples) helps you communicate more effectively! Remember that you can experiment and create your own personal style of closing emails. Just ensure you stay professional and appropriate to the situation. Language is ever evolving and adapting but there are still guidelines we should follow in formal settings. 

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