Addressing a business envelope correctly helps ensure that your letter gets to its intended recipient quickly. It’s important to follow standard practices for addressing correspondence, particularly if you are sending a letter to a large company with many departments. Failing to include complete information might mean that it will take longer than necessary for the envelope to reach the correct person or department. If you use the same format for every business envelope, addressing envelopes will soon become second nature.
Print your name, company name, title and address in the upper left corner of the envelope if your business doesn’t use preprinted envelopes. You may wish to print your name above the preprinted area even if you use envelopes printed with your company’s return address. If the U.S. Postal Service returns the envelope for any reason, your mailroom will be able to easily route it back to you if your name is located prominently on the envelope.
Put the recipient’s name on the first line of the envelope. Center the address block in the middle of the envelope. Start the address block several lines below the return address. The Postal Service recommends using all capital letters when addressing envelopes.
Add the person’s title on the next line if you know the title. If you don’t know the title, you may want to include the name of the department instead.
Include the name of the company on the next line.
Put the first address line on the next line. The Postal Service recommends placing the complete address on one line if possible. If the address is too long, divide the address between two lines and place the suite number or building number on the first address line.
Complete the envelope with the city, state and ZIP code. Use one space between the city and state and two spaces between the state and ZIP code.
Use the ZIP+4 code if you know it. The ZiP+4 code contains the usual five-digit ZIP code followed by a hyphen and four additional numbers. The additional numbers makes it easier for the Postal Service to locate the recipient.
Legibility is important. Use black ink and avoid fonts that are hard to read.
Don’t place any text below the city, state and ZIP code. The Postal Service automatic processing machines scan envelopes from the bottom up. If you place anything other than city, state and ZIP code on the last line, you’ll confuse the machine, which could delay delivery of your envelope.
McGurgan, Holly. "Correct Way to Address a Business Envelope." Small Business - Chron.com, http://smallbusiness.chron.com/correct-way-address-business-envelope-57164.html. 08 March 2019.