How to End an Email Professionally: 40 Sign-Offs Rated

How do you end an email professionally?

A professional email ending has three parts, in this order:

A closing sentence. One line that says what happens next, such as “Please let me know if Thursday works.”
A sign-off. A short phrase like “Best regards,” followed by a comma.
A signature block. Your full name, plus a title, phone number or company when the reader needs them.

Pick the sign-off by looking at two things: how well you know the person and how much is riding on the message. A first email to a hiring manager calls for “Best regards” or “Sincerely.” A quick note to a teammate can end with “Thanks” or “Talk soon.”

40 email sign-offs rated by formality

The table runs from most formal to most casual. “Formal” means safe for letters and first contact. “Casual” means only for people you already work with.

#	Sign-off	Formality	When to use it
1	Sincerely	Formal	Cover letters, printed letters, first contact with a hiring manager
2	Respectfully	Formal	Letters to government officials, judges or senior executives
3	Yours truly	Formal	Traditional business letters
4	Sincerely yours	Formal	Printed or signed letters
5	Respectfully yours	Formal	Formal requests, appeals or grievances
6	Thank you for your consideration	Formal	Job applications, proposals, scholarship requests
7	With gratitude	Formal	Thank-you letters after an interview or a favor
8	Gratefully	Formal	After someone wrote you a reference or made an introduction
9	Kind regards	Professional	First emails to clients, vendors and new contacts
10	Best regards	Professional	The safest default for almost any work email
11	Warm regards	Professional	People you have met and like working with
12	Regards	Professional	Short, neutral replies (can feel cool in a tense thread)
13	Thank you for your time	Professional	Requests for a meeting, call or informational interview
14	Thank you	Professional	Any email that asks for something
15	With thanks	Professional	After someone sends files, answers or approvals
16	Many thanks	Professional	After someone went out of their way to help
17	With appreciation	Professional	Recognizing a team or vendor for good work
18	Looking forward to working with you	Professional	Accepting a job offer, starting with a new client
19	Looking forward to our conversation	Professional	Confirming an interview or meeting
20	All the best	Professional	Networking, ending a conversation on good terms
21	Best	Neutral	Everyday internal and external email
22	Best wishes	Neutral	Farewells, congratulations, someone leaving a job
23	Hope this helps	Neutral	Replies that answer a question
24	Let me know if you have questions	Neutral	Emails that send instructions or documents
25	Happy to help	Neutral	Replies to a request you fulfilled
26	Thanks again	Neutral	Second thank-you in a follow-up
27	Warmly	Friendly	Long-term clients, nonprofit work, people you know well
28	Be well	Friendly	Someone who has been sick or is going through a hard time
29	Take care	Friendly	Personal notes, farewells
30	Have a great weekend	Friendly	Friday emails
31	Enjoy the rest of your week	Friendly	Midweek emails to regular contacts
32	Rooting for you	Friendly	Encouraging a mentee, former coworker or job seeker
33	Onward	Friendly	Project kickoffs, after a setback, startup culture
34	Here’s to a great launch	Friendly	Team emails before a launch or big event
35	Thanks	Casual	Quick internal requests
36	Talk soon	Casual	People you will speak with in the next few days
37	Speak soon	Casual	Same as Talk soon, slightly softer
38	See you Tuesday	Casual	Right before a scheduled meeting
39	Until next time	Casual	Regular contacts you email often
40	Cheers	Casual	Friendly coworkers (more common in British and Australian English)

Which sign-off fits your situation?

Situation	Best choice	Also works
Job application or cover letter	Sincerely	Thank you for your consideration
Email to a recruiter	Best regards	Thank you for your time
Thank-you email after an interview	Thank you again	With gratitude
Client or vendor	Kind regards	Best regards
Your manager	Thanks	Best
A teammate	Talk soon	Thanks
Complaint or formal request	Respectfully	Regards
Networking contact	All the best	Warm regards

If you are writing after a job interview, our guide to the thank-you email after an interview shows the full message, not just the ending.

What are some interesting email sign-offs?

An interesting sign-off can make a routine email feel human. The trick is to use one that fits the moment rather than one that tries to be clever.

Onward signals momentum after a decision or a setback.
Rooting for you works for mentees and former coworkers who are job hunting.
Here’s to a great launch (or quarter, or event) ties the ending to a shared goal.
Be well is kind without being too personal.
See you Tuesday confirms the next meeting in three words.
Gratefully feels warmer than “Thanks” after a real favor.

Save these for people who already know you. In a first email to a stranger or a hiring manager, a standard closing is safer.

Closing sentence examples to use before your sign-off

The sentence right before your sign-off does more work than the sign-off itself. It tells the reader what to do next.

Purpose	Closing sentence
Ask for a reply	“Could you let me know by Friday whether this works for your team?”
Schedule a call	“I am free Tuesday or Wednesday afternoon if a quick call would help.”
Send an attachment	“The signed form is attached. Let me know if you need anything else.”
Thank someone	“Thank you for taking the time to walk me through the process.”
Follow up on an application	“I would welcome the chance to discuss how I can support your team.”
Close a loop	“No reply needed. I just wanted you to have the final numbers.”
Offer help	“If any questions come up, I am happy to jump on a call.”
End a tense exchange	“I appreciate you working through this with me.”

Here is how a complete ending looks in practice:

I have attached my updated availability for next week. Please let me know which time works best for you and Ms. Brooks.

Best regards,
Jordan Lee
(312) 555-0142

The same structure applies when you end a cover letter: one forward-looking sentence, then “Sincerely,” then your name.

Letter closings for printed and formal letters

Printed business letters follow a few extra rules:

Put the closing two lines below the last paragraph.
Capitalize only the first word: “Sincerely yours,” not “Sincerely Yours,”.
Add a comma after the closing.
Leave about four blank lines for your handwritten signature, then type your full name.
Add your title on the line under your name if you are writing for a company.

“Sincerely,” “Respectfully,” and “Yours truly,” are the standard letter closings in the US. “Yours faithfully” is a British convention for letters that start with “Dear Sir or Madam,” so most US readers will find it unusual.

Email signature block examples

Keep your signature short. Three to five lines is plenty, and it should match the contact details on your resume. Our guide to the resume header covers which details to include.

Job seeker

Best regards,
Jordan Lee
(312) 555-0142 | jordan.lee@example.com
LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/your-name

Employee writing to a client

Kind regards,
Priya Shah
Account Manager, Northwind Logistics
(206) 555-0187

Student or new graduate

Thank you for your time,
Marcus Hill
B.S. Accounting, May 2027
marcus.hill@example.com

Short reply inside a thread

Thanks,
Priya

Leave out quotes, images, long legal disclaimers you do not need, and more than one phone number.

Email sign-offs to avoid

Avoid	Why	Use instead
Thanks in advance	Assumes the person will say yes	Thank you for considering this
Love, xoxo or hugs	Too personal for work	Warm regards
Yours	Unclear and a little intimate	Best regards
Sent from my phone (alone)	Looks unfinished	Add a one-line signature
Thx or Rgds	Reads as rushed	Thanks or Regards
A single initial, like “J”	Can feel curt to people outside your team	Your first name
Respectfully (in a casual thread)	Can sound passive-aggressive	Thanks
No sign-off at all in a first email	Feels abrupt	Best regards

Two more habits to drop: stacking sign-offs (“Thanks, Best regards,”) and ending with a vague line like “Let me know.” Say exactly what you need instead.

Which ending should you use for job search emails?

For applications, follow-ups and thank-you notes, stick to “Best regards,” “Thank you for your time,” or “Sincerely.” Pair them with a closing sentence that restates your interest. When you follow up on a job application or send a follow-up email after an interview, the ending is the last impression a recruiter gets, so keep it polite and specific.

Frequently asked questions

What is the most professional way to end an email?

A clear closing sentence followed by "Best regards" or "Kind regards" and your full name is the most widely accepted professional ending. For a cover letter or formal letter, "Sincerely" is the traditional choice. Both work with people you have never met.

Is "Best" too casual for a work email?

No. "Best" is a neutral, common sign-off for everyday work email, including with clients. It can feel a little brief in a first message to a hiring manager or senior leader, so use "Best regards" there.

Do you put a comma after an email sign-off?

Yes, in US business writing the sign-off is followed by a comma, and your name goes on the next line. Capitalize only the first word, as in "Best regards," or "Thank you for your time,".

Do you need a sign-off on every reply in an email thread?

Not always. In a fast back-and-forth with a coworker, many people drop the sign-off after the first message and just type their name or nothing. Keep the full sign-off with clients, hiring managers and anyone outside your company.

What is the difference between a letter closing and a sign-off?

They are the same thing. "Letter closing" or "complimentary close" is the traditional term for printed letters, while "sign-off" is more common for email. Both refer to the word or phrase right before your name.