Business letters: Enclosure notation

On this page

• Purpose of the enclosure notation
• Placement of the enclosure notation
• Single enclosure
• Multiple enclosures
• List of enclosures
• Additional information

Purpose of the enclosure notation

The enclosure notation, an optional part of the business letter, is used to indicate that one or more documents have been enclosed with or attached to the letter.

Placement of the enclosure notation

Place the enclosure notation at the left margin, on the second line below the signature block. If reference initials have been added below the signature block, place the enclosure notation on the first or second line below the reference initials. (See the article Business letters: Model letter in recommended format.)

Single Enclosure

For a single enclosure, use the word Enclosure or the abbreviation Enc. For a single attachment, use the word Attachment or the abbreviation Att.

Multiple enclosures

If you’re enclosing or attaching more than one document, use the plural notation Enclosures (or Encs.) or Attachments (or Atts.), and indicate the number of documents after the notation. You may use any of the formats below:

List of enclosures

You may also list the enclosures or attachments beneath or beside the notation, especially if they haven’t been mentioned in the body of the letter. (See the article Business letters: Body of the letter.)

If listing the enclosures or attachments, use a colon after the notation:

Additional information

• Correspondence and addresses – Guidelines and resources
• Business letters: Model letter in recommended format
• Business letters: Body of the letter