ByHow To Label a Letter Properly
Knowing how to label a letter correctly is crucial if you want to ensure your letter reaches its destination as quickly as possible. There’s no point in spending hours learning how to start, finish, and format your letter the right way if the recipient will never get to read it. Rely on DoNotPay’s simple guide and learn how to address your letters with ease.
If you don’t want to bother labeling the envelope or going to the post office, DoNotPay has the most convenient solution for you. Our AI-powered app enables you to mail letters online in under three minutes!
An In-Depth Guide to Addressing a Letter
A properly addressed front of the envelope has to contain:
- The return address in the upper left corner
- The mailing address in the center
- The right number of stamps in the upper right corner
How To Write the Return Address
Consult the following table to learn how to format the return address:
| Where To Write | What To Write |
| First line | Name |
| Second line | Street address and house or apartment number |
| Third line | City, state, and ZIP code |
While the rule of thumb is to write the sender’s address on the front of the envelope, you can also place it on the flap side. Most people avoid doing that because the flap side can tear easily while the recipient is opening the letter.
How To Write the Mailing Address
When writing a mailing address, it’s important to keep in mind the formality level. If you’re sending a letter to a friend, the recipient’s address should be formatted the same as the return address.
Are you writing a formal letter or sending mail to an individual in a certain company? In that case, you should follow slightly different rules. In the table below, you can see the correct formatting for both situations:
| Where To Write | Addressing a Formal Letter | Addressing a Letter to an Individual in a Company |
| First line | Title and full name (e.g., Mr. John Doe) | Company name |
| Second line | Street address including the number of house or apartment | c/o Title, full name, and job position |
| Third line | City, state, and ZIP code | Street address of the company |
| Fourth line | - | City, state, and ZIP code |
When sending mail outside of the U.S., you should check the address formatting rules of the state you’re mailing the letter to. The good news is that most countries use the same mailing address format as the U.S.
How Many Stamps Should You Affix?
You can ask a post office clerk to calculate the number of stamps you should place, or you can try to figure it out on your own by:
- Measuring the weight, length, height, and thickness of the envelope
- Opening an online postage cost calculator to type in the measurements and choose the mail class
- Dividing the postage price by the cost of a single Forever stamp
As you can conclude, the postage cost influences the number of stamps you need to mail a letter. If you’re sending a standard 4x6 letter that weighs no more than one ounce, you will pay $0.55. This means that you should affix only one Forever stamp.
Postage Rates Explained
If you wish to know more about the postage cost of each mail class, you’ll find the following list useful:
- Postcard—$0.36
- First Class Mail Letter—$0.55 for one-ounce letters and $0.20 for every additional ounce
- First Class Mail Flat—$1 for one-ounce letters and $0.20 for each additional ounce
- First Class Mail International—$1.20 and up
- Priority Mail—$7.16 and up
- Priority Mail Express—$22.75 and up
Why Do People Still Send Letters via Mail?
As opposed to email correspondence that’s free, quick, and convenient, sending letters via snail mail is tiresome, time-consuming, and sometimes expensive. Even though tedious, snail mail is usually the only option people have when they need to:
- Send papers and business documents
- Mail resignations, recommendations, job cover letters, and rent increase notices
- Apply for universities, federal grants, compensation programs, and similar
- Cancel certain memberships
Would you like to avoid losing hours buying stamps, addressing the letter, and going to the post office? You should and let us handle all of those pesky tasks for you.
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DoNotPay can help you deal with the mailing process the easy way. Try our Send Mail product and mail your letter online in a few clicks by following these four simple steps:
- Pick the Send Mail product
- Enter the required info
- Upload your document
We will mail your letter right away. The recipient should get the letter no later than seven business days after we send it. Our app enables you to track the letter by visiting the My Disputes page of your DoNotPay account.
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