Whether you’re emailing a new client, a hiring manager, or a long-time colleague, your professional email sign-off is the last note they hear. It frames tone, signals intent, and quietly reinforces credibility.
Summary and Fast Guide:
Default to Best regards or Kind regards for most situations.
Use Sincerely or Respectfully for formal first-time outreach.
Choose gratitude variants like With appreciation or Many thanks thoughtfully.
Go casual (Best, Thanks, name-only) only with established rapport.
Avoid intimacy, text-speak, archaic phrases, and sending an email with no sign-off.
In this guide, you’ll get safe, clear choices for every context—formal outreach, quick internal pings, thank-yous, and everything in between. You’ll also see when casual closings work, what to skip, and how to avoid sounding demanding. For a fuller playbook on structure and tone, see our piece on crafting the perfect professional email.
A Quick Guide to Professional Email Sign-Offs
Definition: A professional email sign-off is a brief, courteous closing phrase used before your name to convey respect, set tone, and signal the end of the message.
Key points:
The best sign-off depends on your relationship with the recipient and the email’s context.
“Best regards” and “Kind regards” are safe, all-purpose options for most business communication.
“Sincerely” is a traditional, formal choice—ideal for cover letters and initial outreach.
“Respectfully” fits highly formal messages, such as those to officials or esteemed figures.
“Thanks,” “Best,” or just your name can work in familiar, internal conversations.
How to choose in 5 steps:
Assess the relationship. New contact or superior? Use “Sincerely” or “Best regards.” Known colleague? “Best” or “Cheers” may work.
Match the context. Expressing gratitude? Try “With appreciation.” Making a formal request? Use “Respectfully.”
Mirror their tone. If they sign off with “Kind regards,” reply with similar polish.
Aim for your outcome. Need help? “Many thanks” is effective. Offering help? “All the best” conveys warmth.
When in doubt, go formal. “Best regards” and “Kind regards” are universally safe.
Why Your Email Sign-Off Matters More Than You Think
Your closing is a micro-brand moment. It sets expectations about professionalism and warmth, and it can subtly nudge response likelihood. A sign-off that clashes with the message—too casual, too familiar, or overly stiff—creates friction. In close calls, slight formality beats undershooting the tone. If you’re tempted to drop the sign-off entirely, don’t; it can read as abrupt or dismissive.
Mini-summary: The sign-off is a tone-setter and brand cue that affects how your message lands.
Control check: Re-read your last email—did the closing match the message and recipient?
The Gold Standard: Universally Professional Email Sign-Offs
These are your safest choices for U.S. business contexts—reliable, neutral, and appropriate for new contacts, managers, and external stakeholders.
Best regards
Balanced, professional, and friendly without being overly familiar.
Use when: You want a safe, polished closing for almost any situation—intros, follow-ups, and updates.
Kind regards
A touch warmer than “Best regards,” while remaining formal.
Use when: You want approachable professionalism with a hint of warmth.
Sincerely / Sincerely yours
Traditional, formal, and respectful.
Use when: Cover letters, formal proposals, or first-time outreach where decorum is essential.
Regards
Neutral and concise, slightly more clipped than “Best regards.”
Use when: You need a professional but minimal closing for brief, direct updates.
Mini-summary: When in doubt, pick “Best regards” or “Kind regards”; both are polished defaults.
Control check: Set one “always-safe” sign-off to use unless context suggests otherwise.
Context Is Key: Choosing a Sign-Off for a Specific Situation
Let the purpose of your message steer your closing. A thoughtful sign-off reinforces mood and intent.
When Expressing Gratitude (e.g., “With appreciation,” “Thank you again”)
Shows sincerity without assuming compliance.
Use when: You’ve received help, a timely reply, or thoughtful consideration.
For Initial Outreach & Cover Letters (e.g., “Sincerely,” “Respectfully”)
Conveys deference and high professionalism.
Use when: Applying for roles or contacting executives, academics, or public officials.
When Making a Request (e.g., “Many thanks,” “Thanks in advance”)
Signals appreciation for effort—but “Thanks in advance” can feel presumptive.
Use when: You need a favor or decision; prefer “Many thanks” if the request is significant.
In Ongoing Correspondence (e.g., “All the best,” “Talk soon”)
Keeps momentum warm and collegial without over-familiarity.
Use when: You’re mid-conversation with a known contact.
Mini-summary: Align your sign-off with what you’re asking or acknowledging.
Control check: Identify your “gratitude” and “request” closings to avoid overusing “Thanks in advance.”
Casual (But Still Professional) Email Sign-Offs
Looser closings suit established relationships and internal threads. Keep boundaries in view.
Best
Short, modern, broadly acceptable.
Use when: Corresponding with familiar colleagues or sending quick check-ins.
Thanks
Direct, friendly, and common—avoid it if no thanks is warranted.
Use when: Minor asks or after receiving help.
Cheers
Warm and informal, with a more international vibe (common outside the U.S.).
Use when: You know the recipient well and your culture is informal.
Using Just Your Name
Ultra-minimal and casual.
Use when: Fast internal back-and-forth where rapport is clear.
Mini-summary: Casual works with trust and context; default to neutral if unsure.
Control check: Pick one casual sign-off you’ll reserve for established colleagues.
Warning: Email Sign-Offs to Avoid in a Professional Context
The wrong closing can distract from your message, date your style, or dent credibility.
Overly Intimate Closings (e.g., “Love,” “Yours,” “XOXO”)
Too personal; blurs professional boundaries.
Text-Speak & Abbreviations (e.g., “Thx,” “Ttyl”)
Reads rushed or immature; undermines tone.
Archaic or Stuffy Phrases (e.g., “Yours faithfully”)
Outmoded in most U.S. business contexts; can feel pretentious.
No Sign-Off At All
Often perceived as abrupt or curt, especially with new contacts.
Mini-summary: Avoid intimacy, text-speak, archaisms, and omission.
Control check: Audit your templates—remove any questionable closings.
Sign Off with Confidence
Your closing is a small lever with outsized impact. Match it to relationship, context, and intent to stay polished without sounding stiff. Lock in a safe default (e.g., Best regards) and keep a short roster for gratitude, requests, and casual threads. To strengthen credibility on every send, pair your sign-off with a clear, on-brand professional email signature.
Mini-summary: Keep one safe default plus a few context-specific options; support them with a clean signature.
Control check: Add your chosen sign-offs to your email client templates today.