While a lot of business is conducted over email, you will still need to send postal mail from time to time. Whether you’re shipping products to customers or mailing important documents to partners and investors, postal mail is still a vital part of the business environment. The address location on the envelope is critical because it informs the United States Postal Service where to send your mail. Be sure to understand correct address placement before mailing items for your business so that your mail reaches its destination on time without any hassle.

Important Elements of Address Location on Envelope

There are two different addresses that are placed on an envelope you intend to mail:

  1. The address to which you’re sending the mail, known as the recipient’s address.
  2. Your address, known as the return address.

Both addresses should be written on the same side of the envelope, parallel to the longest side. The stamps or postage should be affixed to the top right-hand corner of your envelope.

Address Location on Envelope for Recipient’s Address

Write the recipient’s address in the center of the envelope toward the middle. This placement is important because it tells the United States Postal Service that this is where the mail should be sent. There are a number of elements you need to include with the recipient’s address. This is particularly vital if you’re sending mail to someone at a large company with multiple departments and several employees.

  1. Recipient’s name: The name of the recipient should be on the first line. Include both the first and last name.

  2. Recipient’s title: On the next line, include the recipient’s job title. You can also include the department if the company has multiple business areas.

  3. Recipient’s organization: Write the full name of the company to which you’re mailing your letter on the next line.

  4. Street address: Write out the full street address, including the street name, number and unit number. Many businesses are located in large office buildings with multiple tenants, so it’s important to specify exactly where the letter needs to be delivered. If it’s a long street address, you may need to write it on two lines.

  5. City or town, state and ZIP code: On the last line, write the name of the city or town, followed by the state. You can use the abbreviation of the state or write out the full name. After that, write the ZIP code.

  6. Country: If you’re mailing within the same country, you do not need to specify the name of the country. If you’re mailing internationally, include the country to which you’re mailing on the last line.

Recipient Address Example

For example, if you’re sending mail to a business contact at another organization domestically, your envelope may look like this:

Carolyn Church
Assistant Marketing Manager
Artists & Co.
123 Main Street, Unit 222 B
New York City, NY 10001

Address Location on Envelope for Return Address

In addition to writing the recipient’s address, you need to provide a return address. This tells the recipient who sent the mail. It also provides the United States Postal Service with an address to which they can send back the letter if it is undeliverable. Where do you write your address on a letter? It goes on the top left-hand corner of the envelope.

Sometimes, you may be mailing items outside of your country. When that is the case, it’s important to include your country in your address. Where do you put your country in the address? It goes after the city or town, state and ZIP code on the last line.

Return Address Example

For example, if you’re mailing a letter internationally, be sure to provide your country in the return address:

Jim Shell
Owner and Operator
Shell Auto Parts
954 Thomson Street South
Los Angeles, CA 90001
USA

Keep in mind that there may be specific limits on the size of package you can mail internationally. Check with the United States Postal Service on the maximum dimensions for the country to which you’re mailing.