How to end a letter beginning with "To whom it may concern"

How should one end - ie, sign-off - a letter that begins with "To whom it may concern"?

Solution 1:

If you are referring to the "Complimentary Close" (the word above your signature), it depends on the tone and formality of the letter. If you do not have a specific person to address the letter to, I would use either of these:

Respectfully yours,

or

Sincerely,

Solution 2:

According to Miss Manners, the answer is "Yours faithfully". That is what I use.

Solution 3:

It partly depends on the contents of the letter. If I'm submitting, say, a letter of reference, that might warrant something a little different than a general inquiry, a request for a favor, or a formal complaint.

As was stated previously, Sincerely is perfectly acceptable, and almost always a safe option. But if you wanted to soften a complaint, then Respectfully might be a better choice.

By default, in the To-Whom-It-May-Concern situation, I don't know who will be reading the letter (otherwise, I would have begun with something less generic). With that in mind, I'll sometimes want to end with my contact information, in case the matter needs further discussion to resolve:

If you have any questions, do not hesitate to contact me.

Thank you,                     

John R. Doe
(555) 867-5309
[email protected]

Solution 4:

"Sincerely" is a fairly common formal sign off.