Crafting a Letter of Acknowledgment for a Business Setting

Kenneth Beare is an English as a Second Language (ESL) teacher and course developer with over three decades of teaching experience.

The purpose of letters of acknowledgment is to provide proof that you have received specific documents or a specific type of request. Letters of acknowledgment are often used for anything involved in a legal process.

Elements of the Letter

As with any business or professional correspondence, you should begin your letter with a few specific and expected elements:

1. Your name, address, and the date on the top right
2. The name of the person to whom you are addressing the letter on the top left on the line below your address
3. The company name (if appropriate)
4. The address of the firm or individual
5. A subject line that briefly states the purpose of the letter in bold (such as "Legal Case No. 24")
6. An opening salutation, such as "Dear Mr. Smith"

When you are beginning the letter of acknowledgment, start with a brief sentence stating that this is, indeed, a letter of acknowledgment. Some phrases you can use include:

• I hereby acknowledge the receipt of the following documents.
• I am acknowledging receipt of.
• We will make sure that the person responsible receives these materials immediately upon returning to the office.

The remainder of the letter should include the body text, where you explain in one or two paragraphs what, specifically, you are acknowledging. At the end of the body of the letter, you can offer your help if needed, such as: "If I may be of further assistance, please do not hesitate to contact me." End the letter with a standard closing, such as: "Sincerely, Mr. Joe Smith, XX Firm."

Sample Letter

It can be helpful to view a sample letter template. Feel free to copy the format below for your letter of acknowledgment. Though it does not print as such in this article, note that you should generally make your address and the date flush right.

Joseph Smith
Acme Trading Company
5555 S. Main Street
Anywhere, California 90001​​
March 25, 2018
​​​Re: ​Legal Case No. 24
Dear ______:
Because Mr. Doug Jones is out of the office for the next two weeks I am acknowledging receipt of your letter dated March 20, 2018. It will be brought to his attention immediately upon his return.
If I may be of any assistance during Mr. Jones' absence, please do not hesitate to call.
Yours sincerely,
Joseph Smith

Sign the letter under the closing, "Yours sincerely," just above your name.

Other Considerations

The letter of acknowledgment provides documentation that you have received the letter, order, or complaint from the other party. Should the matter become a legal or business disagreement, your letter of acknowledgment shows proof that you did respond to the request from the other party.

If you are unfamiliar with business letter style, take the time to learn the basic format for writing business letters, and review the different types of business letters. This will help you refine your skills for specific business purposes such as making inquiries, adjusting claims, and writing cover letters.