Office and admin · Free guide and builders
How to address an envelope, and other workplace formats
Five steps over a drawn envelope, the post office’s format rules, an address formatter you can copy from, and a memo builder, with an employee evaluation form layout and practice questions beside them. Free, nothing you type is saved or sent, no sign-up needed.
- Envelope steps and formatter
- USPS abbreviations
- Memo builder
- No sign-up needed
CollegeCompass360 is an independent education resource. We are not a school, a testing company or a government agency.
Part 1 · Envelopes
How to address an envelope
Five steps over a drawn envelope, the post office’s format rules, and a box that writes your two addresses the way the post office prefers. Free, nothing you type is saved or sent.
Return address
AVA MORGAN
10 SAMPLE ST APT 2
ANYTOWN OH 12345
Delivery address
SAM RIVERA
200 EXAMPLE AVE STE 4
SPRINGFIELD IL 12345-6789
A made-up example. The area for the step you are on is outlined.
Step 1 of 5
Return address: top-left corner
Write your own name or your company’s name, then your street address, then your city, state and ZIP Code, each on its own line, in the top-left corner. If the letter cannot be delivered, this is where it goes back.
What the post office asks for
Every line of the address starts at the same left margin.
Pub 28, 212
Capital letters are preferred on every line. Lowercase is acceptable if the mail can still be read by machine.
Pub 28, 212
Punctuation can be left out of the delivery address. The one exception is the hyphen in the ZIP+4 Code.
Pub 28, 222
The last line holds the city, the two-letter state abbreviation and the ZIP+4 Code, with at least one space between them.
Pub 28, 224
An apartment, suite or similar unit must be shown when the address has one. The preferred place is the end of the street line; the alternative is the line directly above it.
Pub 28, 213
If you use a pound sign (#) before a unit number, leave a space after it. Do not use it when you know the real word, such as APT or STE.
Pub 28, 213
An attention line (ATTN) goes above the recipient line.
Pub 28, 214
Write the two addresses for you
Type each address in plain words. The lines below come out in capitals with no commas or periods, with the apartment or suite at the end of the street line, and the city, state and ZIP Code on the last line. It does not check that the address exists.
Return address (you)
The formatted lines appear here as you type.
Delivery address (the reader)
The formatted lines appear here as you type.
Abbreviations the post office uses
Street endings, apartment and suite words, compass directions and the two-letter state codes, as Publication 28 lists them. Type a word or its letters.
Street endings
- AvenueAVE
- BoulevardBLVD
- CircleCIR
- CourtCT
- DriveDR
- HighwayHWY
- LaneLN
- ParkwayPKWY
- PlacePL
- RoadRD
- SquareSQ
- StreetST
- TerraceTER
- TrailTRL
- WayWAY
Apartment, suite and other units
- ApartmentAPT
- BuildingBLDG
- DepartmentDEPT
- FloorFL
- RoomRM
- SuiteSTE
- UnitUNIT
- LotLOT
- SpaceSPC
- BasementBSMT
- FrontFRNT
- LobbyLBBY
- OfficeOFC
- PenthousePH
- RearREAR
Directions
- NorthN
- SouthS
- EastE
- WestW
- NortheastNE
- NorthwestNW
- SoutheastSE
- SouthwestSW
Units marked as needing a number take one after them (STE 4); BSMT, FRNT, LBBY, OFC, PH and REAR stand alone. For a state code, type the state’s name in the lookup above.
Part 2 · Memos
Memo format and a memo builder
A memo stays inside the workplace, so a four-line heading replaces the addresses, the greeting and the signature. Fill in the lines and the builder lays the memo out to copy.
The readers’ names and job titles, spelled correctly.
Your name and job title.
The complete, current date.
Specific and short: what the memo is about.
Open with why you are writing, give the facts, then close with what you want the reader to do.
Names what follows the closing, if anything.
Your memo
The memo appears here as you type.
Memo rules
- Single-spaced and left-aligned, with a blank line between paragraphs and no indents.
- No Dear line and no signed close: the TO and FROM lines do that work.
- End with a courteous closing that says what you want the reader to do and how that helps them.
- Put lists, charts and tables after the closing, refer to each in the body, and add a line below the closing, such as Attached: Supply order form.
Writing a block-format letter to someone outside the organization? That layout has its own page: the business letter format guide.
Part 3 · Workplace templates
Employee evaluation form layout
A performance review form is usually a few identifying lines, a rating scale, a handful of rows for work habits, space for comments and goals, and two signatures. This is a common layout. There is no published standard, and your workplace’s own form comes first.
Employee evaluation
- Employee name
- Job title
- Department
- Reviewer name and title
- Review period (from and to)
- Date of review
| Area | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Quality of workAccurate, complete, and finished to the standard the job asks for. | |||||
| DependabilityShows up on time, meets deadlines, follows through on what was agreed. | |||||
| CommunicationClear in writing and in conversation; keeps others informed. | |||||
| TeamworkHelps coworkers, shares information, works well across roles. | |||||
| InitiativeNotices what needs doing and acts without waiting to be asked. | |||||
| Following proceduresKnows and follows the workplace’s policies and safety rules. |
1 = Needs improvement · 2 = Below expectations · 3 = Meets expectations · 4 = Exceeds expectations · 5 = Outstanding
Strengths and what went well
Areas to develop
Goals for the next review period
Employee comments
Employee signature and date
Reviewer signature and date
Tips for filling one in
- Rate the whole review period, not just the last few weeks.
- Write a short example next to any rating that is very high or very low, so the reader can see what you mean.
- Describe the work, not the person.
- Fill in the goals together, and write each one so that you could tell, later, whether it happened.
- Both people sign and date it, and each keeps a copy.
These are general writing habits for the form, not legal or personnel advice. A blank copy of this form prints from the bonus below.
Part 4 · Practice questions
Ten practice questions
One question at a time, each answer explained. Your score is free and needs no sign-up.
Question 1 of 10
Where does the return address go on an envelope?
Bonus
Three printable sheets
Locked until you enter your email in the box above
Employee evaluation form
The identifying lines, the five-step rating scale with six work-habit rows, ruled boxes for comments and goals, and two signature lines.
Memo template
The four heading lines and ruled space for the opening, the discussion, the closing and the attachments.
Envelope addressing worksheet
Three blank envelopes with the return, delivery and postage areas marked, to practice your address on before you write the real one.
Everything above this box stays free: the envelope steps, the address formatter, the abbreviation lookup, the memo builder, the evaluation form layout and the practice questions.
Sources
Where the rules come from
The envelope and abbreviation facts are written in our own words from the post office’s own pages; the memo facts from a university writing center. The evaluation form layout is a common one, not a published standard. Your workplace may have its own house style; follow it over these rules.
- USPS: How to Send a Letter or Postcard (where the return address, delivery address and stamp go; the tips)
- USPS Postal Explorer, Publication 28: Postal Addressing Standards, Chapter 2 (format, punctuation, last line, unit designators)
- USPS Publication 28, Appendix C1: Street Suffix Abbreviations
- USPS Publication 28, Appendix C2: Secondary Unit Designators
- USPS Publication 28, Appendix B: Two-Letter State and Possession Abbreviations
- Purdue Online Writing Lab: Parts of a Memo
- Purdue Online Writing Lab: Memo Format
More free tools: the business letter format guide, for the block-format letter with every part labelled, and workplace email and communication.
Questions
Common questions
Write your return address in the top-left corner, the delivery address in the bottom center, and put the stamp in the upper-right corner. Each address is a name or company, then the street address (with any apartment or suite at the end of it), then the city, two-letter state abbreviation and ZIP Code on the last line.
The post office prefers capital letters on every line, and says punctuation can be left out of the delivery address. The one mark it keeps is the hyphen inside a ZIP+4 Code. If you write by hand, print neatly with a pen or permanent marker.
At the end of the street address line is the post office’s preferred place, for example 200 EXAMPLE AVE STE 4. If it does not fit, put it on the line directly above the street address.
The city, the two-letter state abbreviation and the ZIP Code or ZIP+4 Code, in that order, with at least one space between them. Use the lookup on this page for the state abbreviations.
A letter usually goes to someone outside the organization and carries addresses, a greeting and a signed close. A memo stays inside: its TO, FROM, DATE and SUBJECT lines replace those, and it ends with a closing that says what you want the reader to do. The letter layout is on its own page, linked in the sources below.
No. The address formatter and the memo builder keep what you type in your browser until you leave the page; nothing is sent anywhere or stored. Copy your lines before you close the tab. The only thing you can send from this page is the email address for the bonus, if you choose to enter it.
Yes. The envelope steps, the address formatter, the abbreviation lookup, the memo builder, the evaluation form layout and the practice questions need no sign-up. An email unlocks the bonus: three printable sheets (an employee evaluation form, a memo template and an envelope worksheet), which open on this page right away and stay open on this browser.