32+ Sample Letter of Transmittal

What is a Letter of Transmittal?

A company has different departments working together in unity. Your department can be in charge of finances and the other department in human resources and so on. Imagine sending a report to accounting about the current financial status of the company. The report, being a formal office document, should be accompanied by a transmittal letter. A transmittal letter is an introduction to the report. It works the same way as a cover letter. When your recipient receives the document, the first thing he sees is the transmittal letter. A thorough reading of the letter will give the reader the specific content of the document it is attached to. In addition, the transmittal letter acts as a record that a document has been sent.

Transmittal letters are normally brief. Often times, you only need one page to write its contents. As a letter, it contains header, recipient, greeting, body, and signature. When writing the letter, keep in mind that you need to establish goodwill with the recipient. Meaning, try and sell the document. You want the recipient to read the document attached to the transmittal letter. In order to do that, you need to keep a friendly tone and encourage the reader to contact you for any confusion and further clarification about the report.

proposal-letter-of-transmittal

When Should You Use a Letter of Transmittal?

In a business setting, always include a letter of transmittal. It is obligatory on your part, as the sender, to give the recipient a summary of the document you are sending him. Typically, you send the reports to a different department, outside of yours, who is not involved in the process. Hence, giving them a brief explanation of the contents of the report can give them a picture of what to expect; this makes it easier for them to understand your message.

Letters of transmittals or business cover letters are commonly attached to financial reports, business proposals, memorandums (office memo), business reports, project papers, research papers, technical reports, business contracts, analytical reports, marketing plans, confidential or sensitive documents, quotations, bids, formal reports of studies, application requests, and other formal documents used in a business environment.

When you write the transmittal letter, be sure to include in the body, the name of the document it is attached to, your information, the date you are sending the document, a brief summary of its content, information of the receiver, the deadline for response, and instructions for record-keeping. In addition, classify the document whether it is for public reading or private. You can include stating that the document is confidential; therefore, it should be handled with care and must be stored after reading.

In sum, letters of transmittal are necessary when sending office documents. It reminds the receiver of the purpose of the report and highlights key points of interest. By providing one, it expedites the communication system within the organization.

How To Write a Letter of Transmittal

There is no specific way of writing letters of transmittal. The way you structure one solely depends on the document it is accompanying. For the most part, it is a business letter and should follow the style format of one. Likewise, below is a step by step guideline to help you in the writing process.

Step 1: Write the name and address of the receiver

Since this is a business letter, include the proper heading by placing a date, name of the recipient and his address. If you do not have previous business interactions with the receiver, I suggest using the block letter formatting style. It is more formal and professional. However, if you have an established business relationship with the receiver, using the modified block style format or semi-block style format is fine as well. Formatting a business letter can have a great impact on the reader’s impression of you so you need to choose wisely.

Step 2: Formally greet the recipient

Greetings and salutations are essential when writing letters. Choose an appropriate greeting followed by the name of the receiver. If you do not know the name of the receiver, you can use the generic “Ma’am/sir”. Keep in mind to be welcoming and friendly when writing the letter.

Step 3: Provide an introduction

The first paragraph of the letter’s body should be an introduction. Introduce yourself and which department you are from. In the same paragraph, state the name of the accompanying document. For example, “I am Mr. Williams from the accounting department. Attached to this letter is last month’s financial report on the spendings of the marketing team, as per your request.”

Step 4: State the purpose

The second paragraph should elaborate on the purpose of why you are sending the document; this will help the receiver give the appropriate response. Inform him of the importance of the document you are sending. For example, “The unfavorable marketing response for our advert campaign last March of 2020 has prompted us to conduct a market research study to come up with a new marketing plan able to penetrate the online market. We have coordinated with the technical department and have come up with a proposal based on last month’s product sales and return. Based on our research, we concluded it would be beneficial to start an online marketing campaign using social media. The data and complete report are attached to this letter for your perusal.”

Step 5: Write the closing paragraph

In the closing paragraph, you may request an action from the recipient. You may ask him for receipt of the document (i.e., return to the sender once read) or call you for any further questions or suggestions. You may also notify him of the nature of the document. The document can be of public or of confidential nature. For confidential documents and reports, indicate in the letter how the document should be kept and filed. In the same paragraph, you may also choose to enclose your contact information and additional instructions on what to do to the document once the receiver has reviewed and signed it.

Step 6: End the letter

You can end the letter by thanking or complimenting the reader for taking his time to read the document. For example, “Thank you for trusting us with taking charge of this market research for you, we are grateful for the opportunity. Looking forward to the next project.” Try and establish goodwill and gratitude by choosing the appropriate closing words. Consider using “sincerely, best regards, and respectfully” when writing the closing salutations. Also, do not forget to write your complete name, the department you are from, your position, and your signature.

Normally, you can fit the whole content of a letter of transmittal on one page; this holds true especially for office memos. However, for other large and lengthy business documents such as research proposals, technical reports, financial reports, project proposals, and market analysis your transmittal letters would also be lengthy to be able to cover the whole context of the accompanying document. A transmittal letter can be used as cover letters not only for one single document but also for a collection of closely related documents.

FAQs

Are transmittal letters the same as letters of reference?

Although both are used as an accompanying document, they differ in purpose. A letter of reference provides support to the document it is accompanying. On the other hand, a letter of transmittal provides a summary of the contents of the document it is accompanying. The first one, you will normally use when writing an application letter. The reference letter contains testimonies of your competence for a certain position. It can also be called a recommendation letter. For the second one, you will encounter this in an office setting. It is used as a cover letter for an important business document, for example a department’s technical report. It introduces and highlights the key points of the technical report it is accompanying.


What is a transmittal form?

When you send documents or a collection of documents from one company to another, it is advisable, to provide the receiving company a front page. The front page contains the important details of the document or collection of documents. Most times the sending company takes the initiative to include a transmittal letter (front-page letter). In the event it does not, the receiving company will ask the sender to fill out a transmittal form. The transmittal form works the same as a transmittal letter. It summarizes the entirety of the extensive document it is accompanying. It introduces the name of the document, the purpose of the document, and the main purpose of why the document is being sent.


What is a letter of transmittal M&A?

In mergers and acquisitions, the person buying the shares of the corporation must receive the certificate of stocks of the acquired company. The stock certificates and other documents of title are gathered, signed, and transferred to the acquiring company. Together with it is a letter of transmittal. The letter will state the confirmation of ownership brought about by the merger between company A and company B. Basically, it summarizes the events following the merger and acquisition process. Who owns what and how much.


The world of business is fast-paced. Recipients of a business letter should know what they are receiving and why they are receiving it. Heads of businesses are constantly bombarded with stacks of papers and can no longer keep track of what is what. Hence, letters of transmittals are a must when you need to send office business documents. It clarifies the content and keeps confusion at a minimum, making the communication process more efficient and none time-consuming. Start attaching one in your business letters now. You can use our sample templates above. You can choose from different templates. All you have to do is download, fill-out, and print.