Reviewed by Barbara Safani, CPRW (20+ years)
What sort of spacing should a cover letter use? Standard US business format: one-inch margins, 11- or 12-point type, single or 1.15 line spacing within paragraphs, and one blank line between paragraphs. Leave three blank lines before your typed name under Sincerely.
Spacing is a readability and parse-quality decision — not decoration. For font size rules, see cover letter font size . For page count, see can a cover letter be two pages . Below: the Spacing Specification Matrix, header-block rules, and paste-box adjustments.
Key Takeaways
- 1" margins; 0.75" minimum if content is tight
- Single or 1.15 line spacing — not double
- One blank line between paragraphs and header blocks
- Left-align; avoid full justification
- Paste boxes: single breaks, no margin control
What sort of spacing should a cover letter use? Quick reference
Original asset for this page — pick the row that matches your letter length and upload channel.
| Letter length | Margins | Line spacing | Between paragraphs | Upload type | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Short (3 paragraphs) | 1" all sides | Single | 1 blank line | Half-page visual — do not double-space to fill | |
| Standard (4 paragraphs) | 1" all sides | Single or 1.15 | 1 blank line | Default Yale/Purdue business letter | |
| Tight one-page (4 paragraphs) | 0.75" | Single | 1 blank line | Cut words before shrinking below 0.75" | |
| Paste box (any length) | N/A | Single breaks | 1 Enter between ¶ | Plain text | Watch character caps — no header block |
| PDF + paste (both required) | 1" on PDF | Single on PDF | Short paste: no extra returns | Both | Paste first 2 ¶ only; full spacing on PDF |
| Academic/federal (when requested) | Per announcement | Often single | Per template | Follow posting over this matrix |
Purdue OWL cover letter formatting and Yale OCS letter guidance both assume standard business-letter spacing — the matrix operationalizes those norms by channel.
Key Takeaway: Default is one-inch margins, single or 1.15 line spacing, one blank line between paragraphs.
Header block spacing (contact block to salutation)
Your name and address block: single-spaced lines within the block. One blank line after your contact block. Date on its own line. One blank line. Employer address block — single-spaced. One blank line. Salutation (Dear Ms. Rivera,). One blank line. Body paragraph one.
If you do not know the hiring manager name, Dear Hiring Team, is acceptable in 2026 US corporate letters. Do not add extra blank lines to “center” a short letter on the page — that spacing looks like a school assignment and wastes the scan.
Failure mode: double-spacing the entire document including the header — pushes a four-paragraph letter to page two with no content gain.
Key Takeaway: Single-space inside address blocks. One blank line between blocks. Do not double-space the whole header.
Spacing choices compared
| Choice | Reader effect | Recommendation |
|---|---|---|
| Double-spaced body | Looks like a school assignment | Avoid for corporate US letters |
| 0.5" margins | Cramped; parse risk | Avoid — cut text instead |
| Extra returns between sentences | Broken flow in paste boxes | One return between paragraphs only |
| 1.15 line spacing | Slightly airier; still professional | Acceptable when single feels dense |
Key Takeaway: Double spacing and 0.5-inch margins both fail — one looks academic, the other risks parse merge.
Three spacing fixes before and after
| Before | After |
|---|---|
| Double-spaced four paragraphs — spills to page 2 with header | Single-spaced body, 1" margins — fits one page with signature space |
| Paste box with blank line after every sentence | Paste box with breaks only between four paragraphs — saves ~400 characters |
| 0.5" margins, 10pt font to force one page | 0.75" margins, 11pt font, one paragraph cut — readable and parse-safe |
Key Takeaway: Cut words before you shrink margins or font. Paste boxes need paragraph breaks only, not extra returns.
Spacing and ATS paste behavior
PDF parsers read positional text — extreme margin compression can merge lines. Paste boxes strip margins entirely; only line breaks remain. For ATS-specific formatting, see cover letter formatting for ATS and why cover letter formatting matters.
Limitation: employer portals override defaults — if the posting specifies spacing, follow the announcement.
iCIMS and Taleo paste fields often collapse multiple blank lines into one. Test by pasting into a plain text editor first, then into the portal. If your PDF used 1.15 spacing, the paste will look tighter — that is expected, not a formatting error.
Key Takeaway: PDF parsers read position; paste boxes keep only line breaks. Extreme compression can merge lines.
Word processor settings that preserve spacing on export
Google Docs, Microsoft Word, and Apple Pages all export PDFs differently. Before you upload, disable floating text boxes and tables in the letter body — they often reflow on export and collapse spacing parsers rely on.
- Set margins in Page Setup, not with repeated spaces or tabs
- Use Format → Paragraph → Spacing After for paragraph gaps, not extra Enters
- Export PDF directly; do not print-to-PDF from a browser preview
- Disable track changes and comments in the exported file
Failure mode: using a resume template with multi-column layout for the cover letter — columns break paste extraction and squeeze margin logic on PDF parse.
Key Takeaway: Set margins in Page Setup and spacing in Paragraph settings — not with tabs, spaces, or extra Enters.
When spacing decisions force a page-two choice
If standard spacing pushes content to page two, cut a paragraph before you compress margins below 0.75 inches or drop to 10-point type. Readers and parsers both degrade when spacing is sacrificed for length.
Priority order for cuts: company history praise, repeated resume bullets, third proof that duplicates resume, long signature block with multiple phone lines. Keep paragraph one and the close intact.
For page-count rules, cross-check two-page cover letter rules — spacing and length decisions should be made together.
Key Takeaway: If standard spacing spills to page two, delete praise and repeated resume bullets before you compress layout.
How font size and spacing interact
Spacing and font size are coupled decisions. Eleven-point type with one-inch margins and single spacing fits most four-paragraph letters on one page. Twelve-point type with the same spacing may push to page two — cut words before you shrink margins.
Cover letter font size guidance recommends 11–12 point body text. Apply spacing from this page at the font size you choose — do not fix length problems by dropping to 10 point while keeping double paragraph gaps.
Header contact lines may use the same size as body or one point smaller — never more than one step difference or the block looks unbalanced on screen and print.
Key Takeaway: Choose 11- or 12-point first, then apply this page’s spacing. Do not drop to 10-point to save a paragraph.
Signature block spacing and contact lines
After the closing word (Sincerely, or Best regards,), leave three blank lines for a handwritten signature on printed copies. Type your full name on the next line. Optional: one phone line and one email — single-spaced under your name, not a second paragraph.
Do not repeat your full address under the signature if it already appears in the header block — that duplication wastes vertical space and pushes body text down on tight one-page layouts.
Skip images of a handwritten signature on ATS uploads. Some PDF parsers treat the image as a graphic layer and shift the typed name. Type the name; sign paper copies separately if a recruiter later asks for a wet-ink version.
LinkedIn Easy Apply has no margin control. If you paste there, use the paste-box row in the matrix: single breaks between paragraphs only. Do not paste a header block with extra blank lines — it eats the character cap.
Key Takeaway: Three blank lines after Sincerely for print; two is enough for PDF-only uploads. Skip a second address block.
Print preview vs screen: why both matter
Recruiters who download the PDF may print it. One-inch margins keep the body off the printer edge. Screen-only layouts that hug 0.5-inch margins look fine on a laptop and lose the last letters on a corporate printer.
Use Print Preview in Word or Google Docs before export. If the signature sits alone on page two, cut a paragraph — do not shrink spacing to pull it back. A lone signature page looks unfinished.
Mobile preview matters for hiring managers who open attachments on a phone. Single spacing and 11-point type stay readable; extra paragraph gaps plus 12-point type can force scrolling that buries paragraph two.
If print preview shows a widow line (one word on the last line of a paragraph), tighten that sentence rather than changing line spacing for the whole letter. Global spacing changes to fix one line usually create a worse page-two problem.
Key Takeaway: Check print preview and a phone-width window before you attach the PDF. Spacing that only works on your monitor is not finished.
Cover letter spacing checklist
- ☑Margins 1" (or 0.75" if tight)
- ☑Body single or 1.15 — not double
- ☑One blank line between paragraphs
- ☑3–4 lines before typed name
- ☑Left-aligned text
- ☑Paste version tested for extra returns
- ☑PDF copy-paste test — lines do not merge
Key Takeaway: Confirm 1-inch margins, single spacing, left align, and a PDF copy-paste test before you attach the file.
Check formatting after export
Export PDF, select-copy the body, and confirm spacing survived. Pair with HireFlow's ATS checker on your resume — spacing on the letter cannot compensate for a primary file that fails parse.
Frequently asked questions
Single spacing is standard for US business letters. Some word processors default to 1.15 line spacing, which is also acceptable. Double spacing is for academic manuscripts, not corporate cover letters — it wastes page space and signals unfamiliarity with business format.
One inch on all sides is the default Yale and Purdue OWL recommendation. You may reduce to 0.75 inches if you have three tight paragraphs that otherwise spill to page two — never go below 0.5 inches.
One blank line between paragraphs — not an extra return after every sentence. The header block (your address, date, employer address) uses single spacing within blocks and one blank line between blocks.
Extreme compression — 9-point type, 0.3-inch margins — can cause PDF parsers to merge lines. Paste boxes ignore margins but respect line breaks; double returns create visible gaps recruiters notice.
Leave three to four blank lines between the closing (Sincerely,) and your typed name to allow for a handwritten signature on printed copies. For PDF-only uploads, two blank lines are enough.
11- or 12-point body text with the same size in the header. Drop spacing before you drop below 11-point type — tiny fonts hurt human readability more than tight margins hurt page count.
Portals strip margin settings. Use single line breaks between paragraphs — one Enter, not two — when character limits are tight. Avoid bullet lists; they often paste as broken lines.
Left-aligned (ragged right) is safer for ATS and screen reading. Full justification creates uneven word gaps that some PDF engines parse poorly.
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