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Thank You in Advance

Posted by
Lynn Gaertner-Johnston Updated on

In email, letters, and memos that include a request, writers often end with one of these statements:

  • “Thank you in advance for your attention to this matter.”
  • “Thank you in advance for any help you can provide.”

In comments on another blog post, one reader said she hated “Thank you in advance” and another wanted to know why the phrase deserves hatred.

Graphic illustrating whether "thank you in advance" should be used. Some alternatives include "I will be grateful for any help you can provide" and "I will appreciate your help in this situation".

Thank You in Advance – Is It Presumptuous?

People hate the phrase for a couple of reasons. One is that it feels presumptuous. The writer presumes that you will provide what is requested and so is “thanking you in advance.” Would the proper response be “You are welcome in advance”? That silly suggestion shows how “Thank you in advance” comes across wrong.

“Thank you in advance” also suggests that the reader will not be thanked later on, after fulfilling the request. If the reader receives thanks in advance, will his or her actions be thoughtlessly ignored?

Alternatives

Of course, people who write “Thank you in advance” do not intend to be presumptuous or thoughtless. On the contrary, they are trying to be polite. If you are among them, here are courteous alternatives to consider:

  • “Thank you for considering my request.” (Just by reading to the end of your message, your reader has considered your request.)
  • “I will be grateful for any help you can provide.”
  • “I will appreciate your help with this situation.”
  • “I hope you will be able to provide the information.”

You can also sound polite by simply omitting the “in advance”:

  • “Thank you for any help you can provide.” (But be sure to thank the individual after you receive the help too.)

Here are a few more alternatives:

  • “Thankful for any help you can offe … “
  • “Gratefully, [enter your name]. “
  • “Thank you for considering this. “
  • “I hope this is possible. “
  • “I really appreciate your time here.”
  • “In the meantime, thank you for considering this.”
  • “Thank you for doing this.”
  • “Thank you again.”
  • “Thank you for your understanding.”
  • “I greatly appreciate your extra time here.”
  • “I understand how valuable your time is and certainly appreciate your attention.”
  • “I will really appreciate any help you can provide.”
  • “I will be very grateful if you can send me this information.”
  • “Many thanks for considering my request.” 
  • “I hope what I have requested is possible.” 
  • “In the meantime, thank you so much for your consideration and time.”

Related: We have an entire article on the art of saying thank you.

I began with the example “Thank you in advance for your attention to this matter.” That sentence has two offending phrases. The second one is “for your attention to this matter.” That bureaucratic expression has appeared in billions of letters, especially ones asking for late payments. It’s so tired after being spit out of typewriters and computers for decades. Give it a rest. Replace it with something more specific that fits your situation.

Thank you in advance for avoiding the above phrases.

Just kidding.

Lynn

Further reading: Is It Advance Notice or Advanced Notice?

Posted by Lynn Gaertner Johnson
By Lynn Gaertner-Johnston

Lynn Gaertner-Johnston has helped thousands of employees and managers improve their business writing skills and confidence through her company, Syntax Training. In her corporate training career of more than 20 years, she has worked with executives, engineers, scientists, sales staff, and many other professionals, helping them get their messages across with clarity and tact.

A gifted teacher, Lynn has led writing classes at more than 100 companies and organizations such as MasterCard, Microsoft, Boeing, Nintendo, REI, AARP, Ledcor, and Kaiser Permanente. Near her home in Seattle, Washington, she has taught managerial communications in the MBA programs of the University of Washington and UW Bothell. She has created a communications course, Business Writing That Builds Relationships, and provides the curriculum at no cost to college instructors.

A recognized expert in business writing etiquette, Lynn has been quoted in "The Wall Street Journal," "The Atlantic," "Vanity Fair," and other media.

Lynn sharpened her business writing skills at the University of Notre Dame, where she earned a master's degree in communication, and at Bradley University, with a bachelor's degree in English. She grew up in suburban Chicago, Illinois.

59 comments on “Thank You in Advance”

  • Thank you for bringing this matter to our attention! I used to write this sentence too often…
    It is still a great help and a real pleasure to read your posts, especially when English is a second language. So thanks to Kathy too!

  • Mea culpa! I write this when it’s a semi-formal type of email. I’ll stop – thank you, now, for the alternate suggestions. I appreciate your help.

  • Thanks for your clear explanation about “Thank you in advance”. I like those alternatives you provide in the writing. With your help, I will make my writing more effective.
    Thanks.

  • Lynn, thank you for this posting. I’ve often seen “thank you in advance” criticized, but I had never come upon any suggested alternatives. I like to say something courteous in an e-mail after asking someone to do something, and your suggestions all sound good.

    In contrast to “in advance,” I’m one of the people who winces whenever I see the phrase “prior to.” It seems stiff, even in legal writing, and I see no reason why “before” can’t be used instead.

  • Darrell, I strongly agree. Even more than “prior to,” “subsequent to” drives me nuts. I always have to stop and translate it as “after.”

  • Hi Lynn, I agree with everything you say about “Thank you in advance….”

    I recently wrote a blog about another annoying closer: “Should you have any questions….(“http://brunerbiz.com/email/should-you-have-any-questions/) another one of my pet peeves.

    I enjoy your blog–thanks!

    Best, Jody

  • Hello Lynn, thanks for the alternatives. I used “thanks in advance..” many times. Now I know something better.

    regards
    John

  • Thank you for letting me recognize the errors of my emails. I use this phrase often and didn’t give it much thought. I’ll politely reword my ‘thank you in advance’ to something more personable. 🙂

  • Well done. I can’t stay so calm on this subject: I once actually printed up some “Thank you for not thanking me in advance” stickers, also applicable to such notices as Thank You For Not Smoking.

    Presumptuous, arrogant, smarmy, euphemistic, lazy, impersonal, careless… TYIA can spoil the best intentions on so many levels.

    Please stay with this,

    Bob

  • I see many cases where this phrase is use by non english people who in their culture found this acceptable.

    How about this one.

    Any help you could provide for this request will be appreciate.

  • LP, your example needs some repairs to the verbs. Here are possible versions:

    Any help you could provide for this request would be appreciated. [could . . . would]

    Any help you can provide for this request will be appreciated. [can . . . will]

    Any help you provide for this request will be appreciated. [provide . . . will]

    Lynn

  • I was taught that it is rude to thank someone for something that has not yet been done.
    It implies that (as the author of the request) your will is greatest or that their choice in the matter is nil. It is not only presumptuous, it is also pretentious. The idea that the reader could be coerced by your closing statement is an insult to them.
    The examples you cited for LP are about as close as you can get to showing your appreciation for what they may do if they are able and willing to do it.

  • I highly disagree that “thank you in advance” is rude. What is the difference between saying “thank you for x y z” and “Thank you in advance for x y x”? Both presume the reader will do x y z – it is only the phrase that says “in advance” that is honest about its prematurity.

  • Thank you for this post. I didn’t know that it was rude to use “thank you in advance” since in french we use it frequently in formal emails.
    I am currently writing an email and I was looking for courteous alternatives to end it. Luckily i found 5!
    Thank you for your help!

    Rania

  • Merci d’avance is indeed common in French but it is probably a direct translation from American English and a product of international business school culture.

    I often receive curt and unintelligible briefs for projects via email and interpret TIA as “my time is far too precious to spend briefing you by telephone or face-to-face, so please just get on with the job and don’t bother me until it is done.”

  • “I will appreciate your help with this situation.” Why, is it not will be appreciate with others situation could come across this question.

  • wow…I just changed the “thank you in advance” that I use in almost every email communication and difference in humongous!!! Excellent article and advise Lynn. Many thanks!

  • Well I still like to use “thank you in advance”, even after reading this post.
    But I use it spesific for situations where I have to ask people to do their job (which they did not do in a timley manner) e.g. “Could you send me the presentation xyz,thank you in advance”

    The provided alternatives apply more to situations where the other person is not obliged to do the task.

    •”I will be grateful for any help you can provide.” appears far too soft to me when I want to say “please do your job and I thank you in advance for doing your job”

  • “Merci d’avance is indeed common in French but it is probably a direct translation from American English and a product of international business school culture.”
    I would like to say that it is not the case. Merci d’avance is simply the usual and polite way to express a request. It does not imply “you must do the job”. It simply means “thanks for your attention”. And when the job is done, a polite person will write thanks again… No cultural differences there…

    A French scientist.

    PS: I will use your suggested alternatives with my English and American colleagues. Thanks.

  • This has bugged me for years. Unfortunately, it has become so common in emails and such that I was recently ‘thanked in advance’ for a job I had already completed! I’m sure the writer didn’t think twice about it.

    Dumbfounded

  • I have seen this phrase or TYIA on steroids: “thank you in advance for your anticipated cooperation” from bosses (past). This has occured in passive-aggressive settings.
    This means 2 things to me:
    1) I hate the fact that I have to work with such lazy, uncooperative employees
    2) You would not now, and never will be thanked unless I need something extra from you
    Pretty much ‘anti-motivation’…

  • Hi, Lynn.

    Actually, I like “thanks in advance”, but I also agree that other options may be used and are very good. But I find it a little bit strange to justify not to use it saying that it suggests that the reader will not be thanked later on. It looks like a presumption of character.

    I think that “Thank you in advance” strengthens the relationship and commitment between the parts. I find that “I hope you will be able to provide the information” or “I will appreciate your help with this situation”, much more aggressive because “I hope… I will…” are much more individualistic.

    But, anywhay, isn’t it a little bit of “writing rules neurosis” that we all have?
    Don’t get me wrong… Just kidding! 😉

    Marcos

  • Very interesting, Marcos! I had not thought of my suggestions as coming across as individualistic. I guess that says something about me and my culture. (Another individualistic remark!)

    I am glad you dropped by and left a message.

    Lynn

  • I totally agree with you. Your command of the English language is impressive. This is the first time I have visited your website and read an article of yours. I’m already a fan and have added the website to my bookmarks.

    P.S. Your options are not individualistic, by the way. It is part of the English language to use expressions with the pronoun “I.”

  • Saying “Thank you in advance” is an assumptive close and indicates that the writer is “directing” the recipient to do work rather than genuinely requesting it.

    A really awful passive-aggressive phrase that leaves the recipient little room to do anyting but comply.

  • Very useful! In Dutch (I’m from the Netherlands) it is very common and even polite to thank someone in advance (Bij voorbaat dank/Alvast bedankt), so I’m glad I read this. I will definitely make use of the alternatives.

  • Hi, Dave. You have strong opinions about “Thank you in advance.” Before you think too negatively about writers who use the expression, remember that it may be an unconscious habit. I find that people often use an expression only because they see their colleagues using it.

    Thank you for sharing your view.

    Lynn

  • In german it is a standard idiom in business correspondence too: “Danke im Voraus!”

    I’m from Austria, and I know it’s the same in Germany.

    Of course you thank them again on fulfilling the request, and omitting this would likely be considered impolite.

    And, in case of requesting information, closing an email with “I hope you will be able to provide the information.” would have a slight sarcastic undertone to it, inferring they are not overly capable of giving me that information, assuming you know they can.
    But that could just be me.

  • Interesting.In Russian,we say
    “заранее благодарен”(read as Za
    ranye blagodaren meaning ‘I am
    grateful in advance) in formal and
    informal writing to be polite but
    without necessarily implying a
    favour to be done or honoured.

    Thank you for the blog.

    Elvira
    Donetsk,Ukraine
    —
    “The earth is but one country and mankind its citizens”.Bahaullah.
    Bahaullah

  • I was, very recently, chewed out by my school’s Internship Coordinator for using that term in an email I sent to her. I was told it was rude to thank her in advance because it was almost as if I were demanding her ever so kindly to fulfill my request.

    I felt horrible about it and have never used the term, business or otherwise, again.

    This article was very helpful.

    Thank you.

  • Eb, please do not continue to feel horrible. As you probably noticed in the comments above, people have varied views of “thank you in advance.”

    I am sorry the internship coordinator chewed you out, but at least she made an impression!

    Good luck with your education and your career.

    Lynn

  • I detest the phrase “thanks in advance” because it is an order, not an expression of gratitude.

    I stick with what I consider the gold old-fashioned “Please…” when making a request and “thank you” after the request has been complied with(or after the person has consented to comply with the request).

  • Hi Lynn,
    First of all, thank you very much for your post. I got right now another doubt on how to say that correctly (First of all…).
    This topic was driving me crazy. And it’s absolutely not about the sentence itself (I can memorize your suggested alternatives and stop using the incorrect one), but about the cultural misunderstanding. Of course I don’t want to discuss your logic (you just only explain wonderfully how it could be interpreted under your culture) but to learn from the case to apply it in other cases.
    I know the equivalent expression from Spanish (my native language), German (my current local language), Italian and French. In all of them the sense is the same: The writer is thanking, first to read until that point (the end of the letter or message), to pay attention, and “in advance” to try to help you (even if it’s finally not possible). The assumption that the reader will try it’s so far appreciated rather than resulting offensive (interpreted as a pushing way). In the four languages is considered very polite. It’s not always used, but its use is considered as a very nice way of closing a request. Whoever is writing like this would never think on the possibility to omit thanking again after answered (nobody wrote “enjoy my thanks now because I’ll not repeat it… just kidding), and even a negative (but polite) answer would be re-answered (in the same level) with something like “Thanks anyway” (I’m thinking now how this could be mistaken following the same logic). As far as I read along the other comments, many other readers explained that in their languages it’s the same. My doubts are now about other common expressions. I got that one the first time from any received email, but I can’t remember from who. Anyway I read many native English speakers recognizing that they use/d it. It makes difficult for us (foreigners trying our best in our rudimentary but well intended English) to get the right way of writing and expressing our thoughts.
    Again, many thanks for this your post and all your others in this website (which I discovered now and I’ll explore it well during the next days).
    Greetings,
    Ernesto

  • Hello, Ernesto. Thank you so much for taking the time to talk about the issue of misunderstandings, especially across cultures.

    In the United States, people take offense at different things. Some people dislike “Thank you in advance.” Some hate “Please advise.” Others get angry about “Hello, Ladies.” As you read the comments on this blog, you will see how many things can irritate readers.

    I try to share ideas for language that will not offend anyone. It can be difficult!

    You mention people like yourself who write and speak in English as a non-native language. Many people in that category copy what they read from their associates who speak English as a first language.

    Unfortunately, many native English speakers have writing habits that are not good to copy. Their emails and letters should not be used as examples.

    I am glad you read this blog for insights into business writing in English.

    Thanks for sharing your thoughts.

    Best regards,

    Lynn

  • How about if we add I look forward to your information at the end of the memo/email.

  • As a non native English speaker this article was very useful to me, I was about to make this mistake,thanks God I’ve found this post first

  • Lynn, thank you for your artical about business writing, In Chinese, thanks in advance(先谢了） is OK, every one often uses it. But we learn English from the U.K or U.S.A , so to respect your culture, I will use the alternatives you supplied.
    Best regards,

    Andy Xia

  • Hi,

    Thank you for the useful article.

    Though is ‘Thanking you in advance’ and ‘Thanking you in anticipation’ really the same?

    I would like to know you thoughts on the same.

    Regards,
    Mugdha

Comments are closed.

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