Apology Letter Template
An apology that names what happened and does not excuse it.
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Dear Sir / Madam,
I am sorry about [what happened].
what you have done about it
I would rather put this right than leave it. Tell me what would help.
What is an Apology Letter?
An apology letter names what happened, accepts responsibility for it, and says what you are doing about it. Its power is in the naming: a recipient who sees the specific failure described accurately no longer has to prove it happened. A vague letter has the opposite effect — ‘we are sorry you feel that way’ is read as a refusal to apologise, and it usually escalates the complaint rather than closing it.
Businesses write these to customers after a failure of service, a late delivery, a billing error or a data problem. Employees write them to managers, students to schools, tenants to landlords, and neighbours to each other. Professional bodies and regulators often expect an early written apology as part of complaint handling. The letter does two jobs: it repairs a relationship, and it stands as evidence that the complaint was taken seriously, which matters if the matter is later reviewed by an ombudsman or a regulator.
Whether an apology can be used against you as an admission depends where you are. Several jurisdictions have apology legislation limiting the evidential use of expressions of regret in civil claims — the position differs between and within countries, and some laws protect only sympathy rather than an admission of fault. In regulated sectors there may also be a positive duty of candour requiring you to tell an affected person what went wrong. Before apologising for anything with legal or insurance consequences, check your insurer's requirements and take advice.
An apology letter is not a settlement, a legal admission drafted for that purpose, or a substitute for the remedy. Saying sorry without refunding, replacing, correcting the record or changing the process reads as a technique, and recipients recognise it immediately. It does not end a complaint procedure and it does not stop a limitation period running. If you are apologising in a matter involving injury, an insurance claim, a dismissal or a regulator, write the letter with advice rather than sending it and hoping.
What to put in an Apology Letter
These are the details this template asks for. Anything left blank is marked in red on the preview so you can see what is still missing.
| Field | What goes in it |
|---|---|
| What went wrong | For example: Your order was despatched to the wrong address and arrived nine days late. |
| The effect it had optional | For example: it left you covering for me on a busy day |
| Why it happened optional | For example: A stale address on your account was used instead of the one on the order. |
| What you have done | One per line |
| Gesture of goodwill optional | For example: A 15% credit on your next order |
| Issued to (full name) | For example: James Whitfield |
| Their address | For example: 588 Kinnear Road, Columbus, OH 43212 |
How to write an Apology Letter
Say sorry in the first line
Not in the third paragraph, and not after the background. ‘I am sorry that your order arrived eleven days late and that nobody replied to your two emails about it’ does more work than a page of context. Recipients read the opening and skim the rest; if the apology is buried, they conclude there was not one.
Name the specific failure, not the feeling
Describe what actually happened, with dates and detail: what was promised, what occurred, and where the process failed. ‘We are sorry for any inconvenience caused’ names nothing. ‘Your invoice was raised twice on 3 March because our billing run was repeated after a failure, and the duplicate was not caught’ tells the reader you know what went wrong.
Accept responsibility without excusing it
Take the part that is yours plainly, and then stop. ‘We were short-staffed’ and ‘the courier let us down’ are explanations that read as excuses when they follow an apology. If context genuinely helps the reader, put it after the remedy and frame it as the thing you are fixing, not as the reason it was not really your fault.
State the remedy and the date
What you are doing, by when, and what the recipient needs to do — ideally nothing. ‘The duplicate charge of £148 was refunded on 14 March and will show within five working days’ closes the matter. ‘We will look into it’ reopens it. If you cannot fix it, say what you can do and be honest about what you cannot.
Say what changes so it does not recur
One sentence on the specific change: a check added, a step automated, a person retrained, a supplier replaced. Recipients accept a failure that produced a fix far more readily than one that produced only a letter. Do not promise a change you will not make — the same customer will test it, and the second failure costs much more than the first.
Common mistakes
- Writing ‘we are sorry you feel that way’ tells the recipient you are not apologising, and it is the fastest way to escalate a complaint.
- Explaining the cause before apologising means the reader has decided you are making excuses before they reach the apology.
- Apologising without a remedy leaves the original loss in place and turns goodwill into contempt.
- Promising a process change you have no intention of making guarantees a far angrier letter when the same thing happens again.
- Sending an apology in a matter involving injury, insurance or a regulator without taking advice can affect both your position and your cover.
Frequently asked questions
How do I start an apology letter?
With the apology itself. Name the person, name what happened, and say you are sorry for it in the first sentence, before any background. Everything else in the letter is read through that opening. If you begin with context, the reader concludes you are building a defence and reads the rest looking for the excuse rather than for the remedy.
Should I explain what went wrong?
Yes, but after the apology and the remedy, and only where the explanation helps the reader rather than you. A short factual account of the failure shows that you investigated it. A list of the pressures your organisation was under is an excuse in the shape of an explanation, and the difference is obvious to the person reading it.
Does apologising mean admitting legal liability?
It depends where you are and what the letter says. Some jurisdictions have apology legislation limiting how expressions of regret may be used in civil proceedings, and the scope of that protection varies considerably. Insurance policies may also require you to notify the insurer before admitting anything. If the matter could become a claim, take advice before sending rather than after.
How long should an apology letter be?
Short. One page at most, usually four brief paragraphs: the apology, what happened, the remedy with a date, and the change you are making. Length reads as defensiveness. If the incident genuinely needs a detailed account, put the detail in an annex and keep the letter itself to the apology and the remedy.
Should I apologise by letter or in person?
In person first where the relationship matters and it is practical, then in writing to confirm what you said and what you will do. Written confirmation matters because the recipient may need to show it to someone else — an insurer, a manager, an ombudsman — and because a verbal apology is remembered differently by each side a month later.
This page explains general practice and is not legal advice. Requirements differ between countries and, in some cases, between states — check what applies where the document will be used.