PP Signature: What p.p. Means and How to Use It

You have probably received a letter that ended "pp" in front of a name and wondered who signed what. The abbreviation p.p. stands for per procurationem and means "through the agency of". It marks a signature given by someone on behalf of somebody else. It is also one of the most misused abbreviations in English business writing, so this guide explains the idea, the usual layouts and the situations where you should not use it at all.

What does p.p. mean?

Per procurationem is Latin for roughly "by the agency of". Someone who has been given authority to sign for another person (the principal) signs and adds p.p. so that the reader knows the principal is the one who is bound, and the signer is acting as an agent¹. In a business letter it is the classic way for a secretary or assistant to sign when the manager is out.

Note the two roles, because most confusion starts here:

• The principal is the person or company whose authority is being used and who is legally bound.
• The agent is the person who physically signs.

How to write a pp signature

The agent signs, and p.p. sits next to the principal's name, so that the line reads as "signed for [principal]". The most common modern layout is:

Yours sincerely

[handwritten signature of Sam Agent]
pp Jane Principal
Sam Agent, Personal Assistant

In words: Sam Agent signs, the "pp" line tells the reader whose behalf it is on, and Sam's typed name and role underneath make clear who actually signed. The strict, older form puts it the other way round, with the principal's name first and the agent after the abbreviation:

Jane Principal
per pro Sam Agent
[handwritten signature of Sam Agent]

Wikipedia notes that the phrase becomes ambiguous with English names, which do not have the Latin genitive that once showed who was the principal¹. The result is that readers regularly misread which name belongs to whom, and some writers place "pp" in front of their own name. Style guides disagree on the details, so the safest approach is to make the layout impossible to misread:

1. Sign yourself. The signature is yours, never a copy of the principal's.
2. Write "pp" and the principal's full name directly above or beside your signature.
3. Type your own name and job title below it.
4. Use one layout throughout the organisation, so that recipients learn to read it.

Examples of sign-off blocks

Situation	Block
Assistant signing for a manager	[signature] pp Dr Helen Brooks Sam Agent, Assistant to Dr Brooks
Employee signing for a company	[signature] pp Brooks Engineering Ltd Sam Agent, Office Manager
Strict traditional form	Helen Brooks per pro Sam Agent [signature]
Plain alternative	[signature] Sam Agent for and on behalf of Brooks Engineering Ltd

pp vs "for" vs "on behalf of"

In plain modern English you rarely need Latin at all. These three phrases do the same job with different weight:

Wording	Meaning	Use it for
pp	Signed by an agent under delegated authority	Letters and routine correspondence
for	Signed for a person or organisation, usually as an employee	Internal memos, orders, replies
for and on behalf of	Formal statement that the signer binds the named party	Contracts, quotations, agreements

If you are writing a contract, "for and on behalf of Brooks Engineering Ltd" is clearer to a court, a customer and an auditor than a bare "pp". It also avoids the order-of-names trap above. Use pp for ordinary letters if your organisation already does, and keep it consistent.

Where the confusion comes from

In Latin, the principal's name would have been put in the genitive case, which made it obvious who the agent was acting for. English has no such ending, so "pp Smith" can be read two ways: signed on behalf of Smith, or signed by Smith. In practice both readings turn up in real letters. That is why many companies now standardise on "for and on behalf of" in contracts, and why a short note on your internal template, showing the correct layout, saves a lot of puzzled replies.

The full background, including the history of the abbreviation, is in the Wikipedia entry on per procurationem.

Common mistakes

• Signing the principal's name instead of your own. That is closer to a forged signature than an agent's signature.
• Writing "pp" and then your own name with no principal at all, which tells the reader nothing.
• Using pp as a pure courtesy ("pp" because the boss is busy) when the document actually needs the principal in person.
• Using it for decisions you have no authority to make, such as a contract above your signing limit.

Do you have the authority to sign?

Writing pp does not create authority, it only reports it. Before you sign for someone you should be able to answer yes to at least one of these:

• The principal has told you, in writing if it matters, that you may sign this kind of document for them.
• Your job role clearly covers it (an office manager signing routine supplier letters).
• You hold a formal power of attorney that covers the act.

The authority can be given informally for everyday correspondence, but the larger the commitment, the more you want it on paper.

If you sign without authority, the principal may not be bound, and you can be personally liable to the other side. That is why careful businesses give staff a written signing authority list.

Signing for a company

For companies in England and Wales, section 44 of the Companies Act 2006 sets out how a document is executed. A document is validly executed when signed on behalf of the company by two authorised signatories (directors, or the company secretary where there is one) or by a director in the presence of a witness who attests the signature². A "pp" by an assistant is not part of that route. The wording of the section is on legislation.gov.uk.

When not to use pp

• Deeds: they have their own execution rules, including a witness who is physically present³. An agent can generally sign a deed only if their authority was given by deed too. Ask a solicitor.
• Statutory forms and declarations: where a form says the person named must sign personally (tax returns, passport applications, sworn statements), nobody else can sign for them.
• Wills: only the testator signs, or acknowledges the signature, in front of two witnesses at the same time⁴.
• Anything you were not authorised to sign, however routine it looks.

Where a "wet" ink signature is required, see our article on the wet signature.

pp in letters, Word and email

On paper, the agent signs by hand under the pp line. In Word, you can insert a signature image, but only use your own, never an image of the principal's signature. In email, a handwritten signature in your email signature works the same way: your name, your role and, if appropriate, "for and on behalf of".

Not legal advice. This article describes the general position in England and Wales as of October 2026. For a specific document, ask the person or body that will receive it, or a solicitor.

Frequently asked questions

What does pp mean when signing a letter?

It stands for per procurationem, "through the agency of". The person signing does so on behalf of the person named in the pp line, with that person's authority.

Who signs a pp letter, the boss or the assistant?

The assistant (the agent) signs. The boss (the principal) is named after the pp, as the person the letter is signed for.

Is pp the same as "for and on behalf of"?

They do the same job. For contracts, "for and on behalf of" is clearer and more formal than a bare pp.

Can I put pp before my own name?

Many people do, but it is a common misreading. Making the principal's name explicit avoids confusion.

Can someone sign a deed with pp?

Not safely. Deeds have strict execution rules, and an agent usually needs authority given by deed. Ask a solicitor.

Sources

1. 1Wikipedia: Per procurationem (en.wikipedia.org)
2. 2Companies Act 2006, section 44 (legislation.gov.uk)
3. 3Law Commission: Electronic execution of documents (Law Com No 386, 2019) (lawcom.gov.uk)
4. 4Wills Act 1837, section 9 (legislation.gov.uk)