Use uppercase and lowercase Century Schoolbook or Times New Roman 12-point medium.

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  Avoid using all uppercase letters unless required for correct grammatical form or to meet postal standards.

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  Do not use italics.

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  Do not bold or underline more than two consecutive lines of text.

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  Use Arabic numerals instead of numbers written out in word form, unless the number starts a sentence.

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  Write out months (do not show them as numbers), for example, January.

The first page of each notice consists of first-, second-, and third-line headings, as described in NL 00610.050C.

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  First-line heading—Century Schoolbook or Times New Roman, 18-point medium

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  Second-line heading—Century Schoolbook or Times New Roman, 18-point bold

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  Third-line heading—Century Schoolbook or Times New Roman, 14-point medium

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  Subordinate headings (subheadings, captions)—Century Schoolbook or Times New Roman, 12-point bold
  EXAMPLE:

  •  

    Social Security Administration

  •  

    Retirement, Survivors, and Disability Insurance

  •  

    Notice of Award

  •  

    If You Disagree With the Decision

Use the following guidelines for notice margins and spacing.

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  Use a minimum of 1 inch for right- and left-side margins and ½ inch at the top and bottom of the page. Do not justify the right margin.

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  Type the body of the notice flush to the left margin with no indentation at the beginning of paragraphs.

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  Generally, single-space, or use 2 points between the lines for notice text.

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  Double-space between paragraphs and to separate subordinate headings (subheadings, captions) from text and blocks of information.

Use the following guidelines for margins and spacing for notice headings.

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  All headings and captions are flush with the left margin.

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  Use a minimum margin of ½ inch from the top of the page for the first-line heading.

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  Single-space first-, second-, and third-line headings.

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  Double-space subordinate headings (subheadings, captions) from subsequent text.

All lines of an address must be single-spaced with even margins and no indentations (block address).

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  Return address: Place the originating component’s address in block format approximately 4 inches from the left side of the page and a minimum of 1½ inches from the top of the page, or position as necessary for placement in a double-window envelope (if applicable).
  NOTE: A return address is not shown on Disability Determination Services (DDS) determination notices.

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  Date and claim number (or case number): Place the date and claim or case number directly below and in line with the return address. Use single-spacing or double-spacing to separate the date from the return address.

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  Mailing address: Place the mailing address at the left margin approximately 2½ inches from the top of the page, or position as necessary for placement in a window envelope (if applicable).

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  Servicing office address in the referral paragraph: Place the servicing office address in the referral paragraph 3½ inches from the left-side of the page.

Use the following guidelines for margins and spacing of bullets in notices.

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  Double-space bullets ¼ inch from the left margin and bulleted text ½ inch from the left margin.

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  Position “AND” or “OR” (between bullets) ¾ inch (approximately 10 spaces) from the left margin.
  Example:

You may choose to:

• •

  Receive a telephone call from your local Social Security office

OR

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  Receive your letters by certified mail.

Use the following guidelines for margins and spacing for tables and charts.

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  Use a multiple-column format for tables and charts.

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  Left-justify all chart and table headings and contents.

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  Left-justify any subordinate heading (subheading, caption) that precedes the chart or table following guidelines in NL 00610.070C.2. in this section.

Example:

Your Payment Will Change as Follows

Place the notice signature and title block approximately 4¼ inches from the left side of the page and on the fifth line after the end of text.

If applicable, show “Enclosure(s):” and a list of the enclosures left-justified below the signature and title block. Show the label “Enclosure(s):” and each enclosure included with the notice on a separate single-spaced line.