Decoding 5 Frequently Used Business Abbreviations

Have you ever tried to read a business email and been stumped by the complex acronyms and initialisms contained within it?

Don’t worry, you’re not alone. It takes quite a while to learn all the special vocabulary that exists in the professional world, but this confusion can be remedied with a little bit of reading! Make some sense of corporate jargon by scrolling through the abbreviations below:

---

1. PFA

Stands for… Please find attached

Meaning: Almost always seen in emails, PFA means the sender has attached a file to their message and wants the recipient to view/download it or interact with it in some specified way.

Example: PFA the document that needs to be signed.

2. ETA

Stands for… Estimated time of arrival

Meaning: This refers to when something is expected to arrive. It could be a package coming in the mail, an order of goods in transit, or the time when a flight is scheduled to land.

Example: Can you provide an ETA on the latest shipment?

3. FY

Stands for… Fiscal year

Meaning: A fiscal year is a 12-month period that businesses, organizations, and governments use for budgeting, accounting, and other financial purposes. It’s different from a regular calendar year in that it usually doesn’t run from January 1^st to December 31^st.

Example: Profit margins have been rising in FY 2022.

4. COB/EOD

Stands for… Close of business/End of day

Meaning: These terms are used mostly interchangeably to mean the end of business hours for a company or, in financial trading contexts, when the stock exchange shuts down for the day. COB and EOD are also common times for a submission deadline.

Example: Please send me a copy of the report by COB/EOD.

5. FYR

Stands for… For your reference

Meaning: Closely related to FYI (for your information), FYR is used when giving someone information or a resource that they will likely benefit from referring to. In other words, it comes in handy for them.

Example: FYR, a full itinerary of the trip will be sent in advance.