As per meaning: according to
As per means according to, or in line with, so "as per your request" means "as you asked". It's formal, and you'll see it most in business email. "As per usual" means as usual.
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As per the contract, invoices are paid within 30 days of receipt.
What did they mean?
Filed under A jargon.
How as per works
According to, in line with
As per means according to something already agreed or written down. “Invoices go out on the 1st, as per the contract” means the contract set that date. Dictionaries mark it formal.
At someone’s say-so
As per can also mean on someone’s orders, as in “the fire door stays shut, as per the building manager”. In a memo, “as per the CEO” usually ends the conversation.
As per or according to
Use according to when you pass on what someone says, and as per for something you follow, like a rule or an agreement. “As per the forecast” sounds like the rain was booked in advance.
Per, the short version
Per does the same job with one word fewer, as in “per your request”. Its best-known use is per my last email, which reminds the reader they skipped your earlier email.
Office language before the office email
As per was office language long before email. A county board record from 1895 uses it twice in one sentence.
As per in a work email
What it points at
In an email, as per refers to something said or sent before:
- “As per our call” is a neutral recap.
- “As per policy” closes a discussion before it opens.
- Aimed at the reader’s own email, as per suggests they got something wrong. Everyone copied in can see that.
The as per ladder
When a thread goes badly after a call, each reply points at something more official than the last. By the fourth reply, nobody remembers what the call was about.
- “As per our call.”
- “As per my email of the 3rd.”
- “As per section 4.2”, with a document attached.
- “As per policy”, with HR added to the Cc line.
How it sounds
As per makes a message sound official. “As per your request, the meeting is at 3” reads like it’s going into a file. In our plain-English jargon dictionary, as per sits with revert and please advise among the stiffest terms.
Plainer swaps
Each row below swaps an as per for plainer words that mean the same thing. Our phrasebook on how to professionally say it works the other way around and dresses a blunt thought up for sending.
| Instead of | Write |
|---|---|
| As per your request | As you asked |
| As per our call | Following our call |
| As per policy | Under the travel policy |
| As per our discussion | As agreed on Tuesday |
| As per my last email | Here it is again |
As per usual
As per usual, and as per on its own
As per usual means as usual: “The 9:30 started at 9:40, as per usual.” In informal speech it gets clipped to “as per”, which tends to come with a sigh.
When as per is fine
As per is normal in a contract, a purchase order, a spec sheet or a policy document. If the sentence is going to a person rather than a filing system, use the plain words.
An email with as per in it
In the reply below, the request gets “as you asked” and the facilities rule keeps its as per.
Subject: RE: Desk move, 4th floor
Hi Sam, your desk is now by the window, as you asked. The monitor arm stays with the old desk
as per facilities policybecause facilities said so, so bring a stack of books.
As per policy in a sentence
As per the contract, invoices are paid within 30 days of receipt.
As per your request, I've moved the launch to Tuesday and told the client.
Stand-up started ten minutes late again, as per usual, Petra.
Your taxi claim was rejected as per policy 7.2, Delphine, which nobody can find.
Questions about as per
What does it mean to say "as per"?
It means you're following something set out earlier, such as a request or a written rule. "As per the contract" means in line with the contract. It's formal, and far more common in writing than in speech.
What is another word for "as per"?
According to, in line with, following, or under. For "as per your request", write "as you asked". Per on its own is shorter and just as formal.
How can I use "as per" in a sentence?
Put it in front of the thing you're following: "Files are named by date, as per the new guidelines." It suits documents and agreements, and sounds stiff in a chat.
What does "as per" mean in an email?
It points back at something earlier, such as a request or a call. When it points at the reader's own last email, it can read as "you should have known this already".
Is it correct to say "as per"?
Yes, as per is correct English and has meant according to since the 1500s. Some readers find it stiff and legalistic, so keep "as per instructions" for forms and contracts and write "as you asked" to a person.