A numerical investigation has been carried out about the performance of a 500MW class tangentially coal-fired boiler, focusing on the optimization of separated overfire air (SOFA) position to reduce NOx emission. For this purpose, a comprehensive combination of NOx chemistry models has been employed in the numerical simulation of a particle-laden flow along with solid fuel combustion and heat and mass transfer. A reasonable agreement has been shown in baseline cases for predicted operational parameters compared with experimental data measured in the boiler. A further SOFA calculation has been made to obtain optimum elevation and position of SOFA port. Additionally, clarifying on the effect of SOFA on NOx emission has been carried out in the coal-fired boiler. As a result, this paper is valuable to provide an information about the optimum position of SOFA and the mechanism by which the SOFA would affect NOx emission.