What is the business formation intake form template?
Forming a company is mostly paperwork, but the paperwork depends on answers founders haven't always agreed among themselves. Who owns how much? Who's putting in money and who's putting in work? Will the LLC be run by its members or by managers? Who will receive the official mail?
This template asks those questions before the first meeting. Founders choose the entity type and state, give three name options in order and describe what the business will do. Then they say how many owners there will be, and the form shows a matching owner section for each: full name or company name, address, email, ownership percentage and what they're contributing. Up to five owners are covered.
Management questions change with the entity: an LLC is asked whether it's member- or manager-managed, a corporation for its directors and officers. Everyone chooses a registered agent and ticks the services they want. Each intake is filed as a PDF in your FileIt vault.
- Best for
- Business lawyers, accountants, formation services and small business centres
- Filled in by
- A founder, or their adviser on their behalf
- Time to complete
- About 10 minutes
- Includes
- Entity and state, three name choices, a repeating section per owner, LLC or corporate management, registered agent, services wanted
Who uses a business formation intake form?
- An "incorporate your business" form on a law or accounting firm's website
- Small business development centres preparing for an advising session
- Founders agreeing ownership splits before they talk to a professional
- Converting a sole proprietorship into an LLC
- Accountants gathering details before filing on a client's behalf
- Keeping the founders' original instructions on file
Questions on this business formation intake form
50 questions over 5 pages · includes file upload, conditional questions, multiple pages, consent checkbox.
1 About you
- Your name*
- Email*
- Phone*
- You are* A founder or future owner · Acting for the founders (for example, their accountant)
2 The business
- What kind of entity would you like to form?* Limited liability company (LLC) · Corporation · Not sure — I'd like to talk it through
- State where you'd like to form it*
- First-choice business name*
- Second choice
- Third choice
- Have you checked whether the name is available in that state?
- What will the business do?*
- Principal business address
- Other states where you'll have staff, an office or regular customers
- When would you like to start trading?
3 Owners
- How many owners will there be?*
- Owner 1's full name, or company name* asked only when it applies
- Owner 1's address* asked only when it applies
- Owner 1's email asked only when it applies
- Ownership percentage* asked only when it applies
- What they're contributing asked only when it applies
- Owner 2's full name, or company name* asked only when it applies
- Owner 2's address* asked only when it applies
- Owner 2's email asked only when it applies
- Ownership percentage* asked only when it applies
- What they're contributing asked only when it applies
- Owner 3's full name, or company name* asked only when it applies
- Owner 3's address* asked only when it applies
- Owner 3's email asked only when it applies
- Ownership percentage* asked only when it applies
- What they're contributing asked only when it applies
- Owner 4's full name, or company name* asked only when it applies
- Owner 4's address* asked only when it applies
- Owner 4's email asked only when it applies
- Ownership percentage* asked only when it applies
- What they're contributing asked only when it applies
- Owner 5's full name, or company name* asked only when it applies
- Owner 5's address* asked only when it applies
- Owner 5's email asked only when it applies
- Ownership percentage* asked only when it applies
- What they're contributing asked only when it applies
4 Management & agent
- How will the LLC be managed? asked only when it applies By its members (the owners) · By one or more appointed managers · Not sure
- Managers' names asked only when it applies
- Directors and officers, with their titles asked only when it applies
- Registered agent* We'll use a registered agent service · One of the owners will act as registered agent · We'd like you to arrange one · Not sure what this is
- Which owner, and their street address in the state asked only when it applies
- What would you like help with? Filing the formation documents · An operating agreement or bylaws · Getting a federal tax ID (EIN) · Business licenses and registrations · Paperwork for opening a bank account · Setting up bookkeeping
5 Anything else
- How soon do you need the business set up?* As soon as possible · Within a month · In a few months
- Questions or anything else we should know
- Supporting documents (optional)
- Consent*
The business formation intake form, page by page
1 About you
Name, email, phone and whether they're a founder or acting for the founders, such as an accountant.
2 The business
"What kind of entity would you like to form?" with an option to talk it through, the state, "First-choice business name" plus two backups, whether they've checked availability, what the business will do, the principal address, other states where it will operate, and a start date.
3 Owners
"How many owners will there be?" reveals one section per owner, each with full name or company name, address, email, ownership percentage and what they're contributing. A note reminds founders the percentages should add up to 100.
4 Management & agent
An LLC is asked how it will be managed, and choosing managers asks for their names. A corporation lists its directors and officers. Everyone chooses a registered agent, with help text explaining the role, and ticks what they'd like help with, from filing to licenses and an EIN.
5 Anything else
How soon they need the business, questions such as investment plans, an optional upload for a business plan or draft owners' agreement, and a consent that the form doesn't create an engagement.
Make the template yours
- Limit the entity choices to the ones you form, or add partnerships and nonprofits
- Fix the state if you only work in one
- Add your package prices to the cover text or services list
- Ask about each owner's tax ID only once you've been engaged, not in the public form
- Add a question about vesting or buy-sell terms if you draft operating agreements
- Send intakes to a new-client folder and notify whoever handles filings
Tips for a better business formation intake form
- Check the total of the percentages before the meeting — it's a quick way to spot a disagreement
- Run a name search on all three choices so there's a fallback
- Talk through contributions of work versus cash; they often need extra terms
- Confirm the registered agent's address is a real street address in the state
Every response becomes a PDF in your vault
The intake is filed as a PDF in the vault folder you choose, with any uploads attached, and you get an email. The founder receives a copy of their answers.
The Responses table shows each new formation with its state and entity type, and exports to CSV. Nothing is filed with any state by submitting the form.
- Start from this template. It opens in the FileIt Forms designer — change any question, add pages, set the rules for when questions appear.
- Share it. Turn on a public link, or send it to people by email, each with their own link. They don’t need a FileIt account.
- Get the answers as PDFs. Each response is saved as a PDF in the vault folder you choose, with uploaded files attached — and listed in a Responses table you can export to CSV.
Business formation intake form: frequently asked questions
Is this business formation template free?
Yes. It's one of the ready-made templates in the Forms app, included with every FileIt plan, including free.
Does it form my LLC?
No. It collects the information a lawyer or accountant needs. The filing is done separately.
How does the owners section work?
The founder enters how many owners there will be, and the form shows that many owner sections, up to five.
Will it tell me whether to choose an LLC or a corporation?
No. Founders can choose "Not sure" and discuss it with their adviser.
Do founders need a FileIt account?
No. Anyone with the link can complete it.
Can I add more owners?
Yes. Duplicate an owner section in the designer and set it to show when the count is higher.