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Accounting Client Intake Form Template

Start every client relationship with the right information. This accounting client intake form captures entity type, services needed, current software, and goals so you can prepare for a productive first meeting. Works for CPAs, bookkeepers, tax preparers, and accounting firms of any size.

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Free for non-commercial projects, with unlimited forms and responses.

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The starting point

About this template

An accounting client intake form is the foundation of every productive client engagement. Rather than spending the first meeting gathering basic information, you can arrive already knowing the client's entity type, fiscal year, current software, and pain points — leaving more time for advice and strategy. A well-designed intake process also signals professionalism and builds trust before the first invoice.

More about this template

This template covers the full spectrum of accounting client types, from individual tax filers to multi-member LLCs and nonprofits. The services checklist lets clients self-identify their needs, which helps you scope the engagement accurately and avoid scope creep. The open-ended challenges field often surfaces the most valuable information — clients will describe backlogs, upcoming audits, or compliance anxieties that wouldn't come up in a structured question.

formformform makes it easy to deploy this intake form on your firm's website, share it via a direct link in your email signature, or embed it in a client portal. Every submission lands in your dashboard and triggers an instant email notification, so no new client inquiry goes unnoticed.

11 fields to make your own9 required in this starting form

Make it fit your workflow.

Use your own copy to change labels, remove questions and add the details you need. Try the preview alongside this guide to see what respondents will be asked.

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The questions, explained

Fields in this template

Review the starting questions and choices. You can change them in your own copy.

  • Short answerRequired

    Full Name

    Jane Smith

  • Email addressRequired

    Email Address

    jane@example.com

  • Phone numberRequired

    Phone Number

    (555) 123-4567

  • Short answerOptional

    Business Name (if applicable)

    Acme LLC

  • DropdownRequired

    Entity Type

    8 choices
    • Individual / Personal
    • Sole Proprietor
    • LLC (Single-Member)
    • LLC (Multi-Member)
    • S-Corporation
    • C-Corporation
    • Partnership
    • Nonprofit / Tax-Exempt
  • Multiple choiceRequired

    Services Needed

    8 choices
    • Tax Preparation
    • Bookkeeping
    • Payroll Processing
    • Financial Statement Preparation
    • Audit Support
    • Business Consulting
    • Tax Planning
    • Other
  • NumberRequired

    Fiscal Year End Month (1–12)

    12

  • Single choiceRequired

    Are you currently using accounting software?

    2 choices
    • Yes
    • No
  • Short answerOptional

    If yes, which software?

    QuickBooks, Xero, Wave, etc.

  • Single choiceRequired

    Do you currently work with another accountant or CPA?

    3 choices
    • Yes
    • No
    • Not currently but I have in the past
  • Long answerRequired

    Describe your current accounting challenges or goals

    E.g., staying on top of quarterly taxes, catching up on overdue bookkeeping, preparing for an audit…

Where it fits

Who uses this template

Suggested uses, and why this starting point can help. Adapt the questions to your own process.

CPA firms

Use this as a starting point when you need the same essential information from each person. Review the questions against your process before sharing your copy. Review “Entity Type” in particular and adapt it to the detail you need.

Independent accountants

Collect the details needed to review a request consistently and identify missing information before the next step. Review “Services Needed” in particular and adapt it to the detail you need.

Bookkeeping services

Screens prospective bookkeeping clients by capturing monthly transaction volume, current software, and desired services before quoting a monthly retainer.

Tax preparation offices

Use this as a starting point when you need the same essential information from each person. Review the questions against your process before sharing your copy. Review “Are you currently using accounting software?” in particular and adapt it to the detail you need.

Accounting consultants

Get a useful brief before the first conversation. Written context helps you assess fit, prepare questions and decide what to discuss next. Review “If yes, which software?” in particular and adapt it to the detail you need.

Small business advisors

Lets a solo tax preparer qualify individual and small-business clients quickly by capturing software use and services needed before the engagement letter is sent.

Virtual CFO services

Ask for the context needed to understand the request before replying. This reduces the back-and-forth needed to establish the basic facts. Review “Describe your current accounting challenges or goals” in particular and adapt it to the detail you need.

What's included

Entity type dropdown covering all common structures
Multi-select services checklist for tax, bookkeeping, payroll, and more
Fiscal year end field to flag non-calendar year clients
Current software and accountant questions to assess transition needs
Open-ended challenges field to surface priorities before the first call
Mobile-friendly and embeddable on any website
Instant email notification on every new intake submission

How to create an accounting client intake form

  1. 1

    Click 'Use this template' to copy this form into your formformform account.

  2. 2

    Review the entity type and services options and add or remove any that don't match your practice.

  3. 3

    Add your firm's notification email so every intake submission reaches your inbox immediately.

  4. 4

    Optionally add a paragraph field with your firm's privacy policy or confidentiality statement.

  5. 5

    Publish the form and share the link on your website, in email outreach, or in your email signature.

  6. 6

    View all submissions in your formformform dashboard and export to CSV when needed.

Best practices for your accounting client intake form

Ask for fiscal year end early

it immediately flags non-calendar-year clients who need different deadlines and planning windows.

Keep the software question optional

not every individual tax client uses accounting software, and making it required can cause confusion.

Use the challenges field as a discovery tool

open-ended answers about pain points give you a sales and service edge before the first call.

List your most common services in the checkbox

avoid obscure service names that clients won't recognize.

Follow up within 24 hours

intake forms signal interest; a prompt follow-up dramatically improves conversion to paid engagement.

Embed on your services page

placing the intake form next to your service descriptions reduces friction for prospects who are ready to start.

14 form ideas you can build with this template

CPA Firm New Client Intake

Collects entity type, prior-year accountant status, and fiscal year end to help partners assign clients to the right team before the first meeting.

Sole Practitioner Tax Client Onboarding

Lets a solo tax preparer qualify individual and small-business clients quickly by capturing software use and services needed before the engagement letter is sent.

Virtual Accounting Firm Intake

Gathers entity details and accounting challenges from remote clients who may never meet their accountant in person, creating a thorough digital paper trail from day one.

Bookkeeper New Business Client Intake

Screens prospective bookkeeping clients by capturing monthly transaction volume, current software, and desired services before quoting a monthly retainer.

Tax Resolution Service Intake

Collects information from clients dealing with IRS notices or back taxes, including entity type and prior accountant history, to scope resolution work accurately.

Nonprofit Accounting Client Intake

Tailored for nonprofit clients, capturing fiscal year, grant reporting needs, and whether they have audited financials, to plan compliance work correctly.

Real Estate Investor Accounting Intake

Designed for landlords and investors to describe rental income sources, entity structures, and depreciation tracking needs before onboarding.

E-commerce Business Accounting Intake

Captures online seller details including sales channels, payment processors, and inventory accounting challenges to scope bookkeeping and tax services.

Construction Contractor Accounting Intake

Collects job-costing needs, payroll headcount, and prevailing wage requirements from contractors who need industry-specific accounting support.

Restaurant / Food Service Accounting Intake

Gathers tip reporting, payroll frequency, and inventory tracking requirements from restaurant clients before the first engagement call.

Medical Practice Accounting Intake

Captures entity structure, billing software, and payroll size from healthcare providers requiring specialized accounting and compliance support.

Law Firm New Client Accounting Intake

Collects trust account management needs, partner draw structures, and practice area details from law firms seeking dedicated legal accounting services.

Franchise Accounting Client Intake

Gathers royalty reporting requirements, franchisor-mandated chart of accounts details, and multi-location setup from franchisee accounting clients.

Startup Accounting Onboarding Form

Captures investor reporting needs, equity structure, and burn rate tracking goals from early-stage companies seeking their first outsourced accountant.

Frequently asked questions

What information should an accounting client intake form collect?

At minimum: contact details, entity type, fiscal year end, services needed, and any current software or existing accountant. An open-ended challenges or goals field is also highly valuable for scoping the engagement.

Can I add a file upload field for prior tax returns?

Clients can attach a return directly — open the template in the editor and add an Upload field, and a tax return comes in at up to 2 MB, which covers most single-year e-filed returns. Scanned multi-year filings often run larger, so it's worth adding a paragraph field pointing clients to a secure file-sharing service as a backup. If you're collecting sensitive financial documents, turn on encryption before the form goes live — it's a per-form setting that locks once the first response arrives, after which every file is encrypted in the client's own browser and the server stores only ciphertext. Encrypting adds roughly a third to a file's size, though, so on an encrypted form plan for originals up to about 1.4 MB rather than the full 2 MB.

How do I notify my team when a new intake form is submitted?

Set your notification email in the form settings. Every submission sends an instant email with all the client's responses, so your intake coordinator or scheduling team is alerted right away.

Is this form suitable for both individual and business clients?

Yes — the entity type dropdown includes both Individual/Personal and all common business structures. The business name field is optional so individual clients aren't confused.

Can I customize which services appear in the checklist?

Absolutely. Open the form editor, click the services checkbox field, and edit the options to match exactly what your firm offers.

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