A client intake form is a short set of questions you send before the real work starts. You ask once, in writing, so you are not guessing about names, goals, dates, or how the client prefers to hear from you.
Independents, VAs, coaches, and consultants often start with a call or a long email thread. An intake sheet pulls the basics onto one page. The client answers in their own words. You both open the same file at kickoff.
Below is what belongs on a simple intake, based on the free one-page sheet from Obsidian Code, plus a few extras you may add when your work needs them.
What a client intake form is for
An intake form is a planning page for a working relationship. It is not a contract and it does not set terms. Its job is smaller and clearer:
- Catch the client's name, what they like to be called, and the name they work under
- Hear the project in their words, and what a good result looks like in the next 30 to 90 days
- Note any dates you must respect
- Agree on the best way to reach them
Short answers are fine. A clear answer beats a long one. Invite the client to skip anything that does not apply, and to write "not sure yet" when they are still deciding. That keeps the form honest and keeps the kickoff call free for the hard questions.
The questions to include
Group the form so it is easy to fill out. Start with what you need on day one. Add deeper groups only when your offer truly needs them.
Contact and business basics
Ask for:
- Your name (and what you would like to be called)
- Business or practice (the name you work under)
You need the right name on files, invoices, and emails. Nicknames and brand names matter as much as legal names when you are writing to a person every week.
Goals and project
Ask for:
- What are we working on together? A few sentences in their own words are plenty.
- What would a good result look like in 30 to 90 days? Ask them to be specific where they can.
These two questions sit at the center of the free Obsidian Code intake. They stop you from building the wrong thing. They also give you language you can echo back in proposals and session notes.
Scope and deliverables
The free one-page sheet does not ask for a full scope list. Scope often needs a conversation, a proposal, or a separate checklist.
If you want a light prompt on the form, keep it generic. For example, ask what is in scope for this phase and what can wait. Do not treat that prompt as part of the free template unless you add it yourself.
Timeline and budget
On timeline, the free form asks:
- Any dates we must respect? Launches, trips, busy seasons.
That is enough for many independents. Hard dates change how you plan kickoff, drafts, and handoff.
Budget is not on the free sheet. Price often belongs in a proposal or rate conversation, not on a first intake. If you later add a budget line to your own version, keep it optional and plain.
Communication preferences
Ask for:
- Best way to reach you, with simple choices such as email, text, chat app, or phone call.
Matching their channel saves back-and-forth. It also tells you where urgent notes should go when a date is tight.
Access and logins
The free intake does not ask for passwords, admin access, or tool logins. Logins belong in a secure handoff after trust and scope are clear, not on a printable planning page.
If your work needs access later, collect it through your usual secure process, not through the intake PDF.
Questions to skip
Leave these off a first intake:
- Long life stories or personality quizzes that do not change the work
- Legal terms, payment schedules, or signature blocks (use a real agreement for those)
- Passwords and shared-account details
- Forced answers when "not sure yet" is the honest reply
- Anything you already know from the sales call and do not need in writing again
A one-page form that people finish beats a five-page form that sits in an inbox.
When to send it (before kickoff)
Send the intake after the client says yes and before the kickoff call or first working session. Give a clear return-by date on the sheet.
That timing does three things. You walk into kickoff with shared facts. The client has time to think without the pressure of a live call. You spend the meeting on decisions instead of spelling names and preferred channels.
If the sheet comes back thin, that is useful too. Blank lines and "not sure yet" show you where the kickoff agenda should go.
Get the free template
Download the free client intake form. It is one printable page: about you and the work, then how you like to work. Print it or share it as a PDF, and send it with a short note and a return-by date.
What comes after intake
Once intake is done, use client onboarding and invoice templates to carry the same client from welcome through billing and handoff.