Client intake form template

A good intake form collects everything you need to start the work and nothing you can look up yourself. Whether you adapt this template or build a new client intake form from scratch, these are the nine elements worth covering:

• Contact details. Full name, email, phone number and preferred way to be reached.
• Company or background information. Business name, website, industry and team size, or personal background for individual clients.
• The service they need. A dropdown or multiple choice of your services keeps answers consistent and routable.
• Scope and deliverables. An open field where the client describes what done looks like in their own words.
• Budget range. Ranges work better than exact numbers; clients answer them more honestly and faster.
• Timeline. Ideal start date and any hard deadlines driving the project.
• Goals and success criteria. What the client wants to be different three months after the work ships.
• Referral source. How they found you, so you know which marketing channels bring real clients.
• Consent and agreements. A checkbox for your terms, privacy policy or HIPAA notice where it applies.

Keep the form under ten required questions. With conditional logic you can ask follow-ups only when an answer makes them relevant, so a simple inquiry stays simple while a complex project gets the detail it needs.

Steal these questions as a starting point. The template above already includes the essentials; add the rest based on what you genuinely need before a first call.

Contact and company details

• What is your full name?
• What is the best email address to reach you?
• What is your company name and website?
• What is your role in the company?
• How did you hear about us?

Project and service questions

• Which of our services are you interested in?
• Describe your project in a few sentences. What problem are you trying to solve?
• What deliverables do you expect?
• Have you worked with a provider on something like this before? How did it go?
• Who will be the main point of contact and who signs off on decisions?

Budget and timeline

• What budget range have you set aside for this project?
• When would you like to start?
• Is there a hard deadline, and what is driving it?

Background and expectations

• What are you doing today to solve this problem?
• What would make this engagement a clear success for you?
• How do you prefer to communicate during a project?
• Is there anything else we should know before we talk?

The core of an intake form is the same everywhere, but every industry has a few questions it cannot skip. Here is how to adapt this template:

Agencies and freelancers

Add questions about brand assets, existing accounts and past campaign performance. If you run a structured kickoff after intake, pair this form with the client onboarding form template.

Law firms

A legal client intake form needs the matter type, opposing party names for conflict checks, key dates and how the client was referred. Keep a consent checkbox for your engagement terms.

Counseling and therapy

Ask about reasons for seeking support, relevant history, current medications and emergency contact details. Sensitive questions are easier to answer in a form shown one question at a time than on a clipboard.

Tax and accounting

Collect filing status, business entity type, prior-year returns and bookkeeping software. A file upload question lets clients attach documents directly to their intake.

Healthcare and wellness

A patient intake form covers medical history, current symptoms, allergies and insurance details. Add consent language your practice requires before the first appointment.

Salons and spas

Ask about skin or hair type, allergies, sensitivities and past treatments so practitioners can prepare before the client arrives.

Real estate

Cover whether the client is buying, selling or both, target neighborhoods, price range, financing status and their timeline to move.

Coaches and consultants

Focus on goals, what the client has already tried and how they will measure progress. For discovery sessions, the client consultation form template is a lighter alternative.

1. Start from this template. Click the "Use this template" button above. It opens in the Youform builder with every question ready to edit. No credit card, and the free plan has no response limits.
2. Make it yours. Add or remove questions, drop in your logo and brand colors, and set up conditional logic so clients only see questions relevant to their answers. Add file uploads, e-signature style consent checkboxes or payment questions if your intake needs them.
3. Share it and collect responses. Send the link, embed the form on your website or trigger it from your booking flow. Responses land in your dashboard instantly and can sync to Google Sheets, Slack, your CRM and 6,000+ apps via Zapier and Make.

That is the whole process. Most people go from template to a live intake form template tailored to their business in under ten minutes.