Business

Client Intake Form Template

A client intake form is a form that collects a new client's contact details, project scope, goals, timeline and budget range so an agency, consultant or freelancer can run a focused kickoff meeting. This template splits those questions into four short steps and lets clients attach brand assets and past work, so you start the first call with answers instead of a blank page.

Use this template — freeTry it first
22 questions
4 pages
~8 min
To fill in
Steps layout
Mobile-ready
Free
No credit card
Client Intake form beside a photo of a professional woman talking in a business meeting

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Photo by RDNE Stock project on Pexels

Who it's for

Marketing and design agencies, IT and management consultants, freelancers, bookkeepers and coaches taking on new clients.

  • Sending a link right after a signed proposal so the client fills it in before kickoff
  • Onboarding retainer clients for a web development or SEO agency
  • Scoping a fixed-fee consulting engagement before writing the statement of work
  • Gathering context and brand files from a client's in-house marketing team

What this template asks

Every question can be changed, removed or reordered once it's yours.

Your business

  1. Your full name*

    Short text

  2. Job title*

    Short text

  3. Work email*

    Email

  4. Phone number*

    Phone number

  5. Company name*

    Short text

  6. Website

    Short text

    Optional

  7. Industry*

    Dropdown

    • Retail and e-commerce
    • Professional services
    • Healthcare
    • Technology and SaaS
    • Hospitality and food
    • Education
    • Nonprofit
    • Manufacturing
    • Real estate
    • Other

  8. Company size*

    Multiple choice

    • Just me
    • 2–10
    • 11–50
    • 51–200
    • 201+

Project scope

  1. Which services do you need?*

    Checkboxes

    • Strategy or consulting
    • Branding and design
    • Website or app
    • Content and copywriting
    • SEO
    • Paid ads
    • Social media
    • Other

  2. Describe the project in a few sentences*

    Long text

  3. What does success look like in six months?*

    Long text

    Numbers help, e.g. 30% more leads or launch by spring

  4. What is in scope and what is out of scope?

    Long text

    Optional

Timeline and budget

  1. Ideal start date*

    Date

  2. Hard deadline

    Date

    Optional. A launch, event or board meeting we must hit

  3. Budget range*

    Multiple choice

    • Under $5,000
    • $5,000–$15,000
    • $15,000–$50,000
    • $50,000+
    • Not sure yet

  4. Who signs off on decisions?*

    Long text

  5. Billing contact name

    Short text

    Optional

  6. Billing contact email

    Email

    Optional

Context and files

  1. Who are your main competitors?

    Long text

    Optional

  2. Have you worked with an agency or consultant before? What worked and what didn't?

    Long text

    Optional

  3. Brand guidelines, logos or past reports

    File upload

    Optional. Up to 5 files

  4. How do you prefer to communicate?*

    Multiple choice

    • Email
    • Video calls
    • Slack or Teams
    • Phone

Tips for more responses

  1. 1

    Use conditional logic to show the website questions only when the client picks a website or app project.

  2. 2

    Turn on the email copy for the respondent so the client keeps a record of what they told you.

  3. 3

    Set up a PDF template to turn each response into a one-page kickoff brief for your project manager.

Questions

What should a client intake form include?

Company and main contact details, billing contact, the services needed, project goals and success measures, deadlines, budget range, decision makers, competitors, existing assets and preferred communication channel. This template covers all of these.

When should I send a client intake form?

Send it after the client has agreed to work with you but before the kickoff meeting. That gives you time to read the answers and prepare questions, instead of spending the first call collecting basics.

Should I ask for passwords or logins in an intake form?

No. Ask which tools and platforms the client uses, then share access through a password manager or the platform's own user invites. Keep credentials out of form responses.

How is a client intake form different from a creative brief?

A client intake form covers the whole relationship: contacts, scope, budget and how you will work together. A creative brief zooms in on one piece of work, such as a campaign or a logo, and describes the message, audience and deliverables.

Is this client intake template free?

Yes. Copy it into a free Dculus Forms account, change anything you like and start collecting responses. No credit card is needed.

Can I change the questions?

Yes. Your copy opens in the form builder, where you can add, remove and reorder questions, change the layout and add your own branding.

Where do the responses go?

Responses arrive in your Dculus Forms workspace. You can export them to Excel or CSV, send them to Google Sheets or a webhook, and get email notifications.

Can I host it myself?

Yes. Dculus Forms is open source (GPLv3), so you can run it on your own servers and keep every response in your own database.

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