Small Business Paperwork Checklist (Year One)

Every contract, agreement, and template a new small business needs in its first 12 months.

Day one — formation and structure

Articles of incorporation / certificate of formation, EIN application (US), founders' agreement (if multiple founders), operating agreement (LLC) or bylaws (corp), 83(b) election (if you're issuing founder stock subject to vesting).

First customer

Master Services Agreement, Statement of Work template, mutual NDA, privacy policy, terms of service, refund policy, payment terms.

First hire / contractor

Offer letter, employment contract or 1099 contractor agreement, IP assignment agreement, employee handbook, non-solicit and non-compete (where enforceable).

Vendors and partners

Vendor MSA, data processing addendum (if you handle EU data), reseller / partner agreement, equipment lease.

First office / studio

Commercial lease, sublease, certificate of insurance, equipment lease.

Use the templates

DocFila ships with most of these as fill-and-sign templates (see /templates) — bookmark them and copy as you go.