Small businesses require forms for operations as well as taxes, recordkeeping, hiring, and compliance. There are many forms out there, but which ones do you need, and where do you find them?
Today, it’s never been easier to find and manage documents as PDFs. Rather than storing your documents physically in a filing cabinet, you can digitally store and sort documents as PDFs. A PDF opens on almost any device and compresses easily for sharing.
Here are some common forms that small businesses work with and a little bit about each form.
Disclaimer: PDF.Live is not a law firm, and we are not attorneys or CPAs. For guidance on your specific situation, consult a qualified employment attorney or tax professional, as form requirements vary by jurisdiction and change frequently.
Employment & Hiring Forms
I-9
The form I-9 is the Employment Eligibility Verification form, which small businesses are required to keep on file for all employees at their company. The form I-9 verifies the employee’s identity and their authorization for employment. The employee completes Section 1, and the employer completes Section 2 after reviewing the employee’s identity and work authorization documents.
W-4
The W-4 is the Employee’s Withholding Certificate. Employers require employees to complete W-4 forms to determine tax withholding. Employees fill out the W-4, and the employer uses it to withhold federal income tax from each paycheck and deposit it with the IRS. The W-4 is not submitted to the IRS, but used internally for payroll and tax withholding.
W-2
A W-2 is the Wage and Tax Statement. Businesses must issue a W-2 every year to each employee they paid wages to, full-time or part-time, and file copies with the Social Security Administration. The W-2 contains information about the employee and how much income they earned at the company. The employee then uses the W-2 to file their taxes.
1099
The 1099 is actually a series of forms that are used to report payments to non-employee entities. Businesses use it to report payments they made to independent contractors and freelancers for services. The 1099 is submitted to the non-employee, contractor/vendor, and to the IRS.
Direct deposit form
A direct deposit form is a generic form used to gather an employee or contractor’s bank information for depositing any income or owed payment. Direct deposit forms aren’t standardized, so you can create your own by requesting the employee’s bank name, routing number, and account number. Employees fill out their direct deposit information, and payroll keeps direct deposit forms on file for paying them.
Tax Forms
1040-ES
A 1040-ES form is the Estimated Tax for Individuals form. The 1040-ES is used by individuals to calculate estimated taxes for payment to the IRS. Employers don’t provide it to employees. Individuals use its worksheet to figure their estimated tax and keep it for their records, though the included payment vouchers are mailed with payments made by check. It’s just used to calculate a dollar amount that is to be paid to the IRS by individuals. “If you’re self-employed or a sole proprietor who pays taxes quarterly, this is a form you would use to estimate a quarter’s taxes.
1099-S
The 1099-S form is a version of the 1099 used to report the gross proceeds from the sale of real estate. The settlement or closing agent typically files the 1099-S, so if your business buys or sells property, you usually won’t file it yourself.
Operations & Admin
Rental agreements
A rental agreement is a contract between a landlord and tenant, containing information about both parties, the premises being rented, the lease term, the rent amount, late fee, and a security deposit amount. Most rental agreements include at least these details, though requirements vary by state. Landlords or property managers are usually responsible for creating a rental agreement form.
NDAs
A non-disclosure agreement is an agreement entered into between two parties not to disclose or misuse certain confidential information provided by the disclosing party. NDAs will have specific instructions related to the nature of the information being disclosed. For this reason, it’s a good idea to have an attorney review an NDA before you use it.
Invoices
An invoice is a form used to submit a bill to another party for services or goods rendered. Invoices contain information about the goods or services, the vendor’s name, the recipient’s information, and the total amount that the recipient owes. It may also contain payment instructions, depending on how and when the payment needs to be received.
Client intake forms
Some small businesses use client intake forms to gather information about new clients before working with them for the first time. If a business wants more information about the purpose of doing business with the new client or to get any specific instructions about the client beforehand, they would need this form. An example would be a dog groomer giving a new client an intake form to get information about their dog’s breed and coat.
State/Local Forms
DMV forms
All states have their own specific Department of Motor Vehicles forms used for:
- Obtaining a registration or applying for a car title
- Renewing car registration
- Applying for a driver’s license
- Changing license address
You will need to find the form specific to your state’s motor vehicle agency, as forms from other states won’t apply across the border.
State tax
Similar to DMV forms, states that collect income tax have their own forms. A state income tax form contains information about how to calculate income tax you owe and any tax that you already paid. States have unique ways of calculating income tax, separately from federal income tax. Some states, like Florida and Texas, do not collect income tax, so search your state’s tax laws to find the right form.
How PDF.Live Helps With Business Forms
Whether you’re preparing an invoice, editing a contract, or just trying to store your employee’s W-4s, PDF.Live can help you manage your business forms.
PDF.Live’s forms library has readily available fillable forms for many states and the federal government.
Have your own forms that you need to edit? Our online PDF editor works entirely in your web browser and doesn’t require any downloads or third-party applications. With our PDF editor, you can add fillable form fields to your forms.
We also have a PDF text editor tool so you can change the titles or verbiage of a generic NDA form into something that’s better suited for your business.
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