A fax cover sheet is the first page of the fax and says who it is for and who sent it. Fill in: the recipient’s name and fax number, your name and phone number, the number of pages including the cover sheet, and a one-line subject such as the form number. Tick Confidential if the pages are personal. Before you add one, check the form’s instructions: some agencies require a cover sheet and at least one asks you not to send one.
Fill it in, field by field
Our free fax cover sheet generator has these fields. It makes the PDF in your browser, and nothing you type is sent to us.
- To. The person, office or agency, as the form or letter names it, for example “Internal Revenue Service” or the unit named in the instructions.
- Their fax. The number you are sending to. Writing it on the sheet lets the recipient check that the fax reached the right line.
- From. Your name, so the recipient knows who sent the pages.
- Your phone. A number where the recipient can reach you if a page is missing or unreadable.
- Subject. One line that lets the pages be matched to the right file: the form number and tax year, a notice number, a claim or case number.
- Pages, with this one. The total number of pages including the cover sheet. The recipient can count the pages and see that nothing went missing.
- Message. Optional. A short note, such as what is attached.
- Urgent, Confidential, Please reply. Tick what applies. With Confidential ticked, a confidentiality notice prints at the foot of the sheet.
- Date. The downloaded PDF prints the day you make it at the top of the sheet. If you print the page from the browser instead, write the date on the Date line. If you send the fax on a later day, make a new PDF.
Then download the PDF and add it as the first page, or, in the Faxsure app, add the cover sheet there: it is free and does not count as a page.
When an agency requires a cover sheet
Some official instructions say exactly what the cover sheet must show:
- IRS Form 14039 (identity theft affidavit): “Always include a cover sheet marked “Confidential”.”
- IRS Form 15227 (IP PIN application): “Include a cover sheet marked ‘Confidential’.”
- IRS Form 14039-B (business identity theft): “Consider including a cover sheet marked ‘Confidential’.”
- IRS Form 8802 (U.S. residency certification): “You must use a fax cover sheet stating the number of pages included in the transmission.”
For forms like these, the IRS cover sheet has “Internal Revenue Service” and the Confidential box already filled in; add the form number to Subject.
When an agency asks for no cover sheet
The Illinois Department of Revenue says, for Form IL-2848: “You should send each Form IL-2848 as a separate fax. Do not include a cover page.” When the instructions say this, send the form pages only.
If the instructions say nothing about a cover sheet, it is up to you. A cover sheet with your name, phone number and the page count gives the recipient a way to reach you if something arrived incomplete.
Before you send
- The page count on the sheet matches the pages in the fax, cover included.
- The fax number on the sheet is the one you are dialing, and it is the number the form’s instructions give. The IRS fax numbers in our directory each link the irs.gov page they come from.
- The subject names the form or notice exactly as printed on it.