What are common legal documents for small businesses?

Essential small business legal documents: LLC Operating Agreement or Bylaws, EIN application, Operating Agreement, NDAs, Independent Contractor Agreements, Employment Offer Letters, Service Agreements/MSAs, Privacy Policy, Terms of Service, and basic Vendor Agreements. Generate most free at iContract.

The legal document checklist for small businesses:

Formation Phase 1. Articles of Organization (LLC) or Articles of Incorporation (Corp) — file with state. 2. EIN application (IRS Form SS-4) — federal tax ID. 3. Operating Agreement (LLC) or Bylaws (Corp) — internal governance. 4. Initial Resolutions — appoint officers, open bank account. 5. State business license — varies by state and city.

Customer/Client Phase 6. Service Agreement or Master Service Agreement (MSA) — for client work. 7. Statement of Work (SOW) — for projects under MSA. 8. Sales Contract — for goods. 9. Terms of Service (ToS) — for any web product/service. 10. Privacy Policy — required by GDPR/CCPA. 11. EULA — for software products. 12. Refund Policy.

Hiring Phase 13. Employment Offer Letter — at-will employment. 14. Independent Contractor Agreement — for 1099 workers. 15. Confidentiality and Invention Assignment Agreement (CIIAA) — protect company IP. 16. Employee Handbook. 17. Form W-4 / I-9 — federal employment forms.

Confidentiality 18. Mutual NDA — for partner discussions. 19. One-way NDA — for contractor sharing.

Vendor Phase 20. Vendor Agreement — terms with suppliers. 21. SaaS Subscription Agreement — software vendors.

Real Estate / Lease 22. Commercial Lease — for office/retail space.

Finance / Investment 23. Promissory Note — for loans. 24. SAFE / Convertible Note — for startup investment. 25. Loan Agreement — for larger debt.

Insurance / Risk 26. General Liability Insurance — required for most businesses. 27. Professional Liability (E&O) — for service businesses.

Compliance / Tax 28. State sales tax registration. 29. Annual report filing — most states require yearly. 30. Operating agreement amendments — when ownership changes.

  • iContract (free) — most contracts, NDAs, employment, ToS, Privacy Policy.
  • LegalZoom / ZenBusiness — formation documents.
  • State Secretary of State — formation filings.
  • IRS — EIN, federal forms.

When to hire a lawyer: priced funding rounds, M&A, regulated industries, IP licensing, employment lawsuits.

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