![Blank fax cover sheet template, Typewriter design. An all-Courier FAX TRANSMITTAL with dotted lines and [ ] boxes, like a typed office form.](/fax-cover-sheet/files/fax-cover-sheet-typewriter.png)
Updated
What to put on a fax cover sheet
Every design here has a place for each of these.
- The person or department the fax is for, and their fax number.
- Your name and a phone number, so they can call you if a page didn't come through.
- The date.
- The number of pages, counting the cover sheet.
- A subject on the Re line, like "Lease application, unit 4B" or "Claim 48213, receipts". "Re" means "with regard to".
- A short note if they need to do something, like sign and fax it back by Friday.
- A confidentiality notice if the pages are private. The confidential cover sheet page has wording you can copy.
Keep private numbers such as a Social Security number off the cover sheet. It's the page anyone near the fax machine sees first. The IRS gives the same advice on its pages about faxing some tax forms.
The filled-in samples show finished sheets for a job application, a medical records request, an insurance claim and six other faxes, and the same everyday fax in eleven more designs.
How to fill out a fax cover sheet
- Pick a design A plain one such as Classic suits most faxes. For a medical, legal, tax or other particular fax, use its design from fax cover sheets by use, since it has the lines that office looks for.
- Fill it in on screen or by hand Type your details into the maker above and download the PDF, or type into the Word file. To write by hand, print the blank PDF and use a dark pen, in block capitals if you can.
- Count the pages Add up every page you're sending, plus the cover sheet, and write the total, so the recipient can tell if one is missing.
- Check the fax number Compare it with the form or letter that asked for the fax, one digit at a time.
- Send it as the first page Put the cover sheet on top of your documents, so it's the first page the recipient sees.
To send it without a fax machine, use FaxFair on your iPhone. Scan the cover sheet and your pages, or pick the PDF, and type the fax number. The app has free cover pages built in too. Your first fax is free, up to 40 pages, and after that you buy faxes in packs, from 1 fax for $2.49, with no subscription. Without an iPhone, upload the PDF and your pages at faxfair.com instead, where a fax of up to 40 pages costs $2.49.
Get FaxFairMake it readable after faxing
Write with a dark pen and keep type at least as big as in a normal letter. Leave color out of anything that has to be read. A fax goes out as black and white dots, about 98 lines per inch in normal mode. Our designs use black lines and plain type for that reason, and the one gray stripe, on the Retro design, has no text on it.
More fax cover sheets
- Fax cover sheet examples: filled-in samples, with what each line says and why.
- Blank fax cover sheet: printable sheets to fill in by hand.
- Fax cover sheet template for Word: .docx files that also open in Google Docs and Pages.
- Medical (HIPAA) fax cover sheet: what HHS says about faxing health information.
- Confidential fax cover sheet: with notice wording you can copy.
- IRS fax cover sheet: what to put on it, and what to leave off.
Questions
What is the purpose of a fax cover sheet?
It's the first page of a fax. It tells whoever picks up the pages who the fax is for, who sent it, how many pages to expect and what it's about. That way the fax reaches the right person even when a whole office shares one machine.
Are these fax cover sheets free?
Yes. Every template and the online maker are free, and you don't need to sign up. Blank templates have a small faxfair.com line at the bottom, which you can delete in the Word file or untick in the maker.
How do I print a fax cover sheet?
Download the PDF that matches your paper, US letter or A4, and open it. In the print window, choose "Actual size" or 100% rather than "Fit to page", so the margins stay as designed. To print one with your details already on it, fill it in with the maker first and print from there.
Does the cover sheet count as a page?
Usually, yes. Count it in the total you write on the sheet, so the recipient can tell if a page is missing. The IRS, a Medicare contractor and Texas Health and Human Services all ask for the page count including the cover sheet.
Can I write on a fax cover sheet by hand?
Yes. Print a blank PDF and write with a dark pen, in block capitals if you can. The Fill by hand design is made for it, with wide ruled lines and a box for each digit of the fax and phone numbers.
Can I use these templates in Google Docs?
Yes. Upload the Word file to Google Drive and double-click it there to open it in Google Docs. Look over the layout before you print, because fonts and spacing may shift a little.
Is my information saved or sent anywhere?
No. The maker builds the sheet and the PDF on your device. Nothing you type is sent to us or anyone else, and nothing is saved when you leave the page.
Sources
- IRS, Taxpayers can fax the separate copy of Form 8886, Reportable Transaction Disclosure Statement with the Office of Tax Shelter Analysis (read November 1, 2026)
- HHS, Does the HIPAA Privacy Rule permit a doctor, laboratory, or other health care provider to share patient health information for treatment purposes by fax, e-mail, or over the phone? (read November 1, 2026)
- Noridian Healthcare Solutions, IRF RCD Pre-Claim Review Request Coversheet (read November 1, 2026)
- Texas Health and Human Services, Form 1131, Individually Identifiable Health Information Fax Transmittal (read November 1, 2026)
- Merriam-Webster, RE Definition & Meaning (read November 1, 2026)
- Google Docs Editors Help, Work with Office files (read November 1, 2026)
- IETF RFC Editor, RFC 804: CCITT draft recommendation T.4 (1981) (read November 1, 2026). It scans 1,728 dots across each line. Normal mode has 3.85 lines per millimeter and the higher mode 7.7, which is about 98 and 196 lines per inch.