For when the business is the one filing.

Entity formation documents

Articles of incorporation, certificate of formation, operating agreement, bylaws, partnership agreement, EIN/SS-4 letter, and any state filings (annual reports, certificates of good standing).

Owner / officer / authorized-signer photo IDs

Photo ID for every person with 5%+ ownership, every officer, and the authorized signer who will represent the entity. Driver's license or other government photo ID.

Business tax returns (last 2 years + K-1s)

Last 2 years of business federal and state returns — Form 1120, 1120S, or 1065 — including all schedules, K-1s issued to owners, and any tax-year extensions filed.

Business bank & credit card statements (6 months)

Complete monthly statements (all pages) for every business checking, savings, money market, merchant-services, and credit card account for the last 6 months.

Financial statements — P&L, balance sheet, cash flow

Most recent profit & loss statement, balance sheet, and (if available) cash flow statement. Internal/QuickBooks reports are fine. Include prior year-end statements if you have them.

Accounts payable / list of creditors

AP aging report, vendor list with balances owed, plus any creditor letters, demand notices, default notices, or collection correspondence. QuickBooks AP detail is ideal.

Accounts receivable / customer concentration

AR aging report and a list of your top 10 customers with revenue percentages. Note any customer that represents more than 20% of revenue, and any disputed receivables.

Business assets — equipment, inventory, real property

Equipment / fixed-asset list (with original cost and current estimated value), inventory schedule with valuation method, vehicle titles for company vehicles, real estate deeds and any recent appraisals.

Loans, lines of credit, secured debt

All business loan agreements, lines of credit, equipment financing, factoring agreements, SBA loan documents, UCC filings filed against the business, and a clear note of any debt with personal guarantees from owners.

Leases & major contracts

Real property leases (office, warehouse, retail), equipment leases, vehicle leases, major customer contracts, major vendor contracts, franchise agreements, and any contract the business cannot easily replace.

Insurance policies

Declaration pages and current policies for general liability, property, business interruption, workers' compensation, commercial auto, professional liability / E&O, cyber, and any other commercial coverage in force.

Pending litigation, judgments, tax notices, liens

Anything filed against the business: pending lawsuits (complaints), judgments entered, tax assessments or notices (IRS, state Dept. of Revenue, sales/use tax), citations, mechanic's liens, garnishment orders.

Payroll & employee records

Most recent payroll register, list of W-2 employees with positions and wages, list of 1099 independent contractors with annual amounts, last four quarterly Form 941s, state unemployment filings.

Principal personal financials (Subchapter V or guaranteed debt)

If filing Subchapter V or if owners guaranteed business debt: owners' last 2 personal tax returns, 6 months of personal pay stubs (or owner-draw records), 3 months of personal bank statements, and a personal asset/debt list.

Anything else

Anything else you think matters — board minutes, prior bankruptcy filings, succession planning documents, business valuations, disputed contracts, customer complaints, anything an attorney would want to see.