Free download

The data room index template buyers expect to see

A free data room index for selling a small business: 6 phases, 29 folders and the 76 documents that go in them, as a CSV or Excel file. It is ClosingVault’s standard due diligence checklist laid out as folders, the same folders a ClosingVault room on the standard checklist uses.

Last updated: 2026-11-04

Download the index (.csv) Download the index (.xlsx)

Free, with no email needed. Each row is one folder: Phase, Folder, What goes here and Example documents.

What is a data room index?

A data room index is the table of contents of a data room: the folders, in order, and what belongs in each one. A buyer’s team uses it to find documents and to see what is missing, and a seller uses it to know what to gather before buyers ask.

It is not the same as a due diligence checklist. The checklist is the list of documents a buyer asks for; the index is the folders they are filed in. This template groups the 76 documents of our free due diligence checklist into its 29 folders.

Why set up the index before you go to market?

Because a buyer’s diligence team works folder by folder. When the folders are the ones they expect, they spend their time on the business instead of hunting for files, and the gaps show up while you still have time to fill them, not in the middle of a negotiation.

Selling and not sure you need a data room yet? Do I need a data room to sell my business?

What folders should a data room have to sell a business?

These 29, in 6 phases. A name in italics stands for one folder each: one for every bank the company uses, and under it one for every account, card, line of credit, loan or merchant account. The download writes these names in square brackets.

Financial

11 folders · 28 documents

Financial Performance › Historical FinancialsFull-year financial statements for the last three fiscal years.
Financial Performance › Interim / YTD FinancialsMonthly financial statements for the current fiscal year to date.
Financial Performance › Working Capital & LedgersReceivable and payable agings, the fixed asset and inventory schedules, and general ledger exports.
Financial Performance › Projections & BudgetsThe current budget and any financial forecast.
Tax Docs › Federal (IRS)Federal income tax returns and federal payroll tax filings.
Tax Docs › State & LocalState income or franchise tax, sales and use tax, and local property tax filings.
Bank Docs › each bank › Bank Statements › each accountMonthly bank statements, one folder for each bank and each account.
Bank Docs › each bank › Credit Card Statements › each cardMonthly credit card statements, one folder for each card.
Bank Docs › each bank › Lines of Credit › each line of creditThe agreement and the monthly statements for each line of credit.
Bank Docs › each bank › Loans & Notes Payable › each loan or noteThe agreement, the amortization schedule and the statements for each loan or note.
Bank Docs › each bank › Merchant Processing › each merchant accountMonthly payment processor statements, one folder for each merchant account.

Legal

8 folders · 20 documents

Corporate & Organizational › Formation & GovernanceFormation documents, bylaws or operating agreement, good standing, ownership records and minutes.
Contracts & Other Agreements › CustomersContracts with the top customers and the standard customer terms.
Contracts & Other Agreements › Vendors & SuppliersContracts with key suppliers and vendors, and equipment leases.
Contracts & Other Agreements › Real EstateLeases for every facility, and deeds and mortgages for any property the company owns.
Contracts & Other Agreements › Partnerships & JVsJoint venture, referral, reseller and distribution agreements.
Licenses & PermitsOperating licenses, and any environmental or health permits.
Litigation & ComplianceLawsuits and claims, settlements, and correspondence with government agencies.
Intellectual PropertyIP registrations, domain names and social accounts, and IP assignment agreements.

Commercial & Operations

2 folders · 5 documents

Sales & MarketingRevenue by customer, the sales pipeline and backlog, and price lists.
Operations & Supply ChainSpend by vendor and the core operating procedures.

HR

4 folders · 12 documents

Organization & CensusThe org chart, an anonymized employee census and the contractor schedule.
Policies & HandbooksThe employee handbook, and commission and bonus plans.
Employment AgreementsKey employee agreements, and non-compete, non-solicit and confidentiality agreements.
Benefits & PayrollBenefit and retirement plan documents, annual payroll summaries, and W-2 and 1099 summaries.

Risk

2 folders · 7 documents

Insurance PoliciesEvery insurance policy, and five years of loss runs.
Health, Safety & EnvironmentOSHA injury logs and the workplace safety manual.

Technology

2 folders · 4 documents

IT Infrastructure & SoftwareThe software and subscription inventory, and the hardware and network inventory.
Security & Data PrivacySecurity and privacy policies, and the backup and disaster recovery plan.

How do I use the template?

Download it. The CSV or the Excel file; both have the same 29 rows.
Make the folders. One for each row, in the order given: the phase first, then the folder path under it.
Add your accounts. Under Bank Docs, make a folder for every bank, and in it one for every account, card, line of credit, loan or merchant account.
Gather the documents. The Example documents column says what goes in each folder and for which periods. Items marked optional are for businesses they apply to.
Track what is missing. A folder with nothing in it yet is your list of what to chase.

Can a data room file the documents into the index for me?

ClosingVault can. Drop the whole zip into a room on the standard checklist: ClosingVault files each document into these same folders, on the checklist item it answers, and marks that item Covered. What the AI isn’t sure about waits for a person to review, and what is still missing stays on the list. Nobody sorts or renames a thing.

Covered, matched automatically. The one it isn’t sure about waits on review.

How each part works: automatic sorting reads every file, scans and zips included; checklist filing ticks the item each document answers; and bring your own checklist lets you start from your own Excel request list instead.

Papermark also publishes a free data room index, a 13-folder M&A index as a CSV (papermark.com, checked 2026-11-04). Any CSV index, ours included, is a list: someone still has to sort every document into it.

Data room index questions

My broker asked me to organize documents into a data room index before we go to market. What folders do I need?

Start with the 29 folders in this template, in 6 phases: Financial, Legal, Commercial & Operations, HR, Risk and Technology. Each folder lists the documents that go in it, and your broker can add or rename folders to suit the deal.

What is the difference between a data room index and a due diligence checklist?

The checklist is the list of documents a buyer asks for; the index is the folders those documents are filed in. This template is ClosingVault’s standard checklist, 76 documents, grouped into its 29 folders.

I’m a business broker and every seller organizes files differently. Can I give each one the same index?

Yes. The CSV and Excel files are free to share with no email needed, so every seller starts from the same 29 folders. In ClosingVault, every room on the standard checklist uses these folders, and documents file into them automatically.

My company has three bank accounts at two banks. How do I set up the Bank Docs folders?

Make one folder for each bank and, inside it, one for each account: two bank folders holding three account folders. Cards, lines of credit, loans and merchant accounts work the same way, and in ClosingVault bank statements are filed under each institution and account, by year and month, on their own.

My bookkeeper sent everything in one zip. Do I have to sort it into these folders myself?

Not in ClosingVault. Drop the zip in as it is: it is unpacked, each document is filed to the folder and checklist item it answers, and what the AI isn’t sure about waits for a person to review.

Can I upload this index into ClosingVault?

Upload the free due diligence checklist workbook instead: it is the same list in ClosingVault’s upload format and builds a room’s checklist. Every plan already includes this standard checklist.

How much does the template cost?

Nothing. Both files are free to download, with no email needed.

Is this the full ClosingVault checklist?

It is the standard checklist every ClosingVault plan includes. The separate ClosingVault checklist is on Plus and Professional.

Free due diligence checklistThe same 76 documents and 18 seller questions as Excel, in ClosingVault’s upload format. Automatic sortingDrop the whole zip. Every file sorts itself. Checklist filingEach document lands on the checklist item it answers and marks it Covered. Bring your own checklistUpload your Excel request list; it becomes the room’s checklist. For sellersGet the room ready before the buyer is. Pricing and plansWhat the firm that opens a room pays. Watch the demoClosingVault files a deal, in a narrated video of about three minutes.