Inc. 5000 | What are the ways revenue can be verified for the Inc. 5000 and what is required for each option?

You can choose one of the following options to complete revenue verification:

  1. Digital Signature Verification
  2. Revenue Verification Form PDF
  3. Redacted Tax Returns for 2021 and 2024 (Line 1C of Form 1120/1065 or Part 1, Line 3, of a Schedule C)
  4. Audited Financial Statements for 2021 and 2024 (Must include accounting opinion letter, and income statement from financial statements that have been audited, reviewed, or compiled by an independent accounting firm.)

Please note: Inc.’s editorial team reserves the right to request additional documentation in addition to digital signatures or the signed revenue verification form to verify reported revenue numbers (redacted tax returns or audited financial statements) at their discretion. Any company that fails to provide additional material if requested risk disqualification.

1. Digital Revenue Verification Form

Complete the digital revenue verification form by sending an electronic signature request to the company's CEO and eligible co-signer. During this step, both parties will be need to provide the revenue figures and signatures electronically. 

Please note that the co-signer must have one of the following credentials: certified public accountant, chartered financial analyst, certified management accountant, IRS certified enrolled agent, or attorney. The co-signer may work at the applicant firm or be independent, as long as the co-signer is a licensed professional with credentials that are current and in good standing.

You must be legible with your digital signature and not make a line or dot. Signatures that are not legible will require the verification to be re-signed.

 

Here are examples of what is and isn’t acceptable:

RVSignature_Inc5000.png

2. PDF Revenue Verification Form

The Revenue Verification Form PDF is similar to the digital signature verification but in a PDF format. This PDF form requires your CEO signature and CO-Signer signature. The co-signer MUST have one of the following certifications: certified public accountant, chartered financial analyst, certified management accountant, IRS certified enrolled agent, or attorney.

You can view the Revenue Verification Form PDF here.

The below is required for the Revenue Verification Form PDF:

  • The company name is listed on the form.
  • down to the dollar, or rounded to the nearest thousand dollars at most.(Please note: we cannot accept figures that are too rounded - they must be rounded to the nearest thousand, Ex: $1,124,000)
  • Both the CEO and Co-Signer signatures are on the form and legible
  • The Co-signer credentials are clearly listed

3. Redacted Tax Returns

Submitting your company redacted tax returns is a perfect way to verify your company’s revenue.  

If you are submitting redacted tax returns to verify your revenue, the documents must contain:

  • The first two pages of the return. Feel free to redact any figure below Line 1C of Form 1120/1065 or Part 1, Line 3, of a Schedule C.
  • The company address.

4. Audited Financial Statements for 2021 and 2024

The final option to verify your company revenue is with Audited Financial Statements. For audits, the following must be included: the accounting opinion letter and income statement from financial statements that have been audited, reviewed, or compiled by an independent accounting firm.  

*Please do not submit general profit and loss or internal balance forms for your submissions. These will not be accepted as these cannot verify your company’s revenue numbers.


Applications for the 2024 Inc. 5000  are now closed. Sign up for notifications here  to be alerted when applications open for next year!
Have any questions or concerns? Email us at  Inc5000@inc.com