What are the standard sections of an annual report?

A typical annual report opens with a chairman's or CEO letter, then covers a company overview, the year in review, financial highlights, an ESG or sustainability section, governance, and a forward-looking statement. The exact mix depends on whether you are public, private, or a non-profit.

What is a forward-looking statement?

It is a section describing expected future performance, goals, and strategy. Public companies wrap it in a safe-harbour disclaimer noting that actual results may differ. This tool inserts a placeholder for that disclaimer so you can add your legal language.

Do private companies need an annual report?

It is not always legally required, but many private companies and startups publish one to align investors, employees, and partners. The same structure works whether the report is public-facing or for internal stakeholders.

What should go in the ESG section?

Cover environmental impact, social initiatives, and governance practices relevant to your business — energy use, diversity data, community programs, and board structure. Keep claims specific and backed by figures to avoid greenwashing.

Is my data stored anywhere?

No. The outline is generated entirely in your browser and nothing is sent to a server. Copy the result before closing the tab if you want to keep it.

Annual Report Outline Builder

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A clean skeleton for your yearly report

Annual reports follow a well-established structure, and missing a section can make a company look less mature than it is. This builder produces a complete outline — from the chairman’s letter through to the forward-looking statement — with short prompts under each heading so you or your team know exactly what to write. Fill in a few headline inputs and the tool weaves them into the relevant sections.

How it works

The tool uses the conventional ordering of an annual report: narrative first (letter, overview, year in review), then the numbers (financial highlights), then responsibility and forward view (ESG, governance, outlook). It injects your inputs where they belong — your year theme into the chairman’s letter, achievements into the year-in-review, and your financial figures into the highlights table prompt. Each section also carries a guiding prompt so the outline doubles as a writing brief. A safe-harbour placeholder is appended to the forward-looking section, which public companies must complete with their own legal disclaimer.

How to use the result

Treat each H2-level heading as a chapter and assign owners for each.
Replace the bracketed prompts with real content; keep the prompts visible while drafting and delete them at the end.
Pull your financial highlights from audited statements; the outline only frames where they go.
Pair the ESG section with concrete metrics — vague sustainability language reads as filler to investors and regulators alike.