The short answer
It is not mandatory, but it helps. The cover sheet identifies the sender, names the addressee and states the page count the recipient should expect.
The cover sheet page shows the layout and offers a template you can fill in.
What a cover page is for
On a shared office machine, a fax is printed among dozens of others. A first page that names the person or department, the sender and the subject lets the right person pick it up quickly.
It also confirms the page count. If the recipient counts fewer sheets than announced, they know to ask for a resend.
What to put on it
Keep it to the essentials: recipient name, sender name and contact detail, date, subject, and the total number of pages. Avoid confidential details; a cover page is the sheet everyone sees first.
If you add a cover page to a one-page document, the file becomes two pages and is no longer free, so decide whether you need it.
Key points
- Optional, but recommended on shared machines
- Names the sender, the recipient, the subject and the page count
- Keep sensitive information off it
- Adding one to a single page makes the fax two pages