What is a fax header?

A fax header is the line printed at the top of each page, and it names who sent the fax and when. A practice that faxes from a machine or a fax service normally prints one on every page it sends.

How does a fax header work?

A fax header shows the sender's name, the sender's fax number, the date and time the fax went out, and often a page number. The machine or service prints it on each page, so the receiver can see the sender on every sheet.

The practice sets the sender name and number once, in the machine's settings or the account settings. A receiver can then call back the number on the page when a page is unclear or missing.

Fax Pigeon plans give each practice its own number, so the number in the header belongs to the practice. Delivery proof comes with every plan too, so a sender can show that the fax went through.

Can a fax header reveal patient information?

A fax header reveals patient information only when someone types patient details into the sender line, such as a patient name or a diagnosis. A header that shows only the practice's name and fax number carries no protected health information.

Staff should check the sender line after any settings change, because the same text prints on each page that leaves.

For the cover page that carries the recipient's details, see the requirements for a HIPAA fax cover sheet.

How is a fax header different from a cover sheet?

A fax header is printed by the sending machine or service on every page, while a cover sheet is a single page the sender writes for one recipient.

• Cover sheet: the first page of a fax, with the recipient's name, the page count and often a confidentiality notice.
• Caller ID: the number a phone shows for an incoming call, which can differ from the number in a fax header.
• Transmission report: the record a machine or service makes after sending. It says whether the pages went through.

To read that record, see how to tell whether a fax went through.

* Fax Pigeon prices and plan terms as of October 15, 2026.