Why accounting and tax practices move to e-signatures
Accounting work is deadline work. Engagement letters need to be signed before you start. Tax returns need the client’s authorisation before they are filed. Audits need signed management representations before the report is issued. When each of those depends on a client printing, signing and scanning a page, the busiest weeks of the year become a paper chase.
SignPe turns each request into an email with a Review & Sign Document button. The client signs in their browser or on the SignPe app — no account needed — and you receive the signed PDF with an audit trail. Your Documents list shows what is signed and what is still outstanding, so you spend the run-up to a deadline doing the work, not chasing it.
Our guide to managing signed documents in one place covers how to keep the results organised once they are in.
Engagement letters: get clients signed up ahead of every filing season
Most practices re-issue engagement letters every year, and a letter that is not signed before work starts leaves the scope of the engagement open to dispute. SignPe makes it practical to send them early and see who has responded.
- Reuse your standard letter. Keep the master engagement letter in your cloud storage and import a fresh copy for each client.
- Partner signs, then the client. Set signer order has the engagement partner sign first, and the client is emailed automatically when it is their turn.
- Your signature, saved. Sign from your saved signatures library and use Apply to all fields of the same type to fill every box assigned to you in one go.
- Firm stamp where required. Upload your firm’s stamp once and apply it from your saved library.
The Waiting for Others filter shows every letter still with the client, and the signed copy is emailed to everyone on completion so the client has their own record of the agreed scope.
Audit documentation: signed representations with a verifiable trail
Management representation letters, confirmations and sign-offs on adjustments need to show who signed, and when. SignPe records both for every document.
| What the file needs | What SignPe records |
|---|---|
| When the letter was sent | Sent date and time, and each signer’s emailed time |
| That the signer saw it | Opened status and viewed time per signer |
| When it was signed | Signed time per signer and the completed date |
| Which document it was | A document ID on the audit trail PDF |
- Several directors, in order. Use signing order when representations must be signed by more than one officer.
- Observers for the engagement team. Copy the audit manager or partner as an observer to receive updates without signing.
- Initials and checkmarks. Place Initials on each page and Checkmark fields beside specific representations.
See document status tracking for how each status is recorded.
Client onboarding: KYC and engagement paperwork in a single send
A new client usually means an engagement letter, a client information form, an authority to act and identity checks. SignPe lets you prepare those with the fields each one needs and send them to the client together.
- Fields for client details. Add Full Name, Email, Company, Designation, Date and Text fields so the client completes the form as they sign.
- Paper documents, scanned. If a client brings paper forms, scan them in the SignPe app with automatic edge detection, up to 20 pages per scan, or combine several photos into one PDF.
- Files from the cloud. Import documents directly from Dropbox, Google Drive, OneDrive or Box — see cloud storage integration.
- Meeting in the office? Use In person Signing so the client signs on your tablet before they leave.
For Indian clients, Aadhaar eSign provides OTP-verified signing through eMudhra with a PKI-signed PDF, which some firms prefer for authorisations.
A typical accounting signing workflow
Prepare the document
Upload the engagement letter, authorisation or representation letter as a PDF or Word file. Save as a draft while the figures are reviewed — drafts do not use a document credit.
Place the fields
Drag Signature, Initials, Date and Checkmark fields onto the page and assign each to a partner or client signer.
Set signers and observers
Add the signers in the order they should sign, and copy the manager or partner as an observer.
Send and follow up
Track progress in the Activity timeline and use Remind as the deadline approaches.
File the record
When everyone has signed, all parties receive the signed copy. Download the audit trail PDF for the client file.
Compliance considerations for accounting and tax documents
Electronic signatures are recognised for most business documents under laws such as the US ESIGN Act and UETA, the EU’s eIDAS regulation and India’s Information Technology Act 2000. Tax authorities and professional bodies can set their own rules for particular forms, so check what applies to the filings you handle. Our legality guide covers the Indian position in detail.
- Only participants can open a document. Client financial information is visible only to the sender, signers and observers.
- Encryption in transit and at rest. Documents travel over HTTPS/TLS and are stored in encrypted cloud storage — see eSignature security.
- Consent to electronic records. Guest signers accept an electronic-records consent screen before signing.
Keep the signed copies and audit trails you download in line with your firm’s own retention and confidentiality obligations.
How to send an engagement letter for e-signature
Upload the letter
Upload your engagement letter as a PDF or Word file, or import it from your cloud storage.
Add the signers
Choose Set signer order, add the engagement partner first and the client second.
Place the fields
Add a Signature and Date field for each signer, and Initials on each page if your letter requires it.
Send
The partner signs first; the client is emailed automatically once the partner has signed.
Receive the signed copy
When the client signs, everyone receives the signed PDF and the audit trail is ready to download.
