Every accountant understands how time-consuming it can be to wait for clients to sign the papers you’ve prepared for them. The time it takes for multiple clients to complete and return their tax forms to you can have a detrimental influence on your expanding business, and it can also do your clients harm in the form of delays and mistakes in their tax returns.
Your taxes can be complete quickly and easily without compromising accuracy. Two cutting-edge business tools that have designed to simplify your workday while improving efficiency are a fantastic place to start.
Multiple Tax Returns Signed Electronically
After the IRS allowed free electronic signature software on tax forms last year, the number of people submitting their returns electronically jumped dramatically.
This method had used by more than 94% of taxpayers in 2020, as reported by the Internal Revenue Service. Recent years have seen a shift in customer expectations, necessitating a digital transformation of additional processes involved in tax preparation.
The use of document signing software is rapidly developing into a business necessity for accountants. E-signatures shorten the approval process for tax and financial documents from days to hours, allowing you to focus more on your clients and less on paperwork.
Your company’s overall performance may be affect by how well you utilise this technology. However, not all methods of generating electronic signatures has created equal. In light of this, it is prudent to go with an e-signature solution that has already proven itself useful to other tax experts.
The Value of Electronic Signatures in Tax Preparation
The process of filing taxes online and having them sent in has simplified greatly by recent technological advancements. Electronic filing of tax returns requires nothing more than the taxpayer’s digital signature.
The recipient attests that the tax documents have not tampered with during transit by using a digital signature program, as required by the Information Technology Act of 2000.
By using electronic signatures, tax preparers can avoid the time and expense of printing, emailing, or faxing legally binding documents. Here are a few potential benefits of electronic signatures for tax preparers and accountants.
Accelerate Every Step of the Process
Using the traditional method of mailing tax documents can take several weeks or even months. Signing tax forms on paper is no longer necessary thanks to electronic signatures, but you can continue to utilise the method that has worked for you in the past.
Thus, if you’re looking for a less laborious way to file your taxes with the IRS, creating an online signature can be a great option. There is no need to waste time physically mailing important documents to clients when you can just send them to them electronically instead. It cut down the amount of time it took to finish the job to only a few weeks, rather than days or weeks. Another positive outcome is less paper waste.
Improvements in Convenience
Legal signatures have come a long way as a result of advancements in community communication. The IRS didn’t allow e-signatures for e-filed forms until 2014, which is why the number of e-filed returns only reached over 100 million in 2017.
Both customers and tax preparers were mystified by the seamlessness of the process, which has made possible by e-signature technology.
Using e-signature technology allows tax preparers to serve more clients in less time, which is beneficial for both the preparer and the client. This helps them save money, time, and effort, and keeps them from having to deal with any hassle.
Satisfy Your Customers
You already know that most clients expect their accountants to be comfortable with and even fluent in new technologies. Eighty-three percent of respondents said that clients are placing greater expectations on accountants. Because of the paperless tax filing process, accountants may swiftly and efficiently finish complex paperwork for their clients.
Customers can access, review, and file their tax returns and related documentation digitally from anywhere in the world. The happiness of the company’s customers as a whole increases as a result.
Strengthening Data Protection
The IRS has introduced additional measures to ensure the safety of electronically signed tax returns in light of the rise in online cybersecurity threats (e-signed returns). In addition, there are rules that taxpayers must adhere to.
A safer kind of DocuSign competitor’s digital signature should be used wherever possible. A digital signature, which has encrypted, provides a higher level of security than a regular electronic signature.
So, be wary of the electronic signature you use to file your taxes. To forge a digital signature would be difficult for any hacker to obtain. Through the new service, taxpayers can transmit and receive tax documents containing private information like Social Security numbers and bank records without fear of disclosure.
To begin with, per IRS e-filing law, the signer’s individual identification must be verified. The electronic record has further validated by the addition of the electronic signature.
Conclusion
We’d all appreciate it if filing taxes was quick and simple. However, chasing them down to sign paper copies may be a tedious and unpleasant ordeal. Using an electronic signature could help you get more done in less time during tax time.
Employing an electronic signature method, such as the “add electronic signature to word,” “add electronic signature to PDF,” or “add electronic signature to any contracts,” will help lessen the likelihood of mistakes. Customers can confidently sign documents with little effort, which could lead to more efficient client interaction with less paperwork. You can utilise the most advanced electronic signature software to speed up the signing process for tax returns.