Practice Management

4 Reasons to Consider eSignature

Written by Nade Murray
Modified Jul 28, 2016
2 min read

You’ve heard of electronic signatures. In fact, you may even have used them before, but you’re not quite sure if they’re right for your practice. Here are some reasons to consider using Intuit® eSignature this tax season:

One-Click Requests When you’re ready for a client signature on Form 8879, simply click “Request” in the eSignature Status column from your All Clients screen in your Intuit professional tax software. Your client will receive an email with a link to review and electronically sign. Clients love the convenience of being able to sign from any connected device.
Automated Reminders Ordinarily, you need to keep track manually of which clients have signed Form 8879. Then, you need to remind clients who haven’t returned a signed form. With Intuit eSignature, you can see the status of all signature requests from the eSignature dashboard, and set automated reminders to follow up with clients so you don’t have to.
Finish Returns Faster On average, it takes clients five days to return a signed Form 8879. But, with Intuit eSignature, clients can view and sign even from their mobile device, so it’s more convenient than ever. The average turnaround time is less than a day for clients who used eSignature.
Free Online Storage Clients often make requests for copies of tax returns later in the year. When you use Intuit eSignature, your client receives access to a copy of their tax return for the remainder of the calendar year.

BONUS REASON #5. Get Paid Faster – new for Lacerte® New for Lacerte in tax year 2015, Intuit eSignature is now Intuit eSignature Plus Payments. Now, when you request an electronic signature, you can also request payment of your fees with one additional click. After electronically signing Form 8879, clients will be prompted to pay with debit card, credit card or EFT. On average, it takes accountants 45 to 60 days to collect payment from tax clients. But, with eSignature Plus Payments, the average turnaround time is less than a day, so you get paid faster.

BONUS REASON #6. One-click e-file – new for Lacerte With eSignature Plus Payments, you don’t need to spend time re-checking returns before e-filing. After a client uses eSignature to sign, Lacerte will automatically re-run all validation checks to ensure the return is ready to e-file. Then, when you’re ready to file the return, it takes just one click.

So, what’s your reason to try Intuit eSignature? Find out more: Lacerte users, click here; ProSeries® and Tax Online users, click here.

Nade Murray is a consultant with Intuit® ProConnect™. He has more than a dozen years of experience in the fields of property insurance, health insurance and tax preparation products. More from Nade Murray

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