Tax season always boosts e-signature usage; here’s why

Newswire: June 6, 2017.

Dateline: Chattanooga, Tenn.

Electronic signature use typically rises during tax season, and it’s expected to continue well beyond it, according to an analysis by Pem Guerry of SIGNiX, a member of the Electronic Signature & Records Association.

Ninety-one percent of U.S. taxpayers filed their income tax returns electronically in 2016. That figure that is expected to rise for 2017, especially if legislation passes to adopt uniform standards for e-signatures in certain forms authorizing third-party representation before the IRS.

Guerry writes that SIGNiX expects digital signature usage to continue beyond tax season because it aligns with individuals’ needs and expectations. Further, the verification obligations that third parties must use in handling users’ signatures and private information also extend to other electronic signature and verification uses.

Increasingly, users expect speed, convenience and security in all online interactions. Methods such as Independent E-Signatures satisfy those demands plus IRS e-filing compliance requirements. The obligations and costs of paperwork storage also decrease dramatically.

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