# Is CRA accepting Electronic signature **URL:** \ **Category:** T1\ **Created:** [March 20, 2020, 5:23pm UTC](https://www.protaxcommunity.com/t/is-cra-accepting-electronic-signature/3200 "2020-03-20T17:23:25Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 19\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![syedowais](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/77aa72/32.png) [@syedowais](https://www.protaxcommunity.com/u/syedowais)\ **Post date:** [March 20, 2020, 5:23pm UTC](https://www.protaxcommunity.com/t/is-cra-accepting-electronic-signature/3200/1 "2020-03-20T17:23:26Z")
Does anyone on the forum know if CRA accepts electronic signatures these days, given COVID 19 situation? Or are they still insisting on paper? Clients are reluctant coming to tax office. To facilitate, can we accept digital signatures and prepare Tax return remotely. ---
**Author:** ![jimt](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/flex016/user_avatar/www.protaxcommunity.com/jimt/32/2531_2.png) [@jimt](https://www.protaxcommunity.com/u/jimt)\ **Post date:** [March 20, 2020, 5:38pm UTC](https://www.protaxcommunity.com/t/is-cra-accepting-electronic-signature/3200/2 "2020-03-20T17:38:03Z")
What I understand, and this is what we have done for years is e-courier the 183 to client, they print sign and scan back to us and good to go. ---
**Author:** ![paul](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/bbe5ce/32.png) [@paul](https://www.protaxcommunity.com/u/paul)\ **Post date:** [March 20, 2020, 5:41pm UTC](https://www.protaxcommunity.com/t/is-cra-accepting-electronic-signature/3200/3 "2020-03-20T17:41:06Z")
Info from Cameron: ## Electronic Signatures Coming _Really_ Soon One of the more exciting changes (for us!) is the announcement by the CRA and Revenu Québec that they will now accept electronic signatures on forms like the T183 and T183CORP. We are putting the finishing touches on a TaxCycle integration with [DocuSign]. Look for more details coming in the next TaxCycle release ---
**Author:** ![jglass](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/flex016/user_avatar/www.protaxcommunity.com/jglass/32/723_2.png) [@jglass](https://www.protaxcommunity.com/u/jglass)\ **Post date:** [March 20, 2020, 5:54pm UTC](https://www.protaxcommunity.com/t/is-cra-accepting-electronic-signature/3200/4 "2020-03-20T17:54:14Z")
Yes they are! If you have a DocuSign account already you can use it. Exciting news from @Cameron, Thank you TaxCycle for being so responsive! ---
**Author:** ![TimParris](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/flex016/user_avatar/www.protaxcommunity.com/timparris/32/240_2.png) [@TimParris](https://www.protaxcommunity.com/u/TimParris)\ **Post date:** [August 25, 2020, 7:08pm UTC](https://www.protaxcommunity.com/t/is-cra-accepting-electronic-signature/3200/5 "2020-08-25T19:08:52Z")
CRA just sent out an email saying that they are extending the use of electronic signatures “for the remainder of the current filing season.” A comment in the email from the CRA is a few requirements that any efiler should review. Specifically, the comment, “In order for the CRA to continue to accept an electronic signature…”. Anyone who is an efiler has or will receive that email. ---
**Author:** ![Versa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/53a042/32.png) [@Versa](https://www.protaxcommunity.com/u/Versa)\ **Post date:** [February 5, 2021, 10:48pm UTC](https://www.protaxcommunity.com/t/is-cra-accepting-electronic-signature/3200/6 "2021-02-05T22:48:08Z")
SO In January CRA officially announced that they would extend the use of electronic signatures for the T183 for the 2021 filing season. The guidelines are as follows: "In order for the CRA to continue to accept an electronic signature from a taxpayer whose identity has been verified by the electronic filer, the electronic signature must be provided in one of the following ways: - It may be provided if the taxpayer sends the information return, including the electronic signature using the electronic address most recently provided by the taxpayer to the electronic filer; - It may be provided in person by the taxpayer, in the presence of the electronic filer (e.g., using a stylus or a finger on a tablet); or - It may be provided through an access controlled, secured electronic location, such as a secure website, that is accessible to the taxpayer only because the location of the secure website has been made known to the taxpayer and access has been granted by the electronic filer." I typically have one family head upload all documents on behalf of each family member to a shared DropBox folder. I ask the family head to ensure each member signs their form individually either by printing and signing by hand or using the Adobe free version. I’m not sure if my process falls within the acceptable methods as I don’t receive the signed documents individually from each taxpayer’s electronic / email address? Thoughts? ---
**Author:** ![Cameron](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/flex016/user_avatar/www.protaxcommunity.com/cameron/32/12_2.png) [@Cameron](https://www.protaxcommunity.com/u/Cameron)\ **Post date:** [February 6, 2021, 3:15am UTC](https://www.protaxcommunity.com/t/is-cra-accepting-electronic-signature/3200/7 "2021-02-06T03:15:54Z")
One additional requirement that we’ve just been made aware of is that CRA wants preparers to enter both the date and the _time_ that the signature is completed. They are tracking this information as part of the tax return. Of course, if you are using TaxFolder or DocuSign we will complete that information automatically. ---
**Author:** ![Versa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/53a042/32.png) [@Versa](https://www.protaxcommunity.com/u/Versa)\ **Post date:** [February 6, 2021, 4:10pm UTC](https://www.protaxcommunity.com/t/is-cra-accepting-electronic-signature/3200/8 "2021-02-06T16:10:29Z")
Thanks Cameron, Will the form be changing to add a field for the time? Does this apply to both the T183 and the AuthRep? ---
**Author:** ![SmallBizGuy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/74df32/32.png) [@SmallBizGuy](https://www.protaxcommunity.com/u/SmallBizGuy)\ **Post date:** [February 8, 2021, 3:42pm UTC](https://www.protaxcommunity.com/t/is-cra-accepting-electronic-signature/3200/9 "2021-02-08T15:42:32Z")
Wow - that is one of the dumbest things imaginable. CRA must think we have nothing to do. ---
**Author:** ![kozakworld](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/flex016/user_avatar/www.protaxcommunity.com/kozakworld/32/1594_2.png) [@kozakworld](https://www.protaxcommunity.com/u/kozakworld)\ **Post date:** [February 9, 2021, 6:58am UTC](https://www.protaxcommunity.com/t/is-cra-accepting-electronic-signature/3200/10 "2021-02-09T06:58:08Z")
Is CRA wanting the DATE and TIME to be added to the actual signature line? Last March I spoke with the e-file help desk about this and was informed that they only wanted a signature on that line, nothing else (no date, no time, no logo, no typed signature - had to be drawn). Has this now changed? When I use Adobe Sign, I’m simply printing the authentication information on the back side of the T183 (which includes the date and time the signature was acquired). Is this sufficient? ---
**Author:** ![Cameron](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/flex016/user_avatar/www.protaxcommunity.com/cameron/32/12_2.png) [@Cameron](https://www.protaxcommunity.com/u/Cameron)\ **Post date:** [February 10, 2021, 5:14am UTC](https://www.protaxcommunity.com/t/is-cra-accepting-electronic-signature/3200/11 "2021-02-10T05:14:38Z")
CRA is asking us to implement tracking of the time the e-Signature is obtained… ![image](https://us1.discourse-cdn.com/flex016/uploads/taxcycle/original/2X/0/042cbd976513cc51fb88b2ae39f2dd7e4f7db02e.png) Of course, we will do this automatically when we can. ---
**Author:** ![kozakworld](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/flex016/user_avatar/www.protaxcommunity.com/kozakworld/32/1594_2.png) [@kozakworld](https://www.protaxcommunity.com/u/kozakworld)\ **Post date:** [February 10, 2021, 6:55am UTC](https://www.protaxcommunity.com/t/is-cra-accepting-electronic-signature/3200/12 "2021-02-10T06:55:07Z")
Thank you, @Cameron. That is very helpful. I just checked the downloadable PDF version of the T183 on CRA’s website, and it also now requests the time of signature. That’s an interesting change. ---
**Author:** ![Versa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/53a042/32.png) [@Versa](https://www.protaxcommunity.com/u/Versa)\ **Post date:** [February 10, 2021, 3:40pm UTC](https://www.protaxcommunity.com/t/is-cra-accepting-electronic-signature/3200/13 "2021-02-10T15:40:29Z")
Is this something we would enter on the form once the signed copy is returned by the client? Or do we ask the client to make note of the time when signing? Thanks ---
**Author:** ![Cameron](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/flex016/user_avatar/www.protaxcommunity.com/cameron/32/12_2.png) [@Cameron](https://www.protaxcommunity.com/u/Cameron)\ **Post date:** [February 10, 2021, 4:19pm UTC](https://www.protaxcommunity.com/t/is-cra-accepting-electronic-signature/3200/14 "2021-02-10T16:19:04Z")
Yes, you can enter it on the form… probably when you get the email from your e-Signature provider. Or you can click the “confirm e-Signature” hyperlink I show above. When you click the hyperlink we also add an event to the file history. For TaxFolder and DocuSign, we can do all this automatically, of course. ---
**Author:** ![SmallBizGuy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/74df32/32.png) [@SmallBizGuy](https://www.protaxcommunity.com/u/SmallBizGuy)\ **Post date:** [February 10, 2021, 6:24pm UTC](https://www.protaxcommunity.com/t/is-cra-accepting-electronic-signature/3200/15 "2021-02-10T18:24:36Z")
While this is unbelievably stupid of CRA (is it a surprise?), it seems to be attempting to ensure that a T183 isn’t signed AFTER the T1 is filed. Not, of course, that anyone would ever do that… Still, it’s dumb and basically useless. Just more bureaucracy on top of more bureaucracy. For those of us who email a T183 to clients to print, sign and scan back, I’m not sure what this actually means. ---
**Author:** ![matthew](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/flex016/user_avatar/www.protaxcommunity.com/matthew/32/85_2.png) [@matthew](https://www.protaxcommunity.com/u/matthew)\ **Post date:** [February 10, 2021, 6:38pm UTC](https://www.protaxcommunity.com/t/is-cra-accepting-electronic-signature/3200/16 "2021-02-10T18:38:34Z")
Has anyone found a list on CRA’s site that lists on which forms digital signatures will be accepted? I just had an NR6 rejected because of a digital signature. It would be nice if there was a consistent policy from CRA, or at least a list of forms that can be signed electronically and a list of forms that cannot be signed electronically. ---
**Author:** ![jglass](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/flex016/user_avatar/www.protaxcommunity.com/jglass/32/723_2.png) [@jglass](https://www.protaxcommunity.com/u/jglass)\ **Post date:** [March 5, 2021, 9:00pm UTC](https://www.protaxcommunity.com/t/is-cra-accepting-electronic-signature/3200/17 "2021-03-05T21:00:13Z")
Just a note for people who are manually using DocuSign instead of using TaxCycle’s integration (as we are because we also accept payments through Docusign and that involves features that TaxCycle doesn’t (yet?) support): You have to go into Settings, Signing Settings, Document Formatting and select the Current Time format to be: HH:MM:SS. DocuSign’s default is date only. ---
**Author:** ![joe.justjoe1](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/flex016/user_avatar/www.protaxcommunity.com/joe.justjoe1/32/220_2.png) [@joe.justjoe1](https://www.protaxcommunity.com/u/joe.justjoe1)\ **Post date:** [March 5, 2021, 11:06pm UTC](https://www.protaxcommunity.com/t/is-cra-accepting-electronic-signature/3200/18 "2021-03-05T23:06:40Z")
> [@matthew](#): > > Has anyone found a list on CRA’s site that lists on which forms digital signatures will be accepted? I just had an NR6 rejected because of a digital signature. According to CRA, Electronic Signatures are a Temporary measure applying to T183 and T183Corp. Nothing substantial seems to have changed since initially announced, just some extension of the measure, some additional requirements and technical fine-tuning, expansion to efile software. [https://www.canada.ca/en/revenue-agency/campaigns/covid-19-update/covid-19-electronic-signatures.html](https://www.canada.ca/en/revenue-agency/campaigns/covid-19-update/covid-19-electronic-signatures.html) ---
**Author:** ![kozakworld](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/flex016/user_avatar/www.protaxcommunity.com/kozakworld/32/1594_2.png) [@kozakworld](https://www.protaxcommunity.com/u/kozakworld)\ **Post date:** [March 6, 2021, 5:34am UTC](https://www.protaxcommunity.com/t/is-cra-accepting-electronic-signature/3200/19 "2021-03-06T05:34:14Z")
Just noticed this today on CRA’s website regarding working from home during covid: “will accept an electronic signature on the Form T2200S and Form T2200 to reduce the necessity for employees and employers to meet in person (applies to the 2020 tax year only)” [https://www.canada.ca/en/revenue-agency/services/tax/individuals/topics/about-your-tax-return/tax-return/completing-a-tax-return/deductions-credits-expenses/line-229-other-employment-expenses/work-space-home-expenses/what-changes.html](https://www.canada.ca/en/revenue-agency/services/tax/individuals/topics/about-your-tax-return/tax-return/completing-a-tax-return/deductions-credits-expenses/line-229-other-employment-expenses/work-space-home-expenses/what-changes.html)