Engagement Letters and Other Client-Signed Documents

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#1
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Lower 48
I'm trying to become more digital and less filing cabinets so I've been scanning tax returns and workpapers. I'm wondering what others are doing about originally-signed documents like engagement letters, signed e-file forms, rep letters, etc.

Are you scanning the client-signed documents and then tossing them or are you keeping a paper copy of the client signed documents? Is a scanned copy going to suffice if there is a legal entanglement down the road?

What are you doing?
 

#2
CathysTaxes  
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Suburb of Chicago
I scan and shred.
Cathy
CathysTaxes
 

#3
ATSMAN  
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Location:
MA
Since last tax season I have been keeping the hard copy for at least a year. I used to shred it but then last year 2 clients required copies of their W2 and 1099-R to prove identity for one another for refinancing. They wanted the original. So now I tell them I will only hang on to the original for one year. They can take their original back if they want.
 

#4
Wiles  
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CA
same as Cathy
 

#5
sjrcpa  
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Maryland
Me, too.
Any original client documents client gives me are returned to them when their tax return is complete.
 

#6
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For purposes of clarity, I'm asking about engagement letters, tax services agreement, or a rep letter not client documents such as W-2s and 1099s.
 

#7
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The Office
For my engagement letters and consents to disclose, they are stored on my secure portal (Citrix ShareFile), in a folder that only my login currently has access to.

My process is, after the document is prepped:

1) upload to portal, send to client for e-signature via Citrix RightSignature.
2) client e-signs the document, an executed copy is automatically uploaded to the same folder, I receive an email notification.

It is streamlined and efficient, the way I like it. The audit trail is also strong. I don't send paper engagement letters and haven't had any push back from clients over this. Citrix is responsible for maintaining the original and executed copies. They don't contain sensitive client data other than names and addresses, so I'm not too worried about having these offsite.

Sometime I plan to examine integrating this into Citrix's workflows to further increase efficiency. Inefficiency and too much input from me is one of my pain points that I'm working to steadily resolve as I scale.
 

#8
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2887
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Northern MI and Coastal SC
I use DocuSign for anything that does not require a wet ink sig. I HATE, HATE, HATE paper!

...unless it is a book, then I much prefer paper to electronic but I'm out of storage space.
 


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