16647: Drake Portals - Drake e-Sign Online (Taxpayer View)

Getting started: 

• Once the preparer uploads a document to be eSigned by the taxpayer (see Related Links below), the taxpayer receives an email notification that there are documents to review and sign.
• If the taxpayer has not yet set up an account login, the email will contain information and a link to set up their account as well as the instructions for signing the document.
• Once the taxpayer creates and/or logs in to their Drake Portals account, they will see a red dot next to the Sign Forms menu showing that there are forms waiting to be signed.

Taxpayers must be at least 18 years old in order to sign their federal tax return using Drake e-Sign Online.

1. Click Sign Forms from the menu on the left.
2. Double-click on the document showing under Documents Available to Sign.
   • The PDF document with signature fields opens.

     
     

3. Scroll to the Your signature box (in yellow).
   • In this example, Form 8879 is being signed, so the taxpayer will scroll to Part II where the yellow box displays on the Your signature field.
4. Double-click on the yellow box to launch the "Knowledge Based Authentication" (KBA) process.
   • This verification process is required the first time a taxpayer signs a document through Drake Portals.
   • The taxpayer is presented with questions specific to their personal history, and they must correctly answer 3 out of 4 questions in order to proceed.

     Note: If the taxpayer does not answer 3 out of 4 KBA questions correctly, they will not be able to electronically sign documents for the remainder of the calendar year. This fulfills IRS requirements related to capturing remote signatures. See Publication 1345 for details.

      

5. If the taxpayer successfully answers 3 out of 4 questions, another box appears that allows them to apply their eSignature to the form in each required field by using a mouse, stylus, or their finger.

   Note: If there is a secondary taxpayer (spouse) on the return, they must also complete the steps above. If there is only one taxpayer, continue below.

6. Once completed, click Submit Signatures (in green).
7. After the taxpayer(s) have completed all signature fields and clicked Submit Signatures, the preparer receives notification in the Drake Portals pane of Drake Documents and on the Drake Portals website. Signature documents can be reviewed and saved from either location.

Notes: 

• Married Filing Joint returns – Different Addresses: The current version of Drake e-Sign Online only supports a single household address for both taxpayer and spouse. The verification software must be able to match both taxpayer and spouse to the address in order to ask the appropriate Knowledge-Based Authentication (KBA) questions of the taxpayer and spouse. We recommend not using an e-Sign Event when you are unsure if both taxpayers have ever lived at the address entered on the Name and Address screen in Drake Tax as e-Sign Events are non-refundable. A future release will include a “Spouse address if different” option.
• System Requirements: Drake e-Sign Online is designed to work on iOS and Android devices, as well as Windows-based computers and Macs. We cannot guarantee that Drake e-Sign Online will work on all configurations, browsers, devices, platforms, and operating systems.