Drake Portals – Drake E-Sign Online

Last Updated: November 02, 2026

Before Starting

When using Drake E-Sign Online, remember:

• The Drake E-Sign Online process is different than using a Signature Pad to E-Sign documents in your office (Drake E-Sign In Person).

• The Drake E-Sign Online process requires the purchase of E-Signature Events.

  • See Drake Portals – Drake E-Sign Online – E-Signature Event Types for details.

  • Documents can only be signed via Drake Portals if enough E-Signature Events have been purchased and are available.

• Only taxpayers with valid SSNs are eligible to use Drake E-Sign. See the IRS FAQ for details.

• Drake E-Sign Online supports the current tax year and the three years prior.

• The preparer’s electronic signature is not applied via this process; it is only designed to gather the taxpayers’ electronic signatures.

• If you make a change to the return in Drake Tax, you will have to upload a new set of signature forms, if needed. Changes are not synced as the signature document is a PDF created just for e-signing purposes.

Watch the video E-Sign for a demonstration.

Requesting Signatures

After purchasing E-Signature Events, follow the steps below to use Drake E-Sign Online via Drake Portals:

1. View the completed return.

2. Select all the forms that need to be included in the PDF.

   • Documents with an electronically signable field are indicated by a black pen icon () in View/Print Mode.

   • Business returns can be e-signed through Drake E-Sign online. The date of birth is required to be entered on the K1, K1E, PIN, or OFF screen (in the 1065, 1120-S, 1041, or 990 return respectively) prior to creating the forms and uploading the documents for signing.

3. Click the eSign button.

4. Select the radio button Sign online via Drake Portals.

   • If you do not have any E-Signature Events available for use, the radio button will be grayed out. Click the link eSign Information​ and log in to the Drake Software support website to purchase E-Signature Events.

   • If you do not have any E-Signature Events available for use, the radio button will be grayed out. Click the link View E-Signature Details​ and log in to the Drake Software support website to purchase E-Signature Events.

5. Choose either Sign with KBA E-Signature Event or Sign with Basic E-Signature Event.

6. Select any additional options.

   • You cannot choose to add a password to the upload as the document is already protected by SecureFilePro^TM security measures.

   • You can add watermarks to the document, if needed.

7. Click Continue.

8. From the Save As window, save the unsigned PDF to Drake Documents or browse to a different save location.

   • The File Upload Report displays to confirm that the upload was successful.

   • If you are not already logged in to Drake Portals in Drake Documents, you will be prompted to enter your Drake Portals credentials before the document will be uploaded.

9. After the file is uploaded, the taxpayer will receive an email notification that a signature document is available for review and signing.

   • This email will contain a link and instructions for signing the document.

   • If the client does not have a Drake Portals account, the email will also tell the client that an account has been created for them.

   • You can send them a link to Drake Portals – Drake E-Sign Online (Taxpayer View) that they can use to apply their signatures.

10. If the upload fails or the taxpayer encounters an issue, see Drake E-Sign Online – Signature Troubleshooting.

11. After the taxpayer has applied their signatures, see Drake E-Sign Online – Post Signature Steps – Downloads, Notifications, and Reports.

Rubber Stamp

The “Rubber stamp” feature allows you to electronically sign all selected signature documents at once. The rubber stamp is for the preparer’s signature only.
To set up your rubber stamp:

1. From the Home window menu bar of Drake Tax, go to Setup > Preparers and Users.
2. Select a preparer from the Preparer Setup window and click Edit Preparer.
3. In the Return Signature Options section, select 8879 PIN Signature. Do not mark the Alternative Electronic Signature box.
4. Click Setup Signature, have the preparer sign the pad, then click Save.

Sign Later

If you chose Sign Later in the Electronically Sign Return dialog box and you want to retrieve the documents for signing, click Documents > Drake Documents from the View/Print mode toolbar. Alternatively, click Documents from the Data Entry Menu toolbar.

1. Select a document to sign from the Document Name pane on the right half of the Drake Documents window (unsigned documents are listed as “Unsigned”), then click Sign from the toolbar to open the Drake e-Sign window.
2. Click Yes or No to rubber stamp the forms with the preparer’s e-signature (if applicable).
3. The Drake e-Sign window is opened, and a message asks if you would like to rubber stamp all the documents that the preparer must sign. Click Yes or No. A list appears in the left pane of those (taxpayer, spouse, preparer) who can sign the open form, and the form appears in the right pane.
4. Double-click the taxpayer or spouse (or preparer, if you chose not to rubber stamp the return), or select a name and click Sign from the toolbar.
5. Have the client sign the signature pad. The signature appears on the Signature Capture window.
6. To clear the signature and start over, click Clear. To apply the signature to the form, either:
   • Click Save. The signature is added to the signature line of the document.
   • Click Next. The signature is added to the signature line of the document and the next signature line for that person in the document becomes active. (You are alerted if there are no more signature lines in the document.)
7. Scroll through the documents chosen for signatures using the Page Selection arrows to the right of the toolbar, or click another signature document from the list on the left side of the window.