Form 8879, ready to sign

Form 8879, IRS e-file Signature Authorization, lets you enter your client's PIN and file their return electronically. It's also the form clients most often sign wrong.

Who signs, and where

• The taxpayer signs and dates Part II.
• On a joint return, the spouse signs and dates too.
• The ERO section is yours, not the client's.

How SignLucid handles it

• Upload the 8879, or the full return with its 8879. SignLucid finds the taxpayer and spouse signature lines and places signature and date fields there, and only there.
• Taxpayer and spouse names are read from the form; spouse fields are skipped when there's no spouse.
• Each spouse gets a private link and their own color. Clients sign one spot at a time and can't submit with one missing.
• If a spouse still signs the wrong line, send back just that field.
• Also works with 8879-S, 8879-PE, 8879-CORP and the rest of the family, plus 8878.

About remote signing

Under IRS Publication 1345, a remote e-signature on Form 8879 requires identity verification (KBA). SignLucid's KBA is in development. Until it's available, use SignLucid for 8879s signed in person at your office, or have clients hand-sign and return a scan.

Questions

• Must the client see the return first? Yes. Send the return with the 8879 so the client can review it before signing.
• How long should I keep it? Three years from the return due date or the IRS received date, whichever is later (Pub 1345). Download the signed PDF and certificate for your records.
• The amounts changed after signing. If total income or AGI changes by more than $50, or total tax, withholding, refund or amount owed by more than $14, upload a new 8879 and send a new envelope (Pub 1345); "send back one spot" is for signature mistakes, not changed figures.

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