How to Get 24-Hour Turnaround on 8879s
Many firms still grapple with getting clients to sign and return the IRS e-file Signature Authorization form 8879. Since it’s a document firms need from every client in order to file their taxes, waiting on that form can result in a serious roadblock in the tax engagement process. When nearly instant fulfillment applies to nearly everything we do in our society, it seems only reasonable that firms get signed 8879s back in less than a day.
Chasing Down Completed 8879s
Since everything hinges on firms getting signed IRS form 8879s from clients, the sooner the forms are returned the better. E-sign technology has made getting a signature on a document easier, but some areas of traditional e-sign methods slow things down.
Unreturned 8879s cause admin teams to scramble as tax deadlines approach. A flurry of phone calls and emails reminding clients to sign and return 8879 forms so that their taxes can be e-filed isn’t a task that needs to be added to the plates of staff who are already stretched thin.
“We used to chase clients for weeks on end looking for their signed forms. With the e-sign capabilities in the SafeSend Suite, we’ve seen those e-file forms returned to us in minutes.” – Martha Urrutia, Supervising Tax Senior, Baker Newman Noyes ?
Addressing the Manual Tasks Required Using Traditional E-Sign Solutions
Manually uploading and placing signature blocks is one area that can bog down the 8879 e-sign process. It may only take a few seconds to manually place them when using a traditional e-sign vendor solution that is designed for any use, but repeating the process on hundreds or thousands of 8879s can result in several hours of staffing time.
Traditional e-signature solutions are designed for sending one-off documents for e-sign. Sending 8879s separately to clients is another factor that can delay the process. When a taxpayer receives a separate email, it has a greater likelihood of getting overlooked, going to their spam or junk folder, or causing confusion as to what the document is and why they should be signing it. So, firms that send tax returns through encrypted email or a file-sharing system, then send IRS form 8879 in a separate transaction, aren’t communicating with their clients in the most effective manner.
Further Innovation a Direct Result of Listening to Customers
The first e-signature solution specifically for the tax & accounting profession, SignatureFlow?, was developed by SafeSend in 2012, and effectively eliminated the tedious task of manually placing signature blocks which saved precious time for firms.
A tax & accounting profession-specific e-sign experience was helpful, but SafeSend co-founder and Chief Innovation Officer, Steve Dusablon knew there was still room for improvement. “Our customers asked if there was a way to send the 8879 along with the tax return so that clients only received one email – a single transaction. So, we set out to solve the problem,” he said. The multi-year award-winning SafeSend Returns? released in 2015, was the result of listening to the needs of customers and how to help firms best serve their clients.
The Top 3 Things That Hinder 8879 Completion
When it comes to the 8879 IRS e-file signature authorization, frustration can occur on both the firm and the client side. Since firms must receive the completed and signed form from the taxpayer prior to transmitting the electronic return to the IRS, the 8879 can hold up the tax filing process.
Avoid the top three habits that can slow the completion process of IRS form 8879:
Clients who receive a paper document have to sign it, scan it, and email it or physically mail it back to the firm. A PDF version that doesn’t include an e-signature capability actually adds steps for your client because they have to print it to sign, then scan it to return via email or send the physical document through the mail.
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Clear communication with your clients about the e-sign solution and what is expected from them in the process includes them in the new workflow and eliminates potential hangups. Clients appreciate knowing what to look for from your firm and teaching them one process is much easier than sending them documents in multiple formats.
“Around filing time, we found that we had thousands of tax returns that had been done for weeks but hadn’t gotten the 8879 back from the client. With SafeSend, our 8879 issue has totally disappeared.” – Russell Goldberg, Partner, Withum
Give Form 8879 Completion Rates a Boost from the Firm Side
Providing staff with a system that removes the tedious, manual task of dragging and dropping signature boxes speeds up the process. Additionally, eliminating other roadblocks – like the need for two separate email addresses when sending form 8879 for signature from both taxpayer and spouse – saves time and headaches on the firm side. The e-sign solution in the natural workflow of the SafeSend Suite allows an 8879 that requires two unique signatures to be sent to one email address – whether only one spouse’s email address is known or if there is a shared email address!
The reporting feature within the SafeSend Suite of products gives your team in-depth data and provides the ability to easily see who has signed a document, who hasn’t, and easily send reminders asking clients to complete the desired task.
“You literally know when it shows up in the SafeSend dashboard as a completed 8879, you can let it fly in the tax program and you’re done.” – Virginia Dennerlein, Director of Operations, Sax LLP
Your Tax Season Evaluation Should Include the 8879 Completion Rate
Does your staff have to chase clients down to get the forms returned? Could your firm benefit from increased 8879 completion rates? Would you like to calculate 8879 completion rates in hours instead of days or weeks? Including your firm’s 8879 completion rate is a key factor to consider when evaluating the tax season. Reduce or eliminate logjams in your firm’s processes with the SafeSend Suite, the automation solution that saves time for firms, is simple for clients, and follows the natural tax workflow.
About the SafeSend Suite??
The SafeSend Suite workflow automation platform offers powerful functionality to tax and accounting professionals to address every client touch point across the tax engagement. Automate the manual tasks often associated with the back and forth of client communication through each season of the tax year!
At the core of the suite, SafeSend Returns, a multi-year winner of the CPA Practice Advisor Technology Innovation Award, eliminates the manual, labor-intensive tasks many tax departments experience during the assembly and delivery of client-ready tax returns.
Visit the SafeSend Suite page of our website to learn more about automating your tax engagement workflow and schedule a demo!