The ability to have electronic signature or electronically sign various documents has never been more important than it is in the midst of a pandemic.
The ability to electronically sign documents has never been more important than it is in the midst of a pandemic.
Here at HMW Group, we are applying digital signature technology to a suite of common documents to streamline the execution experience for our clients.
Please see below the answers to some frequently asked questions around electronic signing. If you have a specific question that is not addressed, please get in touch.
What sort of documents can be signed electronically?
Each State is different, but here in Queensland electronic signatures can be used on most documents, including:
- Income tax returns
- Financial statements
- ASIC annual returns
- Director and Trustee resolutions
- Contracts and agreements
What can’t be signed electronically?
Deeds and Government-issued documents are the most common documents that still require a ‘wet’ signature. Land title forms, mortgages, trust documents, and documents requiring witnessing are generally still required to be printed and signed.
How do I sign a document?
HMW Group uses DocuSign for electronic signatures. Simply follow the prompts within the signing email to sign on your personal mobile device, laptop or PC. Signatures can be applied by drawing on your touch screen, typing your name, using the default display format, or applying an uploaded image.
Does it matter that it doesn’t look like my signature?
Where you select to use the default signature setting, the signature applied will not be an accurate visual representation of your signature. When it comes to signing electronically, the image itself is not what’s important as your identity is verified through capturing your name, email address, and IP address. None of that is very exciting to look at, so DocuSign applies a generic signature style to show at a glance that the document has been signed.
Who is the sender of these documents?
The account we use to send you emails to sign documents electronically will differ depending on what the document is.
For Self-Managed Superannuation Funds, you will receive an email from smsf@hmwgroup.com.au both before and after the fund’s audit. For corporate secretarial services, the signing email will come from registry@hmwgroup.com.au.
All other documents will come to you directly from your accountant or one of our friendly admin team.
Is there a fee to sign electronically?
Quite the opposite. Sending you documents to sign electronically not only saves you time, but money as well. Rather than having our team spend time printing and scanning hard copy documents, we can now complete the process in a couple of clicks.
What if I don’t have a DocuSign account?
Don’t worry! Our clients benefit from our DocuSign subscription, which means you don’t need your own account.
Once a document has been signed you will receive a prompt asking you if you’d like to create a free account to store signed documents. This is completely up to you, as we will retain a copy on our file for the relevant timeframes.
Is my information secure?
DocuSign is a widely-trusted provider who takes lengthy measures to ensure the security of documents exchanged on their platform. If you’d like to know more about the security technologies, policies and practices that protect your documents and data within DocuSign please click here.
What if I don’t want to use DocuSign?
If you would prefer to print documents and sign a hard copy you can do so by following the signing link we send to you, then selecting “Print & Sign” from the menu. Once signed, you can then email or post the document back to our office.
Why aren’t I receiving signing emails?
It is possible that your email provider or software flags emails with signing links as SPAM. Simple add the domain hmwgroup.com.au to your trusted senders list, or take a look in your junk email folder.
