What Is IRS Form 8821?

IRS Form 8821 enables applicants to authorize any individual, organization or partnership to inspect their tax information. Filing the form allows the designated party to receive confidential information relating to specific types of taxes and periods verbally or in writing. Applicants can also use Form 8821 to delete or revoke previously filed tax information authorizations.

Who Needs to File IRS Form 8821?

Tax form 8821 must be filed by individuals looking to authorize third parties to inspect or receive their tax information. Crucially, IRS Form 8821 doesn’t authorize designated parties to speak on the individual’s behalf, disclose a return to another third party or advocate the applicant’s position on federal tax laws, executive closing agreements, consents or waivers.

Correct Fax Numbers for IRS Form 8821

The correct fax number to file IRS Form 8821 will depend on the applicant’s location. People in Alabama, Arkansas, Connecticut, Delaware, the District of Columbia, Florida, Georgia, Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Mississippi, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, North Carolina, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, South Carolina, Tennessee, Vermont, Virginia, or West Virginia should send the form to fax number 1-855-214-7519. 

Applicants in Alaska, Arizona, California, Colorado, Hawaii, Idaho, Iowa, Kansas, Minnesota, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, Nevada, New Mexico, North Dakota, Oklahoma, Oregon, South Dakota, Texas, Utah, Washington, Wisconsin, or Wyoming should send the form to fax number 1-855-214-7522. 

People residing in APO and FPO addresses should send the form to 1-855-772-3156 if they’re US-based. People in American Samoa, the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands, Guam, the U.S. Virgin Islands, Puerto Rico or any foreign country should send fax form 8821 to 1-304-707-9785.

How to File IRS Form 8821?

If you’re wondering how to fax form 8821, the form can be downloaded via the IRS website. It can be submitted online or by mail, but the most secure way to file IRS Form 8821 is through an online faxing service. Applicants will need to complete all six sections, including their taxpayer identification number, and sign and date the form. When faxing form 8821, it’s also essential to include a fax cover sheet, providing information like the sender’s name, address, email address, fax number and phone number, the date of submission and the number of pages being sent. With the form completed, applicants can photograph or scan it to their phone or laptop, attach the file to a message in their online faxing solution and fax the form to the IRS.

Common Mistakes to Avoid When Filing IRS Form 8821

When filing IRS Form 8821, it’s crucial to avoid common mistakes like failing to sign and date the form or listing the incorrect recipient details. 

What Is IRS Form 2848?

IRS Form 2848 enables individuals to permit a qualified third party to act as their representative when dealing with the IRS.

Who Needs to File IRS Form 2848?

Tax form 2848 must be filed by businesses or individuals that require tax representation. The form is frequently used to appoint a third party with Power of Attorney or Declaration of Representative. Any third party must meet the IRS’ eligibility criteria to be appointed.

Correct Fax Numbers for IRS Form 2848

The correct fax number for filing IRS Form 2848 depends on the applicant’s location. People living in Alabama, Arkansas, Connecticut, Delaware, the District of Columbia, Florida, Georgia, Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Mississippi, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, North Carolina, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, South Carolina, Tennessee, Vermont, Virginia, or West Virginia must fax Form 2848 to fax number 1-855-214-7519.

Applicants in Alaska, Arizona, California, Colorado, Hawaii, Idaho, Iowa, Kansas, Minnesota, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, Nevada, New Mexico, North Dakota, Oklahoma, Oregon, South Dakota, Texas, Utah, Washington, Wisconsin, or Wyoming must send fax form 2848 to 1-855-214-7522. 

People living in APO and FPO addresses must fax form 2848 to 1-855-772-3156 if they’re in the US. Anyone in American Samoa, the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands, Guam, the U.S. Virgin Islands, Puerto Rico or any other foreign country should fax tax form 2848 to 1-304-707-9785.

How To File IRS Form 2848?

For anyone wondering how to fax Form 2848, the form can be downloaded from the IRS website. It can then be submitted online or by mail, but the most secure option is to file IRS Form 2848 through online faxing. When the form is fully completed, photograph or scan it to a phone or computer. The form can then be attached to a new fax message in the online faxing service and sent to the applicable fax number along with a fax cover sheet.

Common Mistakes to Avoid When Filing IRS Form 2848

When filing IRS Form 2848, it’s vital to avoid common errors, such as filing incorrect details about the applicant or the third party. Also, ensure the entire form is filled out without leaving any sections incomplete.

What Is IRS Form 8802?

IRS Form 8802, also known as the Application for United States Residency Certification, enables applicants to request US residency certification. Securing this certification allows an individual to claim tax treaty benefits, including reduced withholding rates in other countries. Form 8802 can help applicants request Form 6616, a letter of US residency certification that allows them to claim benefits under income tax treaties or value-added taxes (VAT). 

Who Needs to File IRS Form 8802?

Fax form 8802 must be filed by individuals or entities that require residency certification for fax treaty benefits. The certification provided by filing form 8802 must be uploaded when taxpayers make specific transactions, such as payments via Pay.gov.

Correct Fax Numbers for IRS Form 8802

Provide official fax numbers for submitting this form.

How to File IRS Form 8802?

Anyone wondering how to fax form 8802 can start the process by downloading it from the IRS website. Form 8802 must be submitted at least 45 days before the applicant submits Form 6166. When the form has been fully completed, it can be photographed or scanned and attached to a fax message in the applicant’s online faxing solution. When filing the form, accompany the fax message with a fax cover sheet that includes information like the sender’s name, address, email address, fax number and phone number, the date of submission and the number of pages being sent.

Common Mistakes to Avoid When Filing IRS Form 8802

When filing fax form 8802, avoid common errors, such as incorrect or incomplete payment details. Also, complete the entire form and provide all the required supporting documentation.

Why Use eFax for Secure IRS Authorization Form Filing

Filing tax forms can be stressful, time-consuming, and prone to errors, leaving people overwhelmed by paperwork and looming deadlines. Applicants must securely file authorization and representation IRS tax forms, such as Form 8821, Form 2848, Form 8802, Form 8809, Form 3115, Form 8233, and Form 8505. It’s, therefore, crucial to understand the correct Form 8821 fax number, Form 2848 fax number, and Form 8802 fax number.

Choosing a reliable online faxing solution can simplify and speed up the process of filing IRS authorization and representation forms. eFax makes filing tax forms online secure and convenient, with the benefits of using eFax to file IRS tax forms including:

Encrypted Filing: Applicants must provide sensitive information within IRS authorization forms, including their personal and financial or payment information. So it’s vital to use secure tools that protect this data. eFax guarantees data within IRS forms can’t be intercepted or stolen by encrypting fax messages using AES 256-bit and Transport Layer Security (TLS) encryption.

IRS Form Delivery Confirmation: The IRS doesn’t provide confirmation when IRS forms are successfully received. However, eFax provides applicants with instant delivery confirmation when their IRS fax form is received.

Quality Support: Filing IRS tax forms can be challenging, but eFax removes some of the stress by providing quality customer support. This includes the eFax Help Center, which provides information on how to send and receive faxes, change account preferences, billing information, and a downloadable user guide.

Fax Cover Sheets: Filed IRS forms must be accompanied by fax cover sheets, on which applicants provide personal details, the date and the number of pages sent. This process can be time-consuming and it’s easy for applicants to omit required details. eFax simplifies this process with a wide selection of pre-designed, customizable cover sheets that meet applicants’ requirements.

FAQs About IRS Authorization & Representation Forms

Can I use a faxed Form 8821 for multiple tax years?

Yes, filing IRS Form 8821 by fax enables you to provide confidential tax information over multiple tax years and periods.

How do I confirm the IRS received my Form 2848?

The IRS typically won’t confirm receipt of your IRS Form 2848 submission. However, eFax’s online faxing solution provides instant delivery confirmation that your submission has been received successfully.

What supporting documents are needed for Form 8802?

No supporting documents are required to complete IRS Form 8802. However, it can be used to request IRS Form 6616, a letter of US residency certification that allows them to claim benefits under income tax treaty or value-added tax (VAT).

Fax forwarding is a modern solution to manage your fax communications with ease and flexibility. It allows you to send faxes directly to an email address or another fax number, which makes it ideal for remote work, paperless offices and efficient document management in general. 

Here, you’ll learn what fax forwarding is, how it works and how to set it up for your business or personal needs.

What is Fax Forwarding?

Fax forwarding is the process of automatically redirecting incoming faxes to another destination, like an email address or a secondary fax number. This feature can eliminate the need to rely on a traditional fax machine and help make sure that you never miss an important document. This is true even when you’re away from your office.

By redirecting faxes automatically, fax forwarding helps assure seamless access to important communications without the constraints of being tied to a physical device. 

This is particularly beneficial for industries where efficient document handling is crucial like: 

• Legal
• Real estate
• Healthcare 

It allows you to maintain productivity and responsiveness, whether you’re in the office, working remotely, or traveling. When you convert incoming faxes into digital formats like PDFs, fax forwarding makes it easier to manage, store and share documents. 

Whether you’re working remotely or handling a high volume of faxes, forwarding can simplify communication and improve efficiency.

5 Key Benefits of Fax Forwarding to Email

Fax forwarding to email offers significant advantages for businesses and individuals. It’s more than just a convenience—it’s a powerful tool to modernize your communication processes while you boost productivity and reduce operational costs.

From improved accessibility to reducing your environmental footprint, here’s how fax forwarding can streamline your workflow and improve operations.

1. Access Faxes Anywhere

When you forward faxes, you can still access them from any device that has an internet connection. Whether you’re in the office, working from home or traveling, this flexibility ensures that important documents are always within reach. 

Instead of being tied to a physical fax machine, you can manage your communications on the go, keeping you connected no matter where work takes you.

2. Save Time and Resources

Forwarding faxes to your email eliminates the need for manual handling of physical documents, such as printing or scanning. By digitizing the process, fax forwarding streamlines operations and helps you focus on more critical tasks.

This not only reduces the time spent managing faxes but, when your communications are forwarded to the email address, it can cut costs associated with maintaining traditional fax machines. You won’t necessarily have to pay for paper, toner and repairs. 

3. Streamline Document Management

Incoming faxes are automatically converted into digital formats like PDFs, when you forward faxes, and delivered directly to your email inbox. This makes organization, storage and retrieval of important documents much easier. 

You can save faxes in email folders or cloud storage alongside other correspondence to make sure your files are centralized and easily accessible when needed. 

4. Level Up Collaboration

Fax forwarding simplifies sharing important documents with colleagues, clients or partners. Instead of needing to make additional copies or manually distribute faxes, you can forward your email attachments as fax messages. 

This quick and efficient process improves collaboration, minimizes delays and helps you make sure everyone has the information they need when they need it.

5. Reduce Environmental Impact

Going digital with fax forwarding significantly lowers your reliance on paper, ink, and energy-intensive machines. By reducing waste and cutting down on resource consumption, you contribute to a more eco-friendly work environment. 

Fax forwarding aligns with sustainable business practices while saving costs and improving efficiency. For detailed instructions, see our guide on how to fax to email. 

The Working Process of Fax Forwarding to Email

Fax forwarding to email uses online fax services or multifunction printers to digitize and send faxes electronically. Faxes are received, converted, and delivered to your email. 

Here’s how it works:

• When someone sends a fax to your number, it’s processed by the forwarding system instead of being printed on a traditional fax machine.
• The system converts the incoming fax into a digital format, typically a PDF or TIFF file, that is easy to view and share electronically.
• The converted document is automatically forwarded to the email address linked to your fax account. You’ll receive the fax as an email attachment, ready to download, read, or forward.

This process helps you make sure you can access and manage your faxes from any device, providing flexibility and convenience.

Setting Up Fax Forwarding on a Multifunction Printer

If you’re using a multifunction printer with fax capabilities, you can often set up fax forwarding to email. You’ll need to access the printer settings, enter your email address, configure file format options then save and test the settings. 

Here’s how set up fax forwarding on a compatible printer:

1. Navigate to the printer’s menu and locate the fax settings. Look for the “Fax Forwarding” or “Email Forwarding” option.
2. Input the email address where you want incoming faxes to be forwarded. Some printers allow you to add multiple email addresses for additional recipients.
3. Select the desired file format for forwarded faxes, such as PDF or TIFF. This will help make sure your faxes are compatible with your devices and systems.
4. Save your changes and perform a test fax to confirm that forwarded documents are delivered correctly to your email inbox.

While this setup works well for many users, an online fax service like eFax can provide additional features, including mobile access, cloud integration and automatic archiving.

To explore what you can get with an account, explore eFax’s suite of features. 

eFax: A Cost-Effective Way to Forward Faxes

With eFax, forwarding faxes to your email is simple and efficient. You can enjoy automatic delivery to email, access on any device, lifetime storage, eco-friendly communication and a user-friendly interface.

Here’s how it works:

• Incoming faxes are automatically converted into digital files and delivered directly to your email inbox as attachments.
• Whether you’re using a smartphone, tablet, or computer, you can access forwarded faxes from anywhere.
• eFax provides lifetime storage for your faxes, which can help you make sure important documents are always accessible.
• By eliminating paper and energy-intensive fax machines, eFax helps reduce your environmental footprint.
• The intuitive platform makes it easy to set up and manage fax forwarding, even for users with no technical experience.

Switching to eFax offers a hassle-free solution to manage your faxes while saving time and money. Our fax forwarding can simplify your document management and boost productivity. 

To enjoy convenient, eco-friendly and flexible faxing solutions tailored to your needs, sign up with eFax today.

Modern mobile phones enable people to be as productive as possible while on the go in ways that were unimaginable at the turn of the century. Given the capabilities and possibilities of new mobile technology, how to fax from iPhone without app may seem obsolete – yet many businesses continue to rely on the security benefits of online faxing. 

Apple doesn’t provide specific applications for sending and receiving fax messages. 

However, if you’ve wondered how to send a fax from iPhone without app, it is possible to share critical documents and sensitive data via fax from your iPhone. Faxing is still widely used to share sensitive information in highly regulated industries like healthcare, legal and manufacturing. And, with the assistance of online faxing services like eFax, the question ‘can you fax from iPhone without an app?’ is easier to answer than ever before.

Can You Fax From an iPhone Without an App?

Sending faxes from an iPhone without relying on an application provides an alternative to relying on physical fax machines, which require employees to be in the office to share critical documents with their clients and colleagues. Sending faxes from an iPhone removes this fixed requirement, enabling people to send and receive fax messages anytime and anywhere.

If you’re looking for an option for how to send a fax from iPhone without app free, you should know it is possible using your iPhone’s web browser or email client. These solutions allow you to upload photos or documents and enter your recipient’s contact information to send faxes without downloading any additional software. However, sending a fax from your iPhone requires you to log in to an online fax solution like eFax in your web browser or integrate the service with your email account.

A faster, more convenient method for sending and receiving faxes from your iPhone is to download eFax’s iOS app. The app guarantees secure faxing, using leading encryption technologies to protect sensitive data.

3 Methods to Fax from iPhone Without an App

Users looking for an option for how to fax from iPhone without an app can use their mobile phone’s built-in features to send fax messages. iPhones provide three potential options for users to access faxing services:

Email to Fax

For anyone questioning ‘can I fax from my iPhone without an app?,’ the most convenient option may be to send fax messages directly from your iPhone’s email client or web browser. This approach enables users to access email services and transmit documents to fax machines and fax numbers. To start faxing on your iPhone, open the device’s email application or log in to your email provider on your web browser. You can then compose an email message, attach files, photos and documents and draft a brief cover letter.

The key to sending a fax via email is to enter your contact’s fax number and provider in the recipient field. The designated format should include the contact’s fax number and their fax provider, to look like this: [email protected]. You can then hit the send button, verify the email server settings and monitor your inbox for confirmation from the recipient’s fax service provider.

Online Fax Services Accessible via Browser

iPhones don’t support native faxing from the device, but it’s also possible to access additional fax services via an iPhone’s built-in web browser. In addition to accessing email services via the browser, cloud services and collaboration tools can integrate with an online faxing provider. These online services have web platforms that allow users to upload images and documents and then share them via the integrated fax solution. 

iPhone’s Built-in Features

Users can also address the how to fax from iPhone without app conundrum by using their device’s built-in features. For example, the iPhone camera doubles up as a scanner, enabling you to take a photo and save a document in the device’s files. Additionally, using the iPhone Notes app, users can tap the camera icon and scan a document. The app automatically detects edges, applies necessary corrections and saves the document as a PDF when scanning is complete.

5 Best Practices for Successful Faxing from an iPhone

The versatility of iPhones makes it easier than ever for employees to send and receive fax messages at any time. But to get the most out of how to fax from iPhone without an app, it’s vital to follow these best practices:

Guarantee Service Compatibility

Before attempting to send fax messages from an iPhone, ensure your chosen solution, such as email-to-fax or integrating a cloud service provider with an online fax tool, is compatible. Also, verify that it supports the file format of your documents, such as PDF or JPG.

Deliver High-Quality Documents 

When sending faxes from an iPhone, it’s vital to share high-quality documents that are easy for recipients to read. When taking photos of documents to scan via the iPhone camera, ensure you’re working in a well-lit area that doesn’t create glare on the mobile screen. Also, hold the phone steady while taking the photo to prevent the image from blurring or cutting off vital parts of the document. Verify the clarity of the image scan and check the entire document is visible and eligible before hitting send.

Guarantee A Stable Internet Connection

Delivering fax messages from an iPhone relies on a reliable internet connection. This removes the risk of errors occurring during the fax transmission, which could result in the fax not being received or some scanned pages being missed from the sent message. 

Check Recipient Contact Details

The sensitive nature of faxed messages, including personal details, critical legal or health information or financial data, means it’s vital to only send fax messages to the intended recipient. Double-check the fax number or email address before sending a fax message from your iPhone. Making a mistake with the recipient details could result in sensitive information being sent to unauthorized individuals, leading to data leaks and contravening data privacy regulations.

Implement Appropriate Security Measures 

Many businesses in highly regulated industries choose fax communication as it guarantees the security of sensitive documents. So it’s critical to ensure that the online solution you choose when you decide how to send a fax from iPhone without app offers the same levels of security. Implement encryption technology to protect data in sent faxes and when documents are stored on corporate filing systems or employee devices.

eFax: The Ideal Choice for Sending Faxes from Your iPhone

While you can send a fax from an iPhone without an app, the most effective, efficient and secure way to send and receive fax messages is through an online faxing service like eFax. Digital faxing solution eFax makes it easy for users to securely send and receive fax messages on their iPhones anytime and anywhere. The benefits of implementing eFax into your technology stack include: 

Encryption Guarantees Secure Faxing

eFax uses industry-leading encryption technology to ensure all sent and received fax messages are always secure. The online faxing solution encrypts all data and documents using AES 256-bit and Transport Layer Security (TLS) encryption. This ensures that faxes can’t be read and data can’t be stolen, even if a malicious actor manages to intercept the message.

Data Regulation Compliance

Businesses engaging in fax communication must maintain robust auditing and reporting processes. eFax helps companies manage their faxing processes in line with data privacy and compliance regulations like the California Consumer Privacy Act (CCPA), the Health Insurance Portability, HIPAA and the European Union’s General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR).

Huge Cost Savings

Fax communication can become an expensive process for businesses, whether they use physical fax machines or enable solutions for how to send a fax from iPhone without app free. Physical fax machines are costly to purchase, regularly maintain and stock with supplies like paper, ink and toner. While enabling employees to send faxes from online services like email providers and cloud solutions can see costs spiral if people demand access to multiple software tools. eFax removes the need for companies to purchase expensive fax machines and provides one solution for all their secure faxing requirements.

Unlimited Cloud Storage 

eFax provides unlimited cloud storage, enabling companies to store all their sent and received fax communication without concerns over critical documents being lost or deleted. All sent and received faxes are stored securely in the eFax cloud environment, which can be accessed anytime on any device.

Integrations With Leading Technology Solutions

eFax provides integrations with popular best-in-class enterprise applications and workflows, such as email providers, social media services, collaboration tools and cloud storage solutions. These capabilities make it easy for businesses to integrate eFax into their existing infrastructure and enable employees to securely send and receive fax messages on their iPhones.

FAQs Around Faxing From iPhone Without an App

Can I fax directly from my iPhone?

Apple doesn’t provide a direct faxing solution, but you can fax directly from your iPhone using an email solution, web browser or an online faxing service like eFax.

How can I fax from iPhone without an app for free?

If you’re wondering, ‘can you fax from iPhone without an app,’ the answer is yes, you can. Three standard solutions enable you to fax from your iPhone: email to fax, accessing online solutions via a web browser, and using built-in features like the iPhone camera and the Notes app.

What file formats are best for faxing from iPhone?

When considering how to fax from iPhone without app, the process works similarly to other communication formats like email. Typically, an online fax solution will be compatible with common file formats like Word documents, PDFs, Excel documents and images like JPEGs.

How secure is faxing from an iPhone without an app?

Before exploring how to fax from iPhone without an app, security has to be a first thought. Faxing without an app may not be secure if your online solution or email provider doesn’t protect sent messages with encryption. A more secure option is a dedicated online faxing solution like eFax, which uses industry-leading encryption technology.

How long does it take to send a fax from an iPhone?

Many people are discovering can I fax from my iPhone without an app is quick and easy. The process is as simple as opening your email app or the eFax online faxing app, creating a message, scanning or attaching an image or document and then hitting send. You can send a fax from an iPhone in less than a minute with eFax.

Thanks to the adoption of digital workflows and processes in workplaces, you can sign and send important documents using a computer or tablet. As these documents must remain secure and legal, you can use digital signatures to ensure their authenticity and integrity. In this blog post, we’ll explore digital signatures, the benefits of using them versus traditional signatures, how they work, and how you can use them effectively.

Understanding Digital Signatures

Before you can start using digital signatures in your business workflow, it’s essential to understand what they are. 

What is a Digital Signature?

A digital signature is a way to sign documents electronically using enhanced security features and a computer or mobile device. Digital signatures carry the same authority as handwritten signatures.

5 Key Benefits of Using Digital Signatures

Are you curious about the benefits of using digital rather than handwritten signatures? Below, we’ll cover five key benefits of digital signatures and how they can improve your business workflow.

What are the Benefits of Digital Signatures?

1. Security: Digital signatures provide better protection against signature tampering and help ensure document integrity.
2. Environmentally friendly: When you can sign documents digitally, you don’t have to print and mail physical documents. This saves ink, toner, and paper. 
3. On-the-go convenience: Digital signatures allow you to sign documents remotely from any location using an internet-connected device.
4. Reduce manual tasks: When you can automate the document signing process, you reduce the manual work you must accomplish daily.
5. Legal validity: More than just convenience, digital signatures offer legally binding validity to your documents in many areas.

How Digital Signatures Work

Understanding how digital signatures work can make it easier for you to select a digital document provider and get approval from internal stakeholders. 

How Do Digital Signatures Work?

1. First, you upload your document to a software like eFax. The software solution creates a document hash and uses your private key to encrypt the hash. This creates a unique digital signature for your document.
2. After you send your document to the recipient, the receiving software uses your public key to decrypt the signature. Then, the recipient’s system recalculates the hash and ensures it matches the decrypted value.
3. If the hashes match, the document and its signature have not been tampered with. This ensures the signature is valid and confirms the document’s authenticity and integrity.

3 Different Classes of Digital Signatures

There are three different classes of digital signatures that each offer increasing levels of identity. Your business security needs will help you decide which class of digital signature support is right for you. 

Classes and Types of Digital Signatures

Simple Signatures

This type of signature verifies only the signer’s identity and captures the individual’s intent to sign the document. Simple signatures don’t always guarantee that the document hasn’t been altered after signing. They also don’t capture the time that the document was signed. For example, clicking an “I Agree” checkbox on a software download window captures your approval to download the software but doesn’t guarantee that the software is secure.

Advanced Electronic Signatures (AdES) 

AdES digital signatures verify the identity of the signer, the content origin, and the time the document was signed. By adding these crucial elements, AdES goes beyond simple identity validation. An example of AdES is signing a contract with a company online. These types of signatures ensure that the company is legitimate and that the agreement was not altered after you signed it.

Qualified Electronic Signatures (QES) 

QES provides the highest security and legal validity for digital signatures, as they require a qualified certificate from a trusted certificate authority (CA). QES are often considered equivalent to handwritten signatures, and they provide the highest level of assurance regarding the identity, data integrity, and origin of the signer. For example, legally binding forms like government forms and financial transactions use QES.

How to Create Legally Binding Digital Signatures

Now that you know what digital signatures are and why you might want to use them over ink and paper signatures, learn how to create legally binding digital signatures.

To do so, use an authorized electronic document signing solution to create a secure and legal digital signature, then use the digital signature to complete your documents. 

The right solution for your business depends on your business needs, but most solutions offer features like bulk signing, customizable signing options and varied levels of authorization and validation. 

Here are a few different ways you can create a digital signature:

Draw a Signature

You can use your finger on a smartphone or tablet screen to draw a signature. Then, you can save the signature and use it on documents to sign them.

Use a Digital Signing Pad

If you can access a digital signing pad, you can use the stylus pen and draw your digital signature. This option is useful when you need your digital signature to be recognizable as the one you use on paper documents. 

Type Your Signature into a Template 

If your electronic signature solution provides templates, you can select a style you like and use it to create a custom digital signature.

Upload a Handwritten Signature

You can take a picture of your physical signature on your mobile device and then upload it to the digital signature software you’re using. Once you save the signature, you can use it to sign your documents digitally.

Common Use Cases of Digital Signatures

Anyone can benefit from using digital signatures. Some businesses that may find digital signatures particularly useful are legal, financial, healthcare, government, and supply chain entities. Below, we’ll cover common use cases of digital signatures for these types of businesses. 

Use Cases for Digital Signatures

1. Law Offices

Legal entities like law offices can use digital signatures for lawyers and clients to sign agreements, non-disclosures, leases, and more.

2. Financial Institutions

Banks can use digital signatures to allow customers to sign loan documents, insurance paperwork, tax documents, and more.

3. Healthcare

Doctor’s offices and hospitals can use a patient portal with digital signatures to let patients sign consent forms and new patient paperwork. Providers can digitally sign prescriptions and referrals.

4. Government Forms

Government entities like the IRS can allow you to sign your tax documents with digital signatures. You can also sign social security documents online, eliminating the need to mail, fax, or deliver information to a local Social Security office.  

5. Supply Chain Management

Businesses in the supply chain management industry can use digital signatures to validate purchase orders and invoices on the go. This enables you to get work done during work travel or when you’re out of the office.

eFax: An Efficient Way to Sign Documents Electronically

eFax is a secure and efficient platform that supports your digital document signing. eFax offers you an easy way to sign and send your documents electronically and provides these additional features:

• Security and reliability: eFax boasts robust encryption and security protocols to protect sensitive data. These enhanced security options ensure your documents remain compliant with standards like HIPAA.
• Cloud-based access: Get access to your documents anywhere, anytime. Cloud storage means you can upload documents from your smartphone and send them anywhere you have internet access.
• Workflow efficiency: When you don’t have to print, sign and mail documents, your workflow efficiency increases across your team. 
• Boosted collaboration: With eFax, you can easily share documents across your team and collaborate in real-time.

As businesses and processes go increasingly digital, employees are no longer tied to their office desks, and fax machines and fixed phone lines are being consigned to the past. However, digital fax ensures that faxing remains a critical communication tool for many organizations, especially those operating in highly regulated industries like healthcare, legal and manufacturing.

Digital Fax 101

Digital faxing enables companies to continue sharing sensitive data and critical documents without relying on paper and traditional fax machines. But what is a digital fax? Also known as e-faxing or online faxing, the process involves a digital fax number and the use of mobile phones, laptops or PCs as digital fax machines.

Digital fax servers allow users to send and receive electronic faxes on any device, often within email and desktop applications and integrated enterprise platforms and workflows. The process ensures that sensitive and confidential information is shared securely, improving compliance and removing the risk of paper faxes being lost or misplaced.

Organizations can manage fax communications centrally, using an online faxing solution like eFax to securely file sent and received messages. This is particularly crucial as organizations digitize their processes. Paper-based messages must be shared with multiple departments or manually entered into a company’s systems for auditing purposes. Taking this digital ensures faxes can be directly integrated into enterprise applications, such as accounting and content management systems, and then seamlessly stored for secure filing.

The Rise of Digital Faxing Technology

The ease of use and practicality of digital faxing has seen its popularity surge, driving an 11.03% increase in revenue for the fax services market between 2022 and 2027, according to ReportLinker research. The technology is on the rise as it enables users to send digital fax messages on the go, enhancing productivity while maintaining security and compliance.

This capability is critical for companies operating in highly regulated industries. For example, integrating digital faxing with enterprise applications like document management systems enables healthcare providers to optimize patient information exchange, ensure compliance with data privacy regulations like the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) and increase productivity.

6 Benefits of Digital Faxing

Moving from traditional physical fax machines to digital faxing offers multiple benefits, including:

Digital Faxing On The Go

One of the most significant drawbacks of relying on traditional fax machines is the requirement for employees to be physically present at their office to send and receive faxes. Transforming a device like a mobile phone into a digital fax machine removes this requirement, enabling employees to send faxes anytime, anywhere. 

Enhanced Fax Security

Using traditional processes, fax messages are printed on the recipient’s fax machine, and anyone in the office can access the sensitive data. Taking faxing digital ensures that received messages are confined to users’ mobile phones and computers, alleviating concerns of confidential documents being picked up by mistake or unauthorized individuals.

Remote Working Capabilities

The new age of digital and hybrid working means it’s increasingly important for employees to work productively at any time and from anywhere. Digital faxing allows users to work remotely, sending and receiving fax messages on their mobile device or laptop whenever and wherever they need to, be it working from home, a cafe, a hotel or an airport.

Greater Collaboration

Organizations operating in highly regulated industries often rely on collaboration between cross-functional departments and teams. Sharing information across these teams using traditional fax processes is time-consuming, prone to error and expensive. However, digital fax solutions enable users to share virtual links to documents and quickly share updates, design changes, and progress reports. This significantly streamlines project management, makes users more productive and simplifies decision-making across the organization, enabling companies to meet project timelines and achieve objectives with greater efficiency. 

Improved Organization

Managing all fax messages sent and received by employees can be a cumbersome, almost impossible task using traditional fax processes. Digital faxing transforms the organization of fax communication, automatically filing users’ sent and received messages and enabling quick and simple search capabilities. 

Cost Reduction

Traditional fax machines can be costly to purchase and manage, with additional costs to carry out maintenance, keep them topped up with paper, ink and toner, and purchase fixed phone lines. Digital faxing removes these costs as there’s no need for phone lines, fax machine supplies or service updates. 

How Digital Faxing Technology Works?

Modern digital faxing makes the challenge of how to send a digital fax far more simple than using a traditional fax machine. A digital fax machine, such as a smartphone or laptop, uses the internet to transmit data and send a fax message to a digital fax number, rather than using fixed phone lines.

Digital Fax vs. Traditional Fax: A Detailed Breakdown

There are significant differences between digital faxing and traditional fax, including:

eFax: A Reliable Digital Fax Solution for Businesses

Digital faxing solution eFax makes it easy for businesses and users to secure fax numbers and send and receive messages at any time, from anywhere and on any device. The benefits of eFax include:

Secure Faxing: eFax ensures all sent and received messages are kept safe and secure at all times. The solution encrypts data and fax messages on user devices and while in transit using AES 256-bit and Transport Layer Security (TLS) encryption. 

Regulatory Compliance: eFax helps companies to maintain robust auditing and reporting. The solution helps them bring their faxing processes in line with data privacy and compliance requirements like the California Consumer Privacy Act (CCPA), the Health Insurance Portability, HIPAA and the European Union’s General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR).

Cost Saving: eFax helps companies to keep costs down by removing the need to buy and maintain fax machines and purchase office supplies and phone lines. 

Storage Options: eFax makes faxing accessible and convenient through unlimited cloud storage. All messages sent and received by users are stored in the secure eFax cloud environment, which is accessible at any time on any device. This removes concerns about critical documents being lost or deleted.

Tech Integration: eFax is compatible with popular business applications and workflows, making it easy to integrate with existing infrastructure. Employees can maximize productivity by using the service through email and social media services, collaboration tools and cloud storage solutions.