FinCEN - Client Letter and E-Signatures

[steven]

I would like to display a section in the Client Letter when a return includes Form 114. I am not seeing how to do this. Is this available?

Does anyone know, when using E-Signatures, if the client package includes the 114 as to whether the 114a will be include and filled with appropriate DocuSign fields in in the list of E-File forms (like 8879)?

[1040up]

When I go to the e-file dashboard I do not see this either but I believe I figured out how to get the FinCEN Form 114a ready for eSignatures using Intuit ProConnect.  Here are the steps in the "File Return" section:

1. Go to the "Partial print to PDF", tick the box for "114a", click on "Download PDF" once it has generated, and then save the PDF of the Form(s) 114a to your desktop.

2. Go to the "eSignature" section and click on "Client Authorization eSignature". The "Federal 8879" and state e-file consent form (if applicable), should already be ticked.

3. Click on "Start a request", which should then bring you to the next screen where you will see a dropdown with the words "Select document type".

4. In the dropdown, select "Other document for eSignature" and then click on the blue "Browse" button, which will open up the Desktop where you can upload the Form(s) 114 you saved in Step #1. 

5. Once you upload the Form(s) 114, it should listed now as a document. View it to make sure that's the one. Once all good, then click on "Next".

6. You should then see the system creating the forms in DocuSign to be e-Signed. 

7. You will note that the Form 8879 and state equivalent e-File consent form(s) will have the taxpayer and spouse's "Sign" and "Date Signed" icons in yellow and blue colors respectively but that the Form(s) 114a will not have these.  

8. In order to add these, there is a toggle at the top for the primary taxpayer and spouse/partner with their names. Select the one who needs to sign and date the form on Lines 7 and 8 respectively. Then, on the left side you will see "Standard Fields".  Click and hold on the "Stamp" icon and drag it to the Line 7.  Then, click and hold on "Date Signed" and drag it to Line 8. 

9. If the spouse needs to sign this same Form 114 (i.e., joint FBAR), then toggle at the top to select the spouse's name, and repeat the steps in Point #7 above to add the spouse's "Sign" and "Date Signed" icons. Your check is that the colors of the "Sign" and "Date Signed" should be different.

10. Once you have completed the above for any other Form(s) 114a, then save and click on the next steps.  

I didn't write down the next steps but when you are back in Intuit, you should be able to click on "Next" to generate the email template to send to your taxpayers.

I hope this helps and I will try to update this solution on my next one so that we can all use these instructions.

[DatabaseRobert]

We prefer to use the split out "Filing Instructions" pages, and in part for precisely this reason.  So far as I recall, the FBAR has its own page of instructions indicating whose signatures are needed.

Try checking the box to get the reduced letter text, and split the Filing Instructions out to their own pages?  You may be pleasantly surprised with the results.



Robert