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Title 26 — Internal Revenue CodeRelease 119-73

§6061 Signing of Returns and Other Documents

Title 26 › Subtitle Subtitle F— Procedure and Administration › Chapter 61— INFORMATION AND RETURNS › Subchapter A— Returns and Records › Part IV— SIGNING AND VERIFYING OF RETURNS AND OTHER DOCUMENTS › § 6061

Last updated Apr 6, 2026|Official source

Summary

Tax returns and other required documents must be signed following the forms and rules the IRS prescribes. The IRS is directed to set up procedures for accepting digital or electronic signatures, and until those are in place it can waive the signature requirement or allow other ways of signing. A document signed under one of those alternative methods counts as fully signed for all purposes, including perjury penalties. The IRS must also publish standards for accepting electronic signatures when you authorize a tax practitioner to see your return information or act for you under a power of attorney.

Full Legal Text

Title 26, §6061

Internal Revenue Code — Source: USLM XML via OLRC

(a)Except as otherwise provided by subsection (b) and section 6062 and 6063, any return, statement, or other document required to be made under any provision of the internal revenue laws or regulations shall be signed in accordance with forms or regulations prescribed by the Secretary.
(b)(1)The Secretary shall develop procedures for the acceptance of signatures in digital or other electronic form. Until such time as such procedures are in place, the Secretary may—
(A)waive the requirement of a signature for; or
(B)provide for alternative methods of signing or subscribing,
(2)Notwithstanding any other provision of law, any return, declaration, statement, or other document filed and verified, signed, or subscribed under any method adopted under paragraph (1)(B) shall be treated for all purposes (both civil and criminal, including penalties for perjury) in the same manner as though signed or subscribed.
(3)(A)The Secretary shall publish guidance as appropriate to define and implement any waiver of the signature requirements or any method adopted under paragraph (1).
(B)Not later than 6 months after the date of the enactment of this subparagraph, the Secretary shall publish guidance to establish uniform standards and procedures for the acceptance of taxpayers’ signatures appearing in electronic form with respect to any request for disclosure of a taxpayer’s return or return information under section 6103(c) to a practitioner or any power of attorney granted by a taxpayer to a practitioner.
(C)For purposes of subparagraph (B), the term “practitioner” means any individual in good standing who is regulated under section 330 of title 31, United States Code.

Legislative History

Notes & Related Subsidiaries

Editorial Notes

References in Text

The date of the enactment of this subparagraph, referred to in subsec. (b)(3)(B), is the date of enactment of Pub. L. 116–25, which was approved July 1, 2019.

Amendments

2019—Subsec. (b)(3). Pub. L. 116–25 amended par. (3) generally. Prior to amendment, text of par. (3) read as follows: “The Secretary shall publish guidance as appropriate to define and implement any waiver of the signature requirements or any method adopted under paragraph (1).” 1998—Pub. L. 105–206 designated existing provisions as subsec. (a), inserted subsec. heading, substituted “Except as otherwise provided by subsection (b) and” for “Except as otherwise provided by”, and added subsec. (b). 1976—Pub. L. 94–455 struck out “or his delegate” after “Secretary”.

Statutory Notes and Related Subsidiaries

Effective Date

of 1998 Amendment Pub. L. 105–206, title II, § 2003(f), July 22, 1998, 112 Stat. 725, provided that: “The

Amendments

made by this section [amending this section and section 7502 of this title] shall take effect on the date of the enactment of this Act [July 22, 1998].”

Reference

Citations & Metadata

Citation

26 U.S.C. § 6061

Title 26 — Internal Revenue Code

Last Updated

Apr 6, 2026

Release point: 119-73