The short answer
Yes. The CRA accepts electronic signatures on forms T183, T183CORP, T183TRUST and several others. The party receiving the signed form must have verified the signer's identity, and certain forms need a date and time stamp down to the second. Keep the signed form together with its record of how and when it was signed, in case the CRA asks for it.
The forms the CRA accepts electronic signatures on
The CRA's page on electronic signatures lists these forms:
- T183, Information Return for Electronic Filing of an Individual's Income Tax and Benefit Return;
- T183CORP, for corporations filing electronically, and T183TRUST, for trust returns;
- T2183, for special elections;
- T2200, Declaration of Conditions of Employment, and T1223, Clergy Residence Deduction;
- CPT30, the election to stop contributing to the Canada Pension Plan;
- RC71 and RC72, for discounters;
- T183-GMT and UHT-183, the authorizations for the global minimum tax and the underused housing tax returns.
The list changes from time to time, so check the CRA's page before relying on it for a particular form.
What the CRA asks of you
Two conditions matter most in a practice:
- Identity. The party receiving the signed form must have verified the signer's identity. An e-signature tool can show that the person who signed controlled the email address the link went to, and can ask for a one-time code first. That is not the same as knowing who they are: confirming your client's identity, the way your practice already does, stays your step.
- A date and time stamp. For certain forms the CRA asks for the date (year, month, day) and the time (hour, minute, second) of the signature.
The CRA also asks electronic filers to keep the record that comes with the signed form, such as a certificate of completion, together with the form, in case it is requested in the CRA's monitoring programs.
How bSign covers the record
Every document sent with bSign ends with a sealed PDF and a certificate of completion that lists each signer, their email address, how they were asked to confirm it, and the exact date and time of each step, to the second. You can also print the signer's name and the date under each signature on the form itself. File the signed T183 and its certificate together, in bSign or in your own storage.
Getting T183s signed in tax season
- Templates. Set up the T183 once with the signature, name and date in place, and reuse it all season.
- Bulk send. Upload a spreadsheet of clients and bSign makes a separate document for each one, so nobody sees anyone else's copy.
- Reminders. Clients who haven't signed get a reminder on the schedule you choose, so you don't have to chase them in the last week of April.
- No account for clients. They sign from the link on their phone or computer.
Engagement letters can go out the same way: most business documents can be signed electronically in Canada (here is what the law says). More on bSign for accountants.
Sources
This guide is general information, not legal advice; for a particular document, ask a lawyer. Published 2026-10-04 by Binarium, the Ontario IT services company behind bSign.