# Know who is signing, and keep the signed copy

Every signature on the platform rests on a verified identity. Clients prove who they are once and sign in without a password after that. They e-sign agreements, authorizations and consents. The signed copy and its certificate are filed in the archive.

## Verified with a photo ID, a selfie and a liveness check
Before sensitive work begins, a client proves who they are. They take a picture of a government ID and then a selfie. A liveness check proves a person is present. The result records the decision and how well the ID and the selfie matched. It also records any risk flags. It keeps only the last four digits of the ID's number. The report and images are filed in the archive as evidence. A client goes through the same check before authorizing the firm with the IRS. So does an outside professional before being admitted.

## Sign in without a password
After that check, sign-in uses a passkey on the client's phone or computer. It is the same one across the portal and the phone app. It is the same at every firm the client works with. A passkey sign-in counts as a higher level of assurance, or trust. A one-time code by email is the fallback and counts as a lower one. Signing a consent needs the higher level. So a step-up is asked for at that moment. Staff sign in once, without a password, across every tool.

## Outside professionals, verified before they join
A client's own accountant or attorney can be admitted to the client's record as a guest. The guest proves who they are the same way a client does. The guest then sets up a passkey or an authenticator. The guest also signs the consent instruments the law requires. Their access is limited to the areas the client chose. Those can be tax documents, the financial plan or the estate picture. It also has a time limit. The client sees the whole team on one screen and can remove anyone in one action.

## E-signature through BoldSign
Clients sign agreements, authorizations and consents through BoldSign. The firm starts from a template or its own document. Recipients can be signers, in-person signers or copied parties. A recipient can be made to pass a check before signing. It can be an access code, a text, a phone call or an identity check. Signing can be built into the portal. The client never leaves. Envelopes can be sent in bulk, resent, corrected or voided. Sending the same envelope twice does nothing.

## Or the firm's own DocuSign
A firm that already uses DocuSign connects its own account in a few steps. It keeps its own terms with the provider. Envelopes go out from the firm's account, and the firm's templates are used. The signed documents come back into the archive like any other. So the firm's record is complete whichever service it chose.

## The signed copy, kept
Every signed document comes back with its certificate of completion. It is stored encrypted in the archive, under the retention rule for its kind. Legal engagement letters keep their own longer rule. Fee agreements hold billing until they are signed. The e-file authorization holds filing, and consent instruments hold access. The archive shows who signed what, when, and with which level of identity. Read [Security & Control](/trust), see how the [client side](/clients) works, or [talk with us](/contact).