Form 8879 C IRS E File Signature Authorization For Form 1120 (2020)
Use a Form 8879 C IRS E file Signature Authorization For Form 1120 2020 template to make your document workflow more streamlined.
What Form 8879-C does
Form 8879-C, IRS e-file signature authorization for Form 1120, lets an authorized corporate officer approve electronic filing of the corporation’s 2020 income tax return after reviewing the prepared return. The paid preparer or electronic return originator keeps the signed authorization rather than sending it with the return unless IRS procedures require otherwise. In signNow, the preparer uploads the form, checks its fillable fields, assigns the officer, sends the request, and preserves the signed PDF with its audit trail.
Complete Form 8879-C online
Complete the 2020 Form 8879-C in signNow by preparing its tax authorization fields, obtaining the officer’s signature, and preserving the signed record.
Upload form:
Upload the 2020 Form 8879-C PDF to signNow. Check fields:
Review detected fields for the corporation, officer, and paid preparer. Assign signer:
Assign the corporate officer’s signature and date fields. Send securely:
Send the completed authorization to the designated signer. Archive records:
Download the signed record and completion certificate.
Recommended Form 8879-C workflow settings
Configure the Form 8879-C workflow around signer identity, evidentiary records, tax-record retention, and controlled access for preparers and corporate officers.
| Setting | Recommendation |
|---|---|
| Authentication method | Email verification with SMS OTP |
| Signature type | Electronic signature with audit evidence |
| Audit trail | Enable completion certificate and action history |
| Document retention | Apply IRC §6501(a) tax-record period |
| User provisioning | Assign preparers and officers by role |
How the Form 8879-C audit trail works
The audit trail records evidence around the Form 8879-C signing event, helping demonstrate who signed, when, and whether the completed file changed.
Authenticate signer:
Capture timestamp:
Hash document:
Seal document:
Log events:
Export trail:
Security controls for Form 8879-C
Encryption at rest:
Transport security:
Security certification:
Management certification:
Electronic-signature law:
Regulated data controls:
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Form 8879-C processing stages
The processing sequence follows document preparation, officer delivery, signature completion, and archival; IRS filing deadlines remain separate from signNow workflow timing.
Prepare document
Deliver to signer
Signer turnaround
Complete and archive
Find and fill out the correct 2020 form 8879 c irs e file signature authorization for form 1120
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| Versions | Form popularity | Fillable & printable |
|---|---|---|
| IRS 8879-C 2021 | 4.8 Satisfied (2628 Votes) | |
| IRS 8879-C 2020 | 4.8 Satisfied (2218 Votes) | |
| IRS 8879-C 2018 | 4.8 Satisfied (3112 Votes) | |
| IRS 8879-C 2017 | 4.8 Satisfied (137 Votes) | |
| IRS 8879-C 2016 | 4.7 Satisfied (535 Votes) |
Form 8879-C record retention schedule
Keep the signed authorization and supporting evidence with the federal tax records, applying the applicable IRS retention period and any longer documented business requirement.
Three years from filing
Six years for understatement
Indefinite for fraud
Three years with return
Three years for evidence
Risks of incorrect Form 8879-C use
Rejected authorization
Invalid signature
Evidence gap
Filing delay
Form 8879-C preparation challenges
The corporate officer’s name or title does not match the Form 1120 filing information, creating a preventable authorization mismatch. The preparer sends Form 8879-C before confirming the correct 2020 tax year and final Form 1120 return. A completed authorization is downloaded without its signNow audit trail or completion certificate, weakening the retained evidence package. The signer mistakes Form 8879-C authorization for IRS submission, although the electronic return process remains the preparer’s responsibility.
Best practices for Form 8879-C records
Preserve Form 8879-C as part of the Form 1120 workpaper set, with an exportable audit trail, controlled access, and retention based on IRC §6501(a).
Retain authorization with Form 1120 records
Export the complete signing evidence
Restrict access to tax records
Verify every authorization field
Business types using Form 8879-C
Form 8879-C is most useful where a corporation’s authorized officer must approve a prepared Form 1120 electronically before the filing team completes its e-file process.
Solo tax practitioners can prepare one corporation’s 2020 Form 8879-C, route it to the authorized officer, and retain the signed authorization without coordinating paper exchanges. Regional accounting firms can standardize Form 8879-C templates, assign preparers and corporate officers, and preserve audit trails across multiple Form 1120 client engagements. Enterprise tax departments can connect Form 8879-C approvals with controlled finance workflows, ensuring authorized officers sign the correct return documentation before electronic filing.
These tasks are executed by both individual contributors and centralized administrators depending on organizational policy and required controls.
Legal standing of Form 8879-C
Form 8879-C is an IRS e-file signature authorization for a Form 1120 return, not a substitute for the return itself. Its electronic signature can be legally recognized under ESIGN, 15 U.S.C. ch. 96, and applicable UETA law when intent, consent, attribution, and record reproducibility are established.
Form 8879-C troubleshooting
Resolve Form 8879-C preparation issues by checking signer authority, tax-year details, document integrity, plan capabilities, and the evidence retained after signing.
signNow Business includes templates, audit trails, mobile apps, and legally binding eSignatures. Upload the Form 8879-C PDF, confirm its fields, and assign the corporate officer. The signed document and completion certificate provide transaction evidence; ESIGN and UETA support electronic signatures in covered U.S. transactions.
Business pricing is $8 per user monthly with annual billing, while Business Premium is $15 and Enterprise is $30. The subscription plans include 100 signature invites per user annually, with overage fees. Choose Business Premium when bulk send is required for repeated Form 8879-C workflows.
Form 8879-C authorizes the electronic filing of a Form 1120 return; it does not replace the return or determine the corporation’s tax deadline. The paid preparer should verify the return, tax year, officer information, and authorization before sending the signature request.
Use signNow’s audit trail and completion certificate to preserve the signer’s action history, timestamps, and document record. These records support attribution and integrity evidence under ESIGN and applicable UETA provisions, but the corporation and preparer remain responsible for IRS filing compliance.
Business Premium includes bulk send, while Business includes templates and audit trails. If a tax practice sends substantially identical Form 8879-C authorizations, Premium can streamline repeated invitations; verify each corporation’s tax year, officer, preparer, and return details before sending.
signNow encrypts data in transit with TLS 1.2 or 1.3 and at rest with AES-256. Its compliance materials list SOC 2 Type II and ISO 27001, while ESIGN and UETA coverage concerns electronic-signature validity rather than IRS filing acceptance.
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