Iowa Sales Tax Exemption Certificate Form (2020)

Use a Iowa Sales Tax Exemption Certificate Fillable Form 2020 template to make your document workflow more streamlined.

Iowa sales tax exemption certificate overview

The Iowa Sales Tax Exemption Certificate Form (2020) is a purchaser’s record explaining why an Iowa sale should receive exempt treatment. The purchaser completes the identifying information, states the applicable exemption basis, and signs for the business; the certificate is then provided to the seller for its records. It is not a tax return or a substitute for proving eligibility. A seller may request supporting information, and the purchaser should retain the signed form with the invoice. signNow can upload the form, detect fields, route signatures, and preserve the completed PDF with an Audit Trail.

Business purchasers

Purchasing teams provide the Iowa certificate to sellers when buying goods or services claimed as exempt, preserving purchaser details, exemption basis, and authorization evidence with the transaction file.

Tax and finance teams

Tax, finance, and accounts-payable staff use the signed certificate to support Iowa sales tax treatment, connect it to invoices, and respond to seller or audit requests.

How the Iowa certificate works

The Iowa Sales Tax Exemption Certificate Form (2020) documents why a purchaser claims an Iowa sales tax exemption and gives the seller a record for its files.

Confirm eligibility: Identify the Iowa purchase and exemption basis before completing the certificate.
Complete details: Enter purchaser, seller, business, and transaction details exactly as requested.
Sign certificate: Sign the certificate with the authorized representative’s name and date.
Deliver and retain: Give the completed certificate to the Iowa seller and retain evidence.

Steps to complete the Iowa certificate

Use signNow to prepare the Iowa certificate, route it to the authorized signer, and preserve the completed record with its audit evidence.

Upload form:
Upload the Iowa Sales Tax Exemption Certificate Form (2020).
Check fields:
Review detected fields and place missing fields manually.
Assign recipients:
Add the authorized signer and seller recipients.
Send certificate:
Send the certificate for electronic signature.
Archive records:
Store the signed PDF and Audit Trail.

Authenticate signer:

Record the signer’s email or configured authentication event.

Timestamp action:

Capture the signing date and time in the event history.

Store document:

Preserve the final certificate as a completed signed document.

Preserve history:

Maintain the action history with signer and access details.

Export evidence:

Export the Audit Trail and certificate of completion.

Reconcile records:

Review the exported record against the Iowa transaction file.

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Security for signed Iowa certificates

Data at rest:

AES-256 encryption

Data in transit:

TLS 1.2/1.3 encryption

Independent assurance:

SOC 2 Type II certified

Security management:

ISO 27001 certified

Electronic signature law:

ESIGN and UETA compliant

Record evidence:

Audit trails with timestamps

Integrations for Iowa certificate workflows

Connect Iowa certificate workflows with Salesforce, NetSuite, Microsoft 365, Google Drive, Box, and Procore to route documents and preserve transaction records.

Find and fill out the correct iowa sales tax exemption certificate fillable 2009 form

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Versions	Form popularity	Fillable & printable
IA DoR 31-014 2021	4.8 Satisfied (1420 Votes)
IA DoR 31-014 2020	4.8 Satisfied (1776 Votes)
IA DoR 31-014 2018	4.8 Satisfied (2685 Votes)
IA DoR 31-014 2014	4.8 Satisfied (231 Votes)

Setting	Recommendation
Authentication method	Email verification with SMS OTP
Signature type	Electronic signature with intent
Audit trail	Enabled with certificate export
Document retention	Three years minimum under IRC §6501(a)
Encryption and provisioning	AES-256, TLS, and role-based access

Retention and record-keeping practices

Retain the signed Iowa certificate with transaction evidence, export its audit trail, and apply a documented schedule supported by applicable tax rules.

Keep supporting transaction records together

Keep the completed certificate with the related invoice, purchase record, and exemption explanation. Iowa’s tax administration may require records supporting a claimed exemption, while the federal IRS retention rules in IRC §6501(a) do not automatically establish the Iowa period.

Export the audit trail

Export the signNow Audit Trail and certificate of completion with the signed Iowa certificate. Preserve signer identity, timestamps, access events, and the final PDF so the business can explain who signed and when without relying solely on platform access.

Set a documented retention schedule

Apply a documented retention schedule based on the transaction and industry. Federal tax records generally follow three years from filing under IRC §6501(a), six years for substantial understatement, or longer for fraud; verify Iowa-specific requirements separately.

Archive certificates securely

Restrict archived certificates to staff handling Iowa sales tax, purchasing, or audit requests. Use encrypted storage, access logs, and a stable file name containing the vendor, exemption basis, transaction date, and certificate status for efficient retrieval.

Risks of an incomplete certificate

Unsupported exemption

Exemption denied

Missing certificate

Tax assessed

Incomplete records

Audit dispute

Unclear signer identity

Evidence weakened

Challenges with Iowa exemption certificates

Purchasers may select an exemption reason without preserving the transaction facts or supporting documents that explain why the Iowa exemption applies.
A certificate can be signed but still difficult to defend when the seller, purchaser, tax identification details, or authorized signer information is incomplete.
Paper copies, email attachments, and final signed PDFs can become separated from invoices, making an Iowa sales tax review slower and less reliable.
Different departments may use outdated certificate copies, leaving the business unable to show which version supported a particular Iowa purchase.

Features	signNow	DocuSign	Adobe Sign	PandaDoc	Dropbox Sign
Starting price per user	$8/user/month annually	Not verified	Not verified	Not verified	Not verified
Free trial availability	7 days, no card	Not verified	Not verified	Not verified	Not verified
Audit trail availability	Yes, Business plan	Not verified	Not verified	Not verified	Not verified
Bulk send availability	Business Premium	Not verified	Not verified	Not verified	Not verified
Subscription invite limits	100 per user yearly	Not verified	Not verified	Not verified	Not verified

Document preparation

Upload the Iowa certificate and review fields before sending.

Delivery to signers

Send the assigned certificate by email or signing link.

Signer turnaround

The authorized representative reviews and signs electronically.

Completion and archival

Download the signed PDF and Audit Trail for retention.

Iowa certificate troubleshooting questions

Resolve field, signer, plan, legal, and retention questions by separating signNow workflow controls from Iowa tax eligibility and federal record rules.

Upload the original Iowa Sales Tax Exemption Certificate Form (2020) as a PDF, then inspect signNow’s detected fields. If a field is missing, add it manually before assigning recipients; do not assume detection captured every required line.

The signNow Business plan includes legally binding eSignatures, templates, mobile apps, and audit trails at $8/user/month when billed annually. Business Premium adds bulk send at $15/user/month annually; subscription plans include 100 signature invites per user each year.

ESIGN and UETA provide the federal and state electronic-signature framework when intent, consent, attribution, and record reproducibility are established. For consumer-facing records, 15 U.S.C. §7001(c) requires electronic-record disclosures and access procedures.

Use signNow’s recipient assignment to identify the authorized purchaser representative and seller recipient. Confirm the signer’s email, review the completed PDF, and export the Audit Trail so the certificate’s attribution and signing events remain available.

Connect the signed certificate to the invoice and transaction file before archiving. Federal tax records generally follow IRC §6501(a): three years from filing, six years for substantial understatement, or longer for fraud or an unfiled return.

signNow encrypts data in transit with TLS 1.2/1.3 and at rest with AES-256. Its compliance materials identify SOC 2 Type II and ISO 27001 certifications; those controls protect the record but do not determine Iowa exemption eligibility.

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