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Paternity Acknowledgement Form 3940 Revised 09

Use a PATERNITY ACKNOWLEDGEMENT FORM 3940 REVISED 09 2018 template to make your document workflow more streamlined.

What this paternity acknowledgment form does

Paternity Acknowledgement Form 3940 Revised 09 is a record used to document a man’s acknowledgment of paternity for a child, subject to the applicable state procedure. It is not a substitute for a court order, adoption decree, or state filing instruction. The parties complete the identifying information, review the legal effect and consent language, sign where required, and submit or retain the record according to the responsible vital-records or child-support authority. SignNow can upload the form, detect fillable fields, route signatures, capture an audit trail, and store the completed PDF; state law determines acceptance and filing.

Who uses this paternity acknowledgment form

Hospitals and vital-records teams

State vital-records offices and authorized hospital or birthing-center staff use the form to document a father’s voluntary acknowledgment, verify required identities, and route the completed record according to state procedures. SignNow can organize signatures and evidence, but the receiving agency’s filing rules remain controlling.

Parents and legal services

Parents, family-law practitioners, and child-support agencies may use the form when establishing legal parentage outside a disputed court determination. They should confirm state eligibility, witness or notary requirements, rescission rules, and filing instructions before relying on an electronically completed copy.

How the form workflow works

The signNow workflow converts the revised paper form into a controlled signing sequence without deciding whether state authorities will accept it.

  • Upload: Upload the revised form
  • Prepare: Let signNow detect fields
  • Route: Assign each signer
  • Archive: Store the completed evidence

What the audit trail records

A signNow audit trail connects each signature on the revised paternity form to identity evidence, timing, document integrity, and later retrieval.

01

Authenticate signer:

 Capture the selected authentication event.
02

Capture timestamp:

 Record the exact signing time.
03

Hash document:

 Associate the document hash.
04

Seal record:

 Seal the completed evidence.
05

Track activity:

 Log every later document action.
06

Retrieve audit trail:

 Export evidence for controlled storage.
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Privacy and disclosure pitfalls to avoid

  • The signed PDF may expose names, addresses, birth information, and parentage details when emailed broadly or stored in an unrestricted shared folder.
  • A signer may complete the signature field without clearly receiving the electronic-record disclosure or demonstrating consent required for a consumer-facing transaction under 15 U.S.C. §7001(c).
  • Using one shared administrator account makes it difficult to attribute who prepared, changed, sent, or downloaded the paternity acknowledgment record.
  • Sending the form to an unintended recipient or using an unprotected signing link can disclose sensitive family information before identity is confirmed.

Find and fill out the correct paternity acknowledgement form 3940 revised 092017

airSlate SignNow helps you fill in and sign documents in minutes, error-free. Choose the correct version of the editable PDF form from the list and get started filling it out.

VersionsForm popularityFillable & printable
*2018 GA Form 3940 [2018-03] 20184.8 Satisfied (3268 Votes)

Security controls for sensitive parentage records

Data in transit:

 TLS 1.2 and TLS 1.3

Stored data:

 AES-256 encryption

Service controls:

 SOC 2 Type II certified

Security management:

 ISO 27001 certified

Electronic signatures:

 ESIGN and UETA compliant

Protected health data:

 HIPAA compliance with BAA

Platform requirements for completing the form

Complete Paternity Acknowledgement Form 3940 Revised 09 in a current Chrome, Firefox, Safari, or Edge browser on Windows or macOS. SignNow mobile apps support iOS and Android, and data in transit uses TLS 1.2 or TLS 1.3.

  • Browsers Chrome, Firefox, Safari, Edge
  • Operating systems Windows, macOS, iOS, Android
  • Secure connection TLS 1.2 or TLS 1.3

Organizations handling parentage records should use managed devices, role-based access, and approved identity controls. Confirm that the receiving state office accepts electronically completed records before relying on a signed PDF, and preserve the audit trail with the final document.

Document retention and record-keeping practices

Preserve the signed form with evidence of consent, identity, completion, and access controls, while applying the rule that actually governs each record.

Classify records before assigning retention

Keep the completed form, signer identities, consent evidence, and final PDF together. Apply the retention period required by the record’s actual category, and document any state agency instructions that impose a longer period than your internal policy.

Export the audit trail with the form

Export the signNow Audit Trail with the completed form and preserve the export in a controlled repository. Record the export date, document identifier, signer sequence, authentication events, timestamps, and responsible administrator so later reviewers can connect evidence to the exact form.

Match retention to the governing rule

Do not apply a federal retention period automatically to every paternity record. If the file contains HIPAA-covered information, retain it for six years from creation or the last effective date under 45 CFR §164.530(j); otherwise verify the governing state or agency rule.

Archive signed records securely

Restrict archived copies to authorized personnel, encrypt stored files, and use access logs or role-based permissions. Keep the original signed PDF and its audit evidence together, prevent silent replacement, and test retrieval before the retention period expires.

Retention periods depend on record classification

Form 3940 Revised 09 has no universal federal retention period in the supplied authorities. Apply the rule matching the record’s actual legal and business context.

01

3 years from filing

Apply IRC §6501(a) when the record is part of federal tax documentation; six years applies when income understatement exceeds 25%.
02

3 years after hire or later

Retain the record three years after hire or one year after termination, whichever is later, under 8 CFR §274a.2(b)(2)(i)(A), only when it is part of Form I-9 employment records.
03

6 years from creation or date

Retain six years from creation or the last effective date under 45 CFR §164.530(j), only when the paternity record contains HIPAA-covered information.
04

6 years for broker records

Retain six years for broker-dealer books and records under 17 CFR §240.17a-4, only when the form is maintained within that regulated record set.
05

7 years for audit records

Retain seven years for records covered by Sarbanes-Oxley, 15 U.S.C. §7245, only when the document forms part of an applicable audit record.

Troubleshooting the revised paternity form

Use these checks when preparing, routing, signing, or preserving Paternity Acknowledgement Form 3940 Revised 09 in signNow.

Upload the original PDF again and check whether the form is password-protected, flattened, or image-only. SignNow can detect fillable fields after upload, but a scan may require manually placed fields before routing the document.

Confirm that each signer received the correct email or signing link, then use signNow’s audit trail to review delivery and access events. If identity matters, add SMS authentication or another approved control before sending a replacement request.

A typed or drawn signature can evidence intent, but acceptance depends on state procedure and the receiving agency. Confirm electronic-record consent, signer attribution, and reproducible retention under ESIGN, 15 U.S.C. ch. 96, and applicable state law.

The Business plan is listed at $8 per user per month with annual billing and includes audit trails and templates. Business Premium is $15 annually billed and adds bulk send and kiosk mode; plan limits and agency rules should be checked before deployment.

Do not send the completed record through an unrestricted link. Use recipient-specific routing, stronger authentication where appropriate, role-based access, and a stored audit trail. HIPAA-covered handling requires a business associate agreement under signNow’s compliance terms.

SignNow provides the signed PDF and audit evidence, but it does not determine the state filing deadline, rescission period, witness requirement, or agency acceptance rule for Form 3940 Revised 09. Confirm those requirements with the responsible state authority before submission.

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