In the new age of mass homeworking in the UK, we discuss the topic of Electronic Signatures
- By Ross Brinsdon (TLA)
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- 01 Apr, 2020
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Is it a legal requirement for a “wet ink” signature?
It is becoming increasingly more common to receive poorly pixelated – copy of a sender’s signature at the bottom of accounts, letters or legal documents, but until now it was unclear just what legal basis these digital signatures held.
Law Commission’s Opinion
The advice arose as a result of a study of statute, common and case law surrounding the use of electronic execution of documents and the legality and validity of such methods.
In short, digital signatures on all documents, including deeds, will be held to be valid, provided that the signatory intended to sign the relevant document and that all further requirements have been satisfied, such as witnessing.
Remote witnessing?
In light of the above advice, businesses have begun to wonder about the other possibilities technology provides, such as remote witnessing.
The Law Commission have, however, curbed any such expectations by confirming that “our view is that the requirement is that a deed which must be signed “in the presence of a witness”, requires the physical presence of that witness”.
If you’re part of a working household that receives tax credits, you may be eligible for a new one-off payment of £500. The new payment is being introduced to provide extra support when the temporary increase in Working Tax Credit ends as planned on 5 April 2021.
You may get a one-off, tax-free payment of £500 if, on 2 March 2021, you were getting either:
- Working Tax Credit
- Child Tax Credit and were eligible for Working Tax Credit but you did not get a payment because your income is too high to get Working Tax Credit payments
You do not need to contact HMRC or apply for the payment. HMRC will contact you by text message or letter in April 2021 to confirm you are eligible.
If you are eligible, you should get your payment direct to your bank account by 23 April 2021. HMRC have confirmed that you will not see the payment on the online tax credit service.
The payment is non-taxable and will not affect your benefits. You do not need to declare it as income for Self-Assessment tax returns or for tax credit claims and renewals.
