As a further response to COVID-19, and in order to protect Internal Revenue Service employees, as well as taxpayers and their representatives, by minimizing the need for in-person contact, the IRS has added federal estate and gift tax returns, Forms 706 and 709, to a list of forms that can be signed electronically even though they can’t be filed electronically. IR-2020-206 (9/10/2020).

According to the 8/28/2020 memorandum first allowing electronic signatures for certain forms that must be filed in paper form, “Electronic and digital signatures appear in many forms when printed and may be created by many different technologies. No specific technology is required for this purpose during this temporary deviation.”

The deviation applies to forms filed on or after August 28, 2020, until December 31, 2020.