The world is moving towards paperless workflow technology to optimise the processes and easy authentication of business documents. The Information Technology Act, 2000 gave the same validity and legality to the e-signatures as handwritten signatures. The digitally signed documents are becoming the new norm because of the flawless workflow management and legal compliance it follows.
Government agencies and organisations are accepting the digital signatures for legal documents and for Know Your Customer guidelines. From small to large scale organisations, many have understood the benefits of the digitally signed documents and have adopted it in their day to day business operations.
Handling the physical documents can be cumbersome, and the movement of papers to various departments can cause a potential loss in the confidential information as well. To combat the issue of user authentication and information confidentiality, eMudhra has introduced emSigner, a tool which helps in signing the papers digitally and helps in reducing the paperwork of an organisation.
What Is EmSigner?
emSigner is an advanced web tool which is used for signing the documents electronically and further assists in optimising the workflow of sending, receiving, approving and managing the important business papers. The tool allows the admins to create their own workflow templates, create user groups who are involved in the process of authorising and authenticating the documents and mapping the signers to relevant departments like legal, finance and HR.
The templates created within the tool can be used anywhere, and each signer can be given privileges to access the account. Sequential signing and online storage of documents are also embedded for multi-party usage to maintain the process workflow. The tool can increase the efficiency of the departments which rely largely on the physical documents and have to go through the tedious process of filing GST returns.
EmSigner For GST Paperwork
Managing the Goods and Services Tax paperwork is a cumbersome process as it involves signing the various tax-related documents like GST returns and registration application. Organisations that file GST returns every month find it quite difficult to process the documents, which have to go through multiple steps before being submitted.
However, companies under composition scheme gst can get rid of the tedious GST formalities and pay taxes at a fixed rate of turnover. The scheme is available for organisations with a turnover of less than Rs. 1.0 crore.
To solve the issue of maintaining the influx of documents, you can adopt emSigner. It works as a utility tool for digitally signing the GST documents which are required for processing the recurring returns and GST application forms.
The tool can be installed directly from the Good and Services Tax website and after installation can be used to file the GST paperwork. The details regarding downloading and installing the tool are also mentioned on the website with system requirements.
How To Use EmSigner For GST?
For a person to start using the digital signatures for GST via emSigner, her or she needs a certificate-based digital ID which is issued by an accredited Certificate Authority (CA). In India, there are many authorities from where a digital ID can be obtained and subsequently used for digitally signing the documents. Once the Digital Signature Certificate (DSC) is received from the authorities, you can use it to sign the documents digitally.
DSC is one of the various options to authenticate users on the GST portal. After procuring the DSC, it is mandatory for a user to register it on the GST website for filing the returns, application forms and tracking the status of the pending returns. Once the certificate is registered, you can download and install the emSigner from the GST portal and use it for signing the documents and maintaining the workflow.
Features Of EmSigner
emSigner is packed with multiple features and specifications to be used for simplifying GST paperwork and charting out a smooth process. Some of the important features are discussed below:
Simplicity And Versatility
emSigner is a powerful tool which can resolve the complex documentation process of a large enterprise and is simple enough to be used by any individual professional. Multi-user accounts can be used by the organisations where different signing authorities have a separate account to access the documents and check the workflow.
The tool can be used by small and medium businesses, freelancers, designers, none government organisations, contractors and schools for filing the tedious GST returns.
Workflow Creation
Every organisation has a different channel for processing the documents, and by using emSigner, admins can create custom templates for signing and approving the documents. The templates can be altered if there is a change in the workflow and can be reused later. For departments like finance, legal and HR, the tool provides ready to use templates for faster filing and approval.
Document Storage And Retrieval
emSigner comes with an in-built document storage feature which can be used to store the documents which are used regularly for GST processing. The documents can be numbered and categorised for quick retrieval and sent to the authorities for signing and further processing.
Time-Stamping Services
Another major security concern that is addressed by emSigner is the time-stamping of documents. It can keep track of the creation and modification of the documents, and no signing authority can change the time-stamping. The tool uses a licenced time-stamping authority to prevent backdating of documents. The feature is useful for organisations where there is a massive load of documents to be handled online.
Customised Dashboards
The digital signing tool has a customised dashboard to keep track of the pending, recalled, deleted and declined documents. Every user with access to the tool can check the status of the documents and approval process.
Closing Thoughts
Filing a GST return is tiring as there are multiple steps involved in submitting the sales transactions and the invoices for various products and services. Therefore, many organisations have adopted emsigner for gst to reduce the workload of handling the physical documents and managing the workflow for GST filing and tracking the returns. The advanced tool not just saves the resources of the organisation but also helps in optimising the process workflow.