Signed Without Reading: 44% of taxpayers don't fully read their tax documents before signing.

During tax season, speed often wins over scrutiny. Sign.com, an electronic signature platform for small businesses, surveyed 1,003 U.S. taxpayers about how they read, review, and eSign their tax documents. As a company focused on making digital signatures both fast and secure, we wanted to understand whether convenience is coming at the cost of careful review.

The results point to a clear pattern: anxiety, time pressure, and overconfidence in software are leading many people to sign without fully understanding what's in front of them.

Key takeaways

• 44% of taxpayers don't fully read their tax documents before signing.
• 43% of taxpayers have signed tax documents without fully understanding them.
• 51% of taxpayers experience tax season anxiety, with 37% feeling pressured to sign quickly just to get it over with.
• 44% of eSigners have assumed everything was correct simply because it was generated by software or a professional.
• 42% of eSigners have clicked through multiple “I agree” or “sign here” prompts without reading them.

Why so many taxpayers sign without fully understanding

• Gen Z taxpayers (61%) are most likely to say tax season makes them anxious, followed by millennials (48%), Gen X (50%), and baby boomers (50%).
• Gen Z (55%) is also the most likely to have signed tax documents without fully understanding them, compared to millennials (48%), Gen X (34%), and baby boomers (20%).
• 21% of taxpayers have caught a mistake made by their tax preparer or tax software, and 7% have signed a tax form they later regretted.

Taxpayers did not read tax documents more thoroughly before signing because they:

• Just wanted to get it over with: 29%
• Said the document was too long: 24%
• Believe tax documents are hard to understand: 20%
• Reviewed last year and assumed it was similar: 18%
• Find it overwhelming or stressful to review: 15%

The rise of click-through eSigning

Taxpayers said they rarely or never read:

• Read the “I agree” or “terms and conditions” prompts: 29%
• Read the disclosures near the signature box: 17%
• Download or save a copy before signing: 14%

iPhone users are more likely to take eSigning risks:

• 45% of iPhone users have clicked through “I agree” eSigning prompts without reading them, compared to 37% of Android users.
• 26% of iPhone users eSigned their tax documents the same day they received them without doing a thorough review, compared to 20% of Android users.

How to slow down and sign smarter during tax season

Speed matters during tax season, but accuracy matters more. A few small habits can help reduce costly mistakes:

• Pause before you sign. Even a five-minute review can help you catch obvious errors, mismatched numbers, or missing details.
• Scan key sections first. Focus on income totals, deductions, bank information, and refund or payment amounts before anything else.
• Don't rely on software alone. Tax tools are powerful, but they aren't infallible. Generated doesn't always mean correct.
• Review disclosures near the signature box. Those short paragraphs often summarize what you're legally confirming.
• Save a copy for your records. Downloading your signed documents gives you a reference point if questions come up later.

Tax season may always bring deadlines and pressure. But slowing down before you click “sign” can protect your finances long after April passes.

Methodology

Sign.com surveyed 1,003 U.S. taxpayers to examine how Americans review, understand, and electronically sign their tax documents. The survey explored reading habits, comprehension levels, eSigning behaviors, device usage, experiences with tax errors, and emotional responses to tax season.

The generational breakdown of respondents was as follows: Gen Z (17%), millennials (50%), Gen X (23%), and baby boomers (9%). All data is self-reported and reflects respondents' experiences and perceptions at the time of the survey. Percentages may not total 100 due to rounding. Data was collected in February 2026.

About Sign.com

Sign.com makes eSigning fast, secure, and stress-free, helping professionals manage contracts, approvals, and time-sensitive documents. With easy-to-use tools built for busy teams, Sign.com streamlines digital signatures so work stays on track, even when schedules don't.

Fair use statement

These insights may be shared for noncommercial purposes with proper attribution. Please include a link back to Sign.com when referencing this content.