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Solution for chartered accountants
Electronic signature for chartered accountants
Engagement letters, tax returns, attestations, SEPA mandates: sign every firm document online, compliant with article 151 of decree no. 2012-432 and the NPMQ quality standard. 10-year archiving aligned with the French Commerce Code, enforceable eIDAS audit trail, native integrations with Pennylane, Cegid and Sage.
Every firm document, signed online
A chartered-accountant firm's day is a steady flow of signature-required documents — engagement letters, tax filings, attestations. Electronic signature turns that flow into a productivity gain while securing compliance.
Engagement letter
Mandatory before any engagement (art. 151 decree 2012-432). Advanced electronic signature recommended for traceability of scope, duration and fees. Automatic 10-year archive.
Tax filings & returns
Balance sheet, profit & loss, annexes, CERFA forms. Electronic signature accepted by the French tax authority (DGFIP) via the EDI-TDFC online procedure. Audit trail attached to every transmission.
Attestations & CAC reports
Chartered-accountant attestation for banks, payroll-portage attestation, statutory-auditor reports (CNCC). Electronic signature preserves the required probative force.
SEPA mandate & direct debits
SEPA B2B and CORE direct-debit mandates signed electronically, compliant with regulation EU 260/2012. Timestamped unique mandate reference (UMR).
Amendments & renewals
Amendment to the engagement letter for scope extension (new filing, one-off engagement), annual renewal. Scope changes traced in the audit trail.
Internal HR documents
Employment offers, internship amendments, mutual-termination agreements, internship conventions for the firm's own collaborators. The firm benefits internally from what it recommends to clients.
Why chartered-accountant firms choose Certyneo
A platform aligned with the Order's ethical obligations, built for firm productivity without compromising compliance.
Native NPMQ compliance
The Quality Control standard requires annual review of engagement letters. Our dashboard surfaces the status (signed / unsigned / pending) for every active engagement, exportable in one click for the Order's quality control.
Advanced signature (AES) by default
SMS OTP identity verification, unique certificate per signer, qualified timestamp. Benefits from the reliability presumption of article 1367 of the Civil Code — enforceable in case of client dispute before the disciplinary chamber.
Secure 10-year archive
Retention aligned with article L123-22 of the Commerce Code. Data hosted in the EU (Germany, IONOS), GDPR-compliant. Instant access from the dashboard for a quality control, judicial requisition or client dispute.
Firm integrations
Native connectors for Pennylane, Cegid, Sage 50/100, ACD, Quadratus. Automatic engagement-letter generation from client data. One-click sending, real-time signature tracking in your accounting software.
Multi-firm & inter-collaborator
Separate workspaces per firm (branch, holding), signature delegation between partners, per-collaborator tracking. Centralised audit trail for multi-site chartered-accountant groups.
Free plan + firm pricing
Permanent free plan (5 envelopes / month) to start without commitment. Firm pricing with unlimited envelopes per account (not per sending user) — ideal for firms with 5+ sending collaborators.
The engagement letter, your solution's legal anchor
Since 2012, article 151 of decree no. 2012-432 — the code of ethics of the French chartered-accountant profession — makes the engagement letter MANDATORY for every engagement, whatever its nature (bookkeeping, review, tax filings, advisory, social). Without a signed engagement letter before the engagement starts, the firm is exposed to disciplinary sanctions from the Regional Chamber of the Order — warning, blame, suspension from the Roll.
Certyneo's advanced electronic signature brings the firm the traceability required by the NPMQ standard (Professional Quality Control standard): every engagement letter is timestamped with a qualified seal, identifies each signer via SMS OTP, and remains accessible 10 years in the dashboard.
- Firm identity verified by Roll registration + RNE number
- Client identity verified by SMS OTP on their Kbis-declared number
- Scope, duration, fees and termination terms timestamped
- Automatic 10-year archive aligned with article L123-22 Commerce Code
- PDF-exportable audit trail for an Order quality-control review
Per the Higher Council of the Order's 2019 position, eIDAS-compliant electronic signature is fully NPMQ-compatible. No provision requires handwritten signature — on the contrary, electronic traceability facilitates quality controls.
Compliance and ethics
Four regulatory pillars our platform is aligned with for the chartered-accountant sector.
Decree 2012-432 — code of ethics
Article 151 makes the engagement letter mandatory. Article 145 sets the engagement-document retention obligation. Our 10-year archiving meets both requirements.
NPMQ standard (Order of EC)
The Quality Control standard requires annual review of engagement letters. Our dashboard provides the exhaustive status of active engagements, exportable for quality control.
eIDAS regulation (EU 910/2014)
Advanced signature (AES) with identity verification, unique certificate and qualified timestamp. Reliability presumption of article 1367 Civil Code — enforceable in court and before the disciplinary chamber.
Commerce Code — art. L123-22
10-year retention of accounting documents. By extension, the engagement letters underlying them follow the same duration. Our archiving is aligned with this obligation.
Frequently asked questions from chartered-accountant firms
Is electronic signature accepted by the Order of Chartered Accountants?
Yes — the Higher Council of the Order confirmed in 2019 the full compatibility of eIDAS-compliant electronic signature with the NPMQ standard and the code of ethics (decree 2012-432). Advanced electronic signature (AES) is the recommended standard for the engagement letter and all engagement documents.
Which signature level for a chartered-accountant engagement letter?
Advanced electronic signature (AES) is the recommended standard: SMS OTP identity verification, unique certificate per signer, qualified timestamp. It benefits from the reliability presumption (article 1367 Civil Code) — useful in case of client dispute. SES (simple signature) is acceptable but underdimensioned. QES is reserved for very-high-stake engagements (contribution audit).
How to handle multi-signer signing (partner + client)?
The engagement letter is signed by the firm representative (registered partner) AND by the client (SARL manager, SAS president, individual). Our multi-signer flow handles sequential or parallel signing. For a legal-entity client, signature authority can be auto-verified via recent Kbis extract.
How long must the engagement letter be retained?
10 years from the end of the engagement, aligned with article L123-22 of the Commerce Code (accounting-document retention). Certyneo automatically archives the signed letter and its eIDAS audit trail for that period, freely, with immediate access for an Order quality control or client dispute.
How to integrate Certyneo with my accounting software (Pennylane, Cegid, Sage)?
Native connectors available for the main market software — Pennylane, Cegid Quadra/Loop, Sage 50/100, ACD, Quadratus. Generate the engagement letter directly from your software, send in one click via Certyneo, and the signature status flows back automatically into your client file.
Does the Order's quality control require a specific engagement-letter format?
No — the code of ethics (decree 2012-432) mandates the content (identity, scope, duration, fees, termination, RCP insurance) but not the format. Whether paper or electronic, the letter must be signed BEFORE the engagement starts and retained 10 years. Electronic traceability facilitates the annual NPMQ review.
What's the cost for a firm with 5 sending collaborators?
Our pricing is per account (not per sending user), so a 5+ collaborator firm pays the same as a 1-collaborator firm. Business plan at €39/month or Business Pro at €99/month with unlimited envelopes — often cheaper than competition billed per user.
Can a chartered-accountant attestation for a bank be signed with Certyneo?
Yes — the bank attestation (financing, rental guarantee, loan) is a private deed under the regime of article 1366 of the Civil Code. Advanced electronic signature guarantees the signer's identity (registered with the Order) and document integrity. Banks have accepted this format since 2018.
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