When a client cannot get through the signing screen, it is almost always one of a handful of things. This page walks through each message they might see and how to get them signing again.
How signing works, in short
When you send an agreement, each party gets an email with a private link and a copy of the PDF. Opening the link shows them the agreement. To sign, they go through two quick steps:
- Verify it's you - they ask for a 6-digit code, which is emailed to them, and type it in.
- Sign the agreement - they draw or type their signature, tick the box confirming they agree, and click Agree & sign.
Most problems happen at one of those two steps. Knowing which step they are on tells you which fix below to use.
"This signing link isn't valid"
The link opens a page saying it isn't valid, or that it may have expired or already been used. This happens when:
- The link is more than 14 days old. A signing link is valid for 14 days from the day you send it.
- The person has already signed with that link.
- You withdrew or cancelled the agreement, so the link is dead.
- The agreement was never actually sent and is still a draft.
To fix it, open the agreement on your side and check its status. If it is still out for signing and just needs sharing again, copy the live link and send it to them (see copy a signing link). If the 14 days have passed, raise the agreement again and send a fresh one (see send an agreement for signing).
The code email hasn't arrived
At the "Verify it's you" step the client asks for a code but nothing turns up.
- Ask them to check their spam or junk folder first.
- Make sure the email address on the agreement is the one they actually check. If it is wrong, the code is going to the wrong inbox and you will need to send the agreement again to the correct address.
- On the signing screen they can click Resend code to try again.
Note
Codes can only be requested a few times in a short window. If they keep pressing resend they may see "Too many code requests. Please wait a few minutes." That is normal anti-spam protection. They just need to wait a few minutes and try once more.
"That code is incorrect"
The code they typed does not match.
- The code is 6 digits. Ask them to type the newest code from their inbox, not an older email.
- If they requested the code more than once, only the latest one works. Earlier codes stop working.
"The code has expired, please request a new one"
Each code only lasts about 10 minutes. If they took too long, the code is no longer valid.
- On the signing screen, click Resend code.
- Enter the fresh code straight away.
"Too many attempts. Please request a new code."
After several wrong codes in a row, verification locks for a short while to keep the agreement secure. Ask the client to wait a few minutes, then click Resend code and carefully enter the new one.
They verified, but got sent back to verify again
Sometimes a client passes the code step, gets distracted, and when they come back to sign they are asked to verify once more. The verified session only stays open for about an hour. If they leave the page sitting for longer than that before signing, they have to verify again for safety.
The fix is simple: request a fresh code, verify, and then sign right away without leaving the page.
"You've signed this agreement"
This is not an error. It means their part is already done. A fully signed copy is emailed to everyone once every party has signed, so if others still need to sign they may just be waiting on them. You can check who has and hasn't signed on the agreement in your workspace.
Still stuck?
Open the agreement in your workspace and look at the signing panel. It shows each party as Signed or Awaiting, so you can see exactly who is held up. From there you can copy that person's link and share it another way (see how clients sign).