How to Sign a Contract and Send It Back Properly

Signing is the easy part. The things that cause problems later are the ones around it: signing a version that was superseded, returning a file the other side cannot open, or leaving no record of what was agreed and when.

Before you sign

1. 1Read it. All of it, including the schedules, which is where the commercial terms usually live.
2. 2Confirm this is the final version — check the filename, the date and any version marker against the last email.
3. 3Check the parties, the dates, the amounts and any blanks that were left to be filled.
4. 4Raise anything you disagree with before signing, not after.

Signing it

1. 1Open the PDF in a signing tool.
2. 2Place your signature on the signature line, sized to about two lines of text.
3. 3Add the date beside it if there is a date field, and fill in any name or title blocks.
4. 4Preview the signed page and check nothing overlaps the printed text.
5. 5Download the signed file.

Sending it back

• Reply on the original email thread so the exchange stays together.
• Name the file clearly: "agreement-acme-signed-2026-08-23.pdf".
• Say in the message what you have signed and on what date.
• Note any pages you have initialled, if the document asks for initials.
• Ask for a fully executed copy once the other side has signed.

Afterwards

Keep the signed PDF, the email you sent it with, and the countersigned version when it arrives. Those three items together are the record: what was signed, when it went, and that both parties hold the same document.

File it somewhere you will find it in three years — not in a downloads folder. A contract you cannot locate is a contract you cannot rely on.

If you need to sign several pages

Some agreements require initials on each page as well as a signature at the end. Do that in one pass rather than page by page across several sessions, and check every page before sending — a missed initial usually means the whole document comes back.