Which UK HR software includes electronic signatures?

A hand holding a smartphone showing a document ready to sign.

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Quick answer · the 30-second read

Five of the six HR systems we checked have electronic signing built in, so many UK employers do not need a separate signing tool at all. The differences are in the detail. Breathe includes signing on every plan. Sage HR and Personio only include it on certain plans. Personio is the only one offering the stronger advanced and qualified signatures, through DocuSign. And CharlieHR’s signing is part of its recruitment product, for new hires rather than existing staff.

Which HR systems include signing?

Most UK employers already use HR software to hold staff records, and many of these systems now include electronic signing. The table covers six systems widely used by UK businesses and records what each provider publishes about its own product.

HR system	Signing built in?	Which plans	What to know
Breathe	Yes	All plans, no extra charge	Simple electronic signatures. Up to two signers per document, the employee and one countersigner. Documents must be uploaded one employee at a time. Records a timestamp and IP address.
Personio	Yes, through DocuSign	Core plan or higher	Simple, advanced and qualified signatures. Up to 12 signers on an uploaded document and 25 on one made from a template. Your plan sets a monthly limit on signature requests.
Sage HR	Yes	Not on Essentials or Basic HR	Everyone can sign one shared document in a set order, or each person can sign their own copy, which suits policies. Recipients are chosen from people already in your Sage HR account.
HiBob	Yes	Not stated	Templates fill in employee details automatically. HiBob’s own terms describe it as a way of recording consent or acknowledgement rather than a digital signature.
BambooHR	Yes	Not stated	Signature templates with signing order. Much of its onboarding material is written for US employers, so check which features apply to a UK account.
CharlieHR	For new hires only	Part of its Recruit product	Contracts and other documents can be sent to candidates for signing at the offer stage, then carried across when they are hired. We found no signing feature documented for existing staff.

Source: Each provider’s own website, help centre or terms, checked on 22 September 2026. ‘Not stated’ means we could not find which plans include signing, not that signing is missing. Plans and features change, so confirm with the provider before buying.

Do I need anything stronger than the built-in signing?

Usually not. Most of these systems offer what is known as a simple electronic signature, such as a typed name or a signature drawn on screen. For the main UK employment documents, that is legally enough.

Employment contracts, offer letters and settlement agreements have no special signing rules in the UK. None of them needs a witness or a stronger type of signature.

See Can employment documents be signed electronically? for the detail.

Why does Personio stand out?

It is the only one of the six offering all three types of electronic signature: simple, advanced and qualified. It does this through DocuSign, which it switched to in 2025. Signed documents come with a DocuSign certificate of completion, which records how and when each person signed.

Advanced and qualified signatures give stronger proof of who signed. Most UK employers will never need them, but they can help with staff based elsewhere in Europe, where some employers prefer a higher level.

For what these levels mean, see What is eIDAS?.

What are the limits to watch for?

Each system has its own quirks, and these are the ones most likely to affect a UK employer.

Breathe allows two signers per document, the employee and one countersigner. That suits most employment contracts, but not a document that three or more people need to sign. It also does not let you upload documents for several employees at once.

Sage HR only lets you send documents to people already in your Sage HR account. And signing is not included on its Essentials or Basic HR plans.

CharlieHR documents its signing feature within Recruit, its recruitment product. That covers contracts for new hires, which are carried across once someone is hired. We found no signing feature documented for existing staff, so a change to an existing employee’s contract may need a separate tool.

BambooHR is a US company, and much of its onboarding material covers US forms such as the I-9. The signing itself works for UK documents, but check which onboarding features apply to a UK account.

Which should you choose?

For most UK employers, the real question is whether the system you already use is good enough, and usually it is. We have not tested these products (yet!).

OUR VERDICT Check what you already have before buying anything. If you use Breathe, Personio, Sage HR, HiBob or BambooHR, signing is probably already there. For UK employment contracts, offer letters and policies, the built-in signing is legally enough, so a separate subscription only makes sense if the built-in tool cannot do something you need. For a small business, Breathe is the most straightforward. It includes signing on every plan at no extra charge. The limit of two signers per document suits most employment contracts, which need the employee and one person signing for the business. If you need stronger signatures, Personio is the only one offering them. It provides advanced and qualified signatures through DocuSign. Most UK employers will never need them, but they can help with staff in other countries or where you want stronger proof of who signed. Check your plan before you rely on it. Sage HR does not include signing on its Essentials or Basic HR plans, and Personio needs its Core plan or higher. If you use CharlieHR, signing covers new hires but not existing staff, so a contract change for someone already employed may need another tool.