SOP – Digital Signature Certificate (DSC) Management

DEPARTMENT HR SOP NO. 0001

FUNCTION DSC MANAGMENT REVISION NO.
PAGE NO’S 1 & 2 IMPLIMENTATION DATE
SOP OWNER Rashmi S APPROVAL DATE

1. BACKGROUND
Digital Signature Certificates (DSC) are typically obtained by top management/
Directors of Companies, especially with the advent of online filing in various
Government portals like MCA, Income Tax, GST, PF etc. At Resolve, our services in
Accounting, Payroll have to interface with these compliances. Many of these
compliances require workings and data from either the payroll or accounting systems
that we maintain for clients and these workings are prepared by our team members.
For convenience as also reliability of Resolve’s services, these senior client
management members in good faith and trust handover their DSC to the company for
authorised use only. These DSC’s are kept in safe custody and issued to assigned team
members to be used with a great sense of responsibility as it is being affixed on behalf
of management of companies and they would carry regulatory consequences for any
errors or misuse.

2. PURPOSE OF SOP
To document, communicate the DSC internal management system at Resolve in terms
of receipt of DSC, return of DSC, custody, renewal of DSC , usage, reporting on the
usage with the objective of discharging this service to customers with a high sense of
responsibility, trusteeship and discharge of a very important fiduciary obligation. The
role/responsibility for each of the process stages, procedures to be followed so that
there is clear accountability to the company and the client at any point in time.

3. TWO DSC Custody Types

Typically, Resolve’s Accounting customers leave their DSC’s with the company as most
of their compliance fulfilment is part of the service scope being renders. For
convenience, they are termed as “Resident DSC’s”. While in the case of Pa yroll clients
the DSC is used only periodically on a quarterly basis for eTDS or Annual basis for
Form 16. These DSC are hereinafter termed as “Transitory DSC”. The procedures for
these two types of DSC vary, which is detailed below.

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4. PROCESS AND PROCEDURES:

 Resident DSC

a. Receipt of DSC.

Receipt of a DSC is typically is occasioned by sign up if a new customer, on

renewal of an expired DSC, or change in authorised representative on behalf of
the client. The receipt of DSC is usually by courier or by hand delivery. The same is
to be recorded in the Courier Inward Register by the Administrative Staff and is to
be handed over to HR Dept for recording in the DSC Register, safe keeping under
lock and intimation to the concerned team member that the customer’s DSC has
been received.

 Handling DSC – by HR

a) All the DSC’s will be kept in Safe custody at the HR department

b) DSC’s will be kept with a tag attached to each DSC with the signatory name
and company name
c) Separate Register will be maintained for issuing and taking back the DSC
from Users on specific request by email only.
d) The DSC Register will have a sperate folio for each customer signatory and
it will have details like Customer name, Signatory name, User name, date
of request, Issue date, Purpose of usage, Signature of user and Return date
e) User should send a mail request to HR at least 1 day before for DSC
requirement with the purpose of usage. In case of emergency and
exceptional cases DSC can be arranged on short notice based on mail
request with proper reason for short notice.
f) DSC will be issued to user with necessary entries in the register and obtain
acknowledgment for issuing DSC so that there is a record of the transfer of
responsibility and accountability from HR to the respective Team member.
g) User has to return the DSC to HR department immediately after the usage.
HR to acknowledge receipt of the DSC by email to the User who has
handed over the DSC.
h) HR department has to communicate usage of DSC to customer periodically
with the copy of the DSC register attached. This is in accordance to
Resolve’s value system of service wherein there is full disclosure to the
client that the responsibility of custody and usage is being discharged by
the company and it’s team members with utmost care.
i) Monthly audit of DSC has to be conducted to check physical availability of
DSC’s as per entries in DSC register.

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  Transitory DSC – Procedures

a) User should send a mail request to customer with a cc to HR of the need

for their DSC and purpose well in advance.
b) On receipt of DSC from Customer HR to update the DSC the register with
date of receipt and docket number.
c) After updating register, DSC will be issued to user with necessary entries in
the register and obtain acknowledgment for issuing DSC
d) User has to return the DSC to HR department immediately after the usage.
e) HR Manager will on return the DSC to customer and send courier details to
customer by email and seek acknowledgement of it’s receipt with cc to the
concerned team member who used the said DSC.
f) HR department has to communicate usage of DSC to customer periodically
with the copy of the DSC register attached. This is in accordance to
Resolve’s value system of service wherein there is full disclosure to the
client that the responsibility of custody and usage is being discharged by
the company and it’s team members with utmost care.
g) Monthly audit of DSC has to be conducted to check physical availability of
DSC’s and Usage of DSC’s

5. REFERENCES:

DSC Register Format

CUSTOMER NAME
Signatory Customer Custodian User Purpose Date of Date Signature Date Remarks
SL Name Name of Request of of
NO Usage issue Return

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