Glossary
What are initials on a contract?
Short answer
Contracts ask for initials on each page, or beside handwritten changes, so each signer acknowledges every page and agrees to every edit. Initialling every page makes it harder to swap a page after signing. In Sign PDF you can type 'tenant initials every page' into the editor and the initials boxes are placed for you.
Updated 25 October 2026
- Initials
- Initials on a contract are the first letters of a signer's name, written on each page or beside a specific clause or change, to show they have read that page or agreed to that amendment.
Why contracts ask for initials
On paper, a contract signed only on the last page leaves earlier pages open to substitution: someone could print a new page 3 with different rent and staple it in. Initials on every page make that harder, because the replacement page would lack the other party's initials.
Initials are also used to accept specific terms. Tenancy agreements often ask the tenant to initial beside clauses on deposits, pets or break clauses, and liability waivers ask participants to initial each risk they accept.
Initialling changes
When someone crosses out and rewrites a term on a paper contract, both parties initial beside the change to show they agreed. An un-initialled handwritten change invites the argument that only one party made it.
With electronic documents the better practice is to edit the text and send a new version, rather than marking it up by hand.
Are initials legally required?
Usually not. A contract signed in full at the end is generally binding without page initials, unless a statute or the document itself requires them. Some forms, such as certain real estate disclosures, specify initials. Initials are evidence that a party saw and accepted particular content.
Initials in Sign PDF
Sign PDF places initials boxes where the wording calls for them and assigns them to the right signer. You can also ask the editor's assistant for 'tenant initials every page' or 'initials beside clause 7' and it adds them. Signers draw, type or upload their initials just as they do their signature.
Because the finished PDF is sealed and fingerprinted, page swapping is detectable anyway. Initials remain useful as a visible acknowledgement that each page was seen.
Questions people ask
Do I need to initial every page of a contract?
Only if the contract or local law requires it. It is good practice for long contracts and is common in tenancy and loan documents.
Can initials be electronic?
Yes. Electronic initials are treated the same way as an electronic signature: a mark adopted to show agreement.
Should initials match my signature style?
There is no rule. Using a consistent style helps, but what matters is that you made them.
Can I add initials to every page automatically in Sign PDF?
Yes. Type 'initials every page' with the signer's role, such as 'tenant', and Sign PDF adds an initials box to each page for that signer.
Upload a document and watch the boxes land
See every signature, initial and date box placed before you sign up. Sending starts at $5 a month, monthly, cancel any time.
Upload a document