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Client Agreement Automation

Everything you need to know about this great feature. Scroll down to learn more and read our legal disclosures.

By Betterment Editors

Updated Apr. 28, 2026 |

Client Agreement Automation Apr 28, 2026 9:15:00 AM Everything you need to know about this great feature. Scroll down to learn more and read our legal disclosures. The Betterment Advisor Solutions Client Agreement Automation function will make onboarding your new clients fast, easy, and completely paperless. By permitting your clients to execute your firm’s advisory agreement as part of the white-labeled Betterment Advisor Solutions signup experience, you automate a manual process, giving you more time to focus on your business while providing your clients with a better experience. How to get started You may need to update your Form ADV Part 2A and most likely your Client Agreement to reflect the incorporation of Betterment Advisor Solutions into your practice, including (among other things) how your firm uses Betterment’s sub-advisory and brokerage services, and Betterment’s fees. Since each situation is unique, please consult with your attorney or compliance officer. About the Client Agreement Automation function The Client Agreement Automation function gives you the option to have your clients electronically execute your firm’s advisory agreement as part of the white-labeled onboarding experience. It also will permit you to provide your Form ADV Part 2A, Form CRS, and privacy policy to your clients at the time of onboarding. Additionally, each advisor on the platform may supply their Form ADV Part 2B if they choose to do so. This will be presented to their clients at the time of onboarding alongside the other documents that may be supplied at the firm level. Provision of the Form ADV Part 2B is optional, and can be implemented even if your firm does not supply any of the other agreements or disclosures. Use of the Client Agreement Automation function is optional. If you choose not to use the function or to provide only a subset of your firm documents, you will need to separately execute your agreements between your firm and your clients and deliver firm disclosures in a manner determined by you outside of the Betterment Advisor Solutions platform. The Client Agreement Automation function is only intended to assist firms in presenting agreements and disclosures associated with account openings. Subsequent updates to these documents are not re-delivered to existing clients; the firm must make their own arrangements to deliver any such updates. Note that firm admins may upload a revised Form CRS outside of the account opening process, which will prompt a confirmation modal for client acknowledgment; however, no such capability exists for other agreement types. For all other document updates, the firm retains sole responsibility for arranging delivery to existing clients through appropriate means outside of this function. Contact us with questions at support@bettermentadvisorsolutions.com. How Client Agreement Automation works Overview: The Client Agreement Automation allows your firm to provide a form advisor agreement, Form ADV Part 2A, Form ADV Part 2B, Form CRS and privacy policy to Betterment, which Betterment will then host. As part of the Betterment Advisor Solutions client signup, Betterment will electronically deliver these documents to your clients. For your firm’s Client Agreement, you have the option to enable DocuSign to collect a visible electronic signature from your client—including their name and date — which will also appear on the downloaded PDF. Your Form ADV Part 2A, Form ADV Part 2B, Form CRS, and privacy policy will use checkbox consent, which permits your clients to click a checkbox indicating their consent. DocuSign is only supported for Client Agreements. You have the option of providing only a subset of the documents listed above, though you must provide an advisory agreement to use this function. Only those documents which you upload to your firm dashboard will be provided to clients. Signup: As part of the Betterment Advisor Solutions electronic signup process, your clients are presented with agreements between them and Betterment, and acknowledge receipt of Betterment’s disclosure documents. If you elect to use the Client Agreement Automation function, your clients are also presented with your firm’s advisory agreement and any disclosure documents you have uploaded as of the date each client signs up. If you have enabled DocuSign, your client will electronically sign and date your Client Agreement, which will be visible on the downloaded PDF. If DocuSign is not enabled, your client will need to consent to the terms of your Client Agreement electronically, by checking a box and clicking a button to agree to create their account. Please note, Betterment does not collect traditional handwritten signatures for your agreement or the Betterment Advisor Solutions agreements. Instead, consent is indicated electronically, and the date and time of such consent is recorded and stored. For all other firm documents—Form ADV, Form CRS, and privacy policy—clients indicate consent via checkbox. This flow applies during the initial client onboarding and when a client opens a new legal account, provided they have not already signed the most recent version of your firm’s agreement. Records: In the advisor dashboard, under the “Agreements” tab, you can access the "Client packages" window to view which clients executed your firm’s agreement electronically, the date and time at which they did so, and a digital copy of the version they executed (along with the versions of the firm’s Form ADV Part 2A, Form CRS and privacy policy, and the advisor’s Form ADV Part 2B, provided these documents were uploaded at the time the client was onboarded). You can also download all client packages in bulk. Each agreement package includes your firm’s Client Agreement—with a visible DocuSign signature if you have DocuSign enabled—along with any firm disclosure documents you have uploaded, such as your Form ADV, Form CRS, and privacy policy, which reflect checkbox consent. Note that Betterment’s own agreements are not included in these packages. The most up-to-date version of Betterment’s Client Agreement is available here and other disclosures are here. Important considerations for your firm Please review these items carefully before deciding whether or not to use the Client Agreement Automation function. The Client Agreement Automation function supports one of each disclosure document type per firm at a time—one Form ADV Part 2A, one Form CRS, and one privacy policy. You may update these at any time by having a firm admin upload a new copy via the Agreements section of the portal. Once updated, the new version will be presented to all new clients going forward, but will not be redistributed to existing clients. If you choose to enable DocuSign for your Client Agreement, it will apply to all clients you bring onto Betterment going forward. Your Form ADV, Form CRS, and privacy policy will continue to use checkbox consent and are not affected by DocuSign enablement. Form ADV Part 2B: Each individual advisor on the platform may upload their own ADV Part 2B if they choose or if their firm directs them to do so. If a Form ADV Part 2B is present when a client signs up, a record of the acknowledgement of receipt of the Form ADV Part 2B and a copy thereof will be presented on the Agreements page as well as in the Compliance view, alongside firm-level agreements (if supplied). Form CRS: When present, the Firm’s Form CRS will be shown as the first disclosure alongside the other documents and disclosures during client onboarding that are a part of the Client Agreement Automation function. In addition to client onboarding, the Firm’s Form CRS is presented to clients when adding additional services, including when the client opens a new type of account, on the client consent form when the advisor initiates the opening of a new type of account, when a rollover is initiated by a client, on the client consent form when the advisor initiates a rollover, on quarterly statement notifications, and when a user logs in for the first time since the Firm has uploaded or updated their Form CRS. Examples of opening a new type of account include when a client with a taxable investing account opens an individual retirement account or when a client with an individual retirement account opens a joint account. Fee changes: When considering whether to use the Client Agreement Automation function, you should take into account that advisors have the ability to change the fees they charge specific clients in the advisor dashboard (subject to available Billing Plans, which can only be created by firm admins.) Before using the function, you should determine how, if at all, this impacts the structure of your agreements. Always on: If you decide to use the Client Agreement Automation function, it will be turned on for all clients you bring to Betterment Advisor Solutions. Please note, however, that DocuSign is not available for clients transitioning to your firm from Betterment's retail or 401(k) platforms. Clients moving from these platforms will instead execute your firm's advisory agreement via checkbox consent through the Client Agreement Automation function. Multiple signatories: Currently, the Client Agreement Automation function does not support accounts with multiple signatories, such as trusts with multiple trustees and joint accounts. With joint accounts, each individual account holder will sign their own separate agreements. Agreement amendments: While agreements can be updated and will go live for future client onboarding, we do not support amendments to your agreements with existing clients on our system. If you would like to amend your agreement with some of your clients, you will need to do so yourself, using whatever non-Betterment mechanism and recordkeeping system you deem appropriate. Form ADV Part 2A, Form CRS, and privacy disclosure updates: While Form ADV Part 2A and privacy disclosures can be updated and will go live for subsequent client onboarding, we will not send any updates to your Form ADV Part 2A or privacy disclosures to your existing clients. You are responsible for complying with SEC rules governing when and how to deliver any required disclosures and amendments to these documents to your clients.

The Betterment Advisor Solutions Client Agreement Automation function will make onboarding your new clients fast, easy, and completely paperless.

By permitting your clients to execute your firm’s advisory agreement as part of the white-labeled Betterment Advisor Solutions signup experience, you automate a manual process, giving you more time to focus on your business while providing your clients with a better experience.

How to get started

You may need to update your Form ADV Part 2A and most likely your Client Agreement to reflect the incorporation of Betterment Advisor Solutions into your practice, including (among other things) how your firm uses Betterment’s sub-advisory and brokerage services, and Betterment’s fees. Since each situation is unique, please consult with your attorney or compliance officer.

About the Client Agreement Automation function

The Client Agreement Automation function gives you the option to have your clients electronically execute your firm’s advisory agreement as part of the white-labeled onboarding experience. It also will permit you to provide your Form ADV Part 2A, Form CRS, and privacy policy to your clients at the time of onboarding.

Additionally, each advisor on the platform may supply their Form ADV Part 2B if they choose to do so. This will be presented to their clients at the time of onboarding alongside the other documents that may be supplied at the firm level. Provision of the Form ADV Part 2B is optional, and can be implemented even if your firm does not supply any of the other agreements or disclosures.

Use of the Client Agreement Automation function is optional. If you choose not to use the function or to provide only a subset of your firm documents, you will need to separately execute your agreements between your firm and your clients and deliver firm disclosures in a manner determined by you outside of the Betterment Advisor Solutions platform.

The Client Agreement Automation function is only intended to assist firms in presenting agreements and disclosures associated with account openings. Subsequent updates to these documents are not re-delivered to existing clients; the firm must make their own arrangements to deliver any such updates. Note that firm admins may upload a revised Form CRS outside of the account opening process, which will prompt a confirmation modal for client acknowledgment; however, no such capability exists for other agreement types. For all other document updates, the firm retains sole responsibility for arranging delivery to existing clients through appropriate means outside of this function.

How Client Agreement Automation works

Overview: The Client Agreement Automation allows your firm to provide a form advisor agreement, Form ADV Part 2A, Form ADV Part 2B, Form CRS and privacy policy to Betterment, which Betterment will then host. As part of the Betterment Advisor Solutions client signup, Betterment will electronically deliver these documents to your clients.

For your firm’s Client Agreement, you have the option to enable DocuSign to collect a visible electronic signature from your client—including their name and date — which will also appear on the downloaded PDF. Your Form ADV Part 2A, Form ADV Part 2B, Form CRS, and privacy policy will use checkbox consent, which permits your clients to click a checkbox indicating their consent. DocuSign is only supported for Client Agreements.

You have the option of providing only a subset of the documents listed above, though you must provide an advisory agreement to use this function. Only those documents which you upload to your firm dashboard will be provided to clients.

Signup: As part of the Betterment Advisor Solutions electronic signup process, your clients are presented with agreements between them and Betterment, and acknowledge receipt of Betterment’s disclosure documents. If you elect to use the Client Agreement Automation function, your clients are also presented with your firm’s advisory agreement and any disclosure documents you have uploaded as of the date each client signs up.

If you have enabled DocuSign, your client will electronically sign and date your Client Agreement, which will be visible on the downloaded PDF.

If DocuSign is not enabled, your client will need to consent to the terms of your Client Agreement electronically, by checking a box and clicking a button to agree to create their account. Please note, Betterment does not collect traditional handwritten signatures for your agreement or the Betterment Advisor Solutions agreements. Instead, consent is indicated electronically, and the date and time of such consent is recorded and stored.

For all other firm documents—Form ADV, Form CRS, and privacy policy—clients indicate consent via checkbox.

This flow applies during the initial client onboarding and when a client opens a new legal account, provided they have not already signed the most recent version of your firm’s agreement.

Records: In the advisor dashboard, under the “Agreements” tab, you can access the "Client packages" window to view which clients executed your firm’s agreement electronically, the date and time at which they did so, and a digital copy of the version they executed (along with the versions of the firm’s Form ADV Part 2A, Form CRS and privacy policy, and the advisor’s Form ADV Part 2B, provided these documents were uploaded at the time the client was onboarded). You can also download all client packages in bulk.

Each agreement package includes your firm’s Client Agreement—with a visible DocuSign signature if you have DocuSign enabled—along with any firm disclosure documents you have uploaded, such as your Form ADV, Form CRS, and privacy policy, which reflect checkbox consent.

Note that Betterment’s own agreements are not included in these packages. The most up-to-date version of Betterment’s Client Agreement is available here and other disclosures are here.

Important considerations for your firm

Please review these items carefully before deciding whether or not to use the Client Agreement Automation function.

The Client Agreement Automation function supports one of each disclosure document type per firm at a time—one Form ADV Part 2A, one Form CRS, and one privacy policy. You may update these at any time by having a firm admin upload a new copy via the Agreements section of the portal. Once updated, the new version will be presented to all new clients going forward, but will not be redistributed to existing clients.

If you choose to enable DocuSign for your Client Agreement, it will apply to all clients you bring onto Betterment going forward. Your Form ADV, Form CRS, and privacy policy will continue to use checkbox consent and are not affected by DocuSign enablement.

Form ADV Part 2B: Each individual advisor on the platform may upload their own ADV Part 2B if they choose or if their firm directs them to do so. If a Form ADV Part 2B is present when a client signs up, a record of the acknowledgement of receipt of the Form ADV Part 2B and a copy thereof will be presented on the Agreements page as well as in the Compliance view, alongside firm-level agreements (if supplied).

Form CRS: When present, the Firm’s Form CRS will be shown as the first disclosure alongside the other documents and disclosures during client onboarding that are a part of the Client Agreement Automation function. In addition to client onboarding, the Firm’s Form CRS is presented to clients when adding additional services, including when the client opens a new type of account, on the client consent form when the advisor initiates the opening of a new type of account, when a rollover is initiated by a client, on the client consent form when the advisor initiates a rollover, on quarterly statement notifications, and when a user logs in for the first time since the Firm has uploaded or updated their Form CRS. Examples of opening a new type of account include when a client with a taxable investing account opens an individual retirement account or when a client with an individual retirement account opens a joint account.

Fee changes: When considering whether to use the Client Agreement Automation function, you should take into account that advisors have the ability to change the fees they charge specific clients in the advisor dashboard (subject to available Billing Plans, which can only be created by firm admins.) Before using the function, you should determine how, if at all, this impacts the structure of your agreements.

Always on: If you decide to use the Client Agreement Automation function, it will be turned on for all clients you bring to Betterment Advisor Solutions. Please note, however, that DocuSign is not available for clients transitioning to your firm from Betterment's retail or 401(k) platforms. Clients moving from these platforms will instead execute your firm's advisory agreement via checkbox consent through the Client Agreement Automation function.

Multiple signatories: Currently, the Client Agreement Automation function does not support accounts with multiple signatories, such as trusts with multiple trustees and joint accounts. With joint accounts, each individual account holder will sign their own separate agreements.

Agreement amendments: While agreements can be updated and will go live for future client onboarding, we do not support amendments to your agreements with existing clients on our system. If you would like to amend your agreement with some of your clients, you will need to do so yourself, using whatever non-Betterment mechanism and recordkeeping system you deem appropriate.

Form ADV Part 2A, Form CRS, and privacy disclosure updates: While Form ADV Part 2A and privacy disclosures can be updated and will go live for subsequent client onboarding, we will not send any updates to your Form ADV Part 2A or privacy disclosures to your existing clients. You are responsible for complying with SEC rules governing when and how to deliver any required disclosures and amendments to these documents to your clients.