Can a hash prove when a contract was signed?

No. A matching SHA-256 digest can help show that the file you check has the same bytes as a digest submitted to a server at a stated time. It does not show who signed, whether they agreed, or when a signature was made.

Verification here means only this: the exact bytes matched this service's earlier record; not identity, consent, signing, notarization or a third-party timestamp.

What to do with a final contract file

After completing the contract through your chosen signing process, save the final PDF. Make a separate Docseal record, then keep the final PDF and private-by-link record URL together. If a copy later looks different, compare its exact bytes against the saved digest.

Do not confuse a hash with signing evidence

Signature consent, identity, intent, final document versions and an audit trail need their own process. Docseal does not replace that process and cannot certify an external signature. Its time is the time our server received a digest, not an independent trusted timestamp or proof the file existed earlier.

For a future signing workflow, see agree.ink's engineering preview. It does not yet execute legal documents.