Here in California, it costs a pretty penny to take the class, pay for fuel to get to the limited places they provide the tests, get fingerprints and your stamp.
Its not as easy or cheap as it is in other states.
Thoughts?
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Not in CA (obviously) … But mine expires in 2028 and I won’t be renewing. Ageing out, for one. Secondly, no desire to try to catch up and keep up with technology.
I’m not doing any appointments now and have, basically, closed my “business” , such as it were. Not surrendering my commission yet in case a friend needs something notarizing, but will not be renewing. I refuse to accept the pitiful fees and disrespect doled out by companies. No idea how notaries tolerate that these days
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It depends. If I get re-elected as a Justice of the Peace, I’ll get my notary commission for free, and will continue to be active in town business. The town business often requires notarizations.
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Just renewed this year for another 4 years . . .
Unable to speak directly to your state; however, I’m able to share with you some components of the thought process I utilized while making my determination about your query in 2024.
I reviewed the following data from nationwide surveys:
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How much can I earn (2017-2020): How much can I earn as a mobile Notary or Signing Agent? | NNA
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Excerpt from the 2017-2020 data results: " * More than half of all full-time mobile Notaries earn $2,000 or more a month.
a) Nearly two-thirds of full-timers who have been in business for at least 3 years earn $4,000 or more a month, and 16 percent earn more than $7,500 a month.
b) 43 percent of all part-time, self-employed Notaries earn more than $500 a month; nearly 30 percent earn more than $1,000 a month.
c) 88 percent of full-timers and 80 percent of part-timers considered their businesses profitable enough to continue working as mobile Notaries."
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Infographic from 2017-2020 data: chrome-extension://efaidnbmnnnibpcajpcglclefindmkaj/https://www.nationalnotary.org/file%20library/nna/knowledge%20center/outside%20pdfs/bulletin-data-graphics-06-07-21.pdf
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The detailed 2023 results in PDF file format (29 pages):
a) chrome-extension://efaidnbmnnnibpcajpcglclefindmkaj/https://www.nationalnotary.org/file%20library/nna/download/nna-2023-notary-survey-results.pdf
b) The average monthly income for those providing Professional Signing Agent [PSA] services on a full-time basis ranges (on average) between $1K-$3K PER MONTH (per the data from the FY 2023 nationwide survey). Reference the actual data on the 29 pages (above).
This remuneration is NOWHERE NEAR a six-figure income.
= * = * = * = * = * = * = * = * = * = * = * = * = * = * = * = * = * = * = * = * =
Plus, I’m wondering if you’ve caught the the extensive news reports about all the industry sector layoffs in the major Mortgage business entities, Title/Escrow companies [T/ECs], Signing Services going Out-of-Business [OOB], Non-payment by Signing Services, etc. which all factor into the analysis of this decision.
===>>> As I regularly advise, activate your critical thinking skills & Research your region to make the determination IF IT’S WORTH YOUR WHILE to endeavor further . . .
Comprise your historical data, direct experience, trends in the addition of new clients/Signing Orders[SOs] (or dwindling clients/SOs), expense-profit ratio especially in light of the current strong downward spiral of fees, service region, increase in competition, etc., etc., etc.
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No one can make the decision for you, but you can make an optimum decision by gathering as much reliable data as possible & analyzing that data scrupulously to yield accurate results.
It may also be HELPFUL to expand your scope of professional services outside the limits of loan signings. The following is very best reference material I’ve ever studied.
Over the years that I’ve been providing professional signing agent [PSA] services, I’ve purchased many texts (more than a baker’s dozen or so). There is ONE text that revealed an IMMENSE amount of wisdom, support, & guidance: => “Marketing Your Non-Loan Notary Services” by Laura Vestanen.
This text will be instrumental in guiding you to effectively & efficiently expanding your business while simultaneously utilizing your well-honed notarial skills!
This text assisted me in brainstorming my way to greater success. It’s much easier to surf the peaks and valleys of business cycles if there are multiple income streams (diversify your services across varied business sectors ).
FYI: I receive no compensation or remuneration of any type or kind as a result of my first-hand experiential review above nor from any sales of the text.
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Best wishes with your Research & decision!
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P.S. Here are TWO ADDITIONAL posts that are quite insightful & that are more true than ever TODAY:
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YES. I am in Washington state and thankfully our notary fees have just increased and we are allowed to charge a travel fee.
WAC 308-30-220
Fees for notarial acts.
(1) The maximum fees a notary may charge for notarial acts are:
| Notarial Act | Maximum Fee |
|---|---|
| Witnessing or attesting a signature | $15.00 |
| Taking an acknowledgment or a verification upon oath or affirmation | $15.00 |
| Certifying or attesting a copy | $15.00 |
| Administering an oath or affirmation | $15.00 |
| Certifying that an event has occurred or an act has been performed | $15.00 |
| Remote notarial act | $25.00 |
| (2) A notary public need not charge for notarial acts. |
(3) A notary public may not charge fees for receiving or noting a protest of a negotiable instrument.
(4) A notary public may additionally charge the actual costs of copying any instrument or record.
(5) A notary public may charge a travel fee when traveling to perform a notarial act if:
(a) The notary public and the individual requesting the notarial act agree upon the travel fee in advance of the travel; and
(b) The notary public explains to the individual requesting the notarial act that the travel fee is in addition to the notarial fee in subsection (1) of this section and is not required by law.
(6) Notwithstanding the maximum fees set forth in subsection (1) of this section and the prohibition set forth in subsection (3) of this section, a notary public may charge a maximum fee of $25 to perform a remote notarial act.
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I’m in California. I haven’t used my notary in the one year that I’ve had it. I most likely will not be renewing in 2027. It costs more for marketing and trying to run the business than it does to take the exam, etc etc.
However, I did explore doing Field Inspections for the federal government and that has been better for me. I do work a full time job, so the field inspections add a nice little supplement for income. The inspections that I do are $25 for each job and I can get up to 30 jobs in my queue per week (please do the math) and ( I can accept or reject any job) but they are all in the area that I choose to work in. (One notary job here is worth $15). There’s no wrangling with getting paid and little to no interaction with anyone. Plus, having the government work on my resume will look good, if ever needed for anything else. It works for me but may not work for others.
Again, since I already have a full time job this works for me (especially because I’m not getting any younger and it beats having to look for work doing notary, as, it really really is a tough and time consuming industry if one wasn’t already established years ago.)
I’ll be working my regular job and these field inspections for as long as I can because the future of the country and the economy looks unstable. Any and everything will help.
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I am waiting to see what the business will be like next year. Since fees have steadily gone down due to SC taking a large portion of it, I have not been doing many signings. I still do some and also a little general notary work, but it is very competitive and just not easy to get. I do other things and not really too excited anymore about taking assignments with large printing jobs, fax backs, driving far, etc and not getting paid adequately. It’s really about making enough to make it worth the effort. This is my tenth year at this. I will decide next year whether to continue or not. Possibly retire…
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Does it have to be an ink card for fingerprints? If not, then why not check into finding an Electronic Fingerprint Specialist that will store your prints? It might be cheaper overall. Also, if you’re doing this as a business, then all of these are deductions including the mileage to get to the courses.
I will renew mine in Jan of 2028. I have just began the end of last year and every month that goes by, I become more and more busy. Some days are a little slower than others and some I am busy with regular notary appointments and some signing assignments which take me away from home all day. My average is about $5-600 a month after expenses but the income is helping to cover the extra cost of groceries. I also offer courier services which have not caught on yet. I am now performing court house auctions and am growing organically with only Google. I have an website and am a member of the local chamber. That helps me get involved while giving out my business cards.
After giving up my accounting career to raise our son while homeschooling him, having my own little business and allowing me to meet people in my community and nearby towns has been very nice experience. I know many want to make a career out of it by making a lot more money but fortunately my family lived off of one income for 19 years. So we are thankful for the extra income. I worry when I see the negativity and I keep hearing that notaries will phase out. I hope not. I am so proud to hold the office. I like helping the elderly that can’t get out and those who need notary services after the big chains close at 5.
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I am in CA too and yes, it sure does get expensive. I make the bulk of my money with the travel fee even with our high $15 notary fee. [I also live in a wealthy county so it’s easy to charge a higher price.] That being said, everything else in the county is higher so not an easy street by any means.
If you are done with notary, fine. If you want to keep goiong, I recommend trying google adwords so people can find you. And make sure you are listed on yelp (the free post, do not pay!).
And I would also say, “this is the best paying part-time job EVER.” I’m not earning what I did during the Covid years, but for part time work… unbeatable.
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I guess the choice to renew or not is dependent on what each individuals needs are. I became a notary in Pennsylvania when i worked in a bike shop that did title transfers which later had to close its doors. I don’t need to work, I just liked to work some when I wasn’t taking care of the grandbabies. I have noticed that I am completing less signings this year as opposed to the 2 years prior. In the 2025 school year my grandkids will start school so I think I will be renewing in January when its time and im strongly running for tax collector in my jurisdiction. With the kids starting school, I wont have to turn down so much work.
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…“helping cover the cost of groceries”… That part!
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Thank you for sharing this info, do you mind sharing what company you do field inspections for?
I’m halfway through my 7th four year commission, I will renew again.
I will renew in the Spring. What is misleading about income - I gross 4-5 grand a month but after mileage and expenses it’s nowhere NEAR that. I took early retirement from SS and will continue to be a mobile notary. I had considered getting a commission in Oregon but I don’t know that I will. Competition remains fierce in my region but the newer notaries make a lot of errors I find myself batting clean up a lot.
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@johnsonps306 be careful here - if you took early social security you are limited on how much you can earn - if you earn over the limit, based on gross income, social security takes $1.00 for every $2.00 you earn over the limit. For 2024, that limit is $22,320. Based on the above post, you’re talking about $48,000 - $60,000 gross per year.
Nice to be able to make that kind of yearly income in this business…congrats.
Social Security limits are on NET income. I’m well aware, thanks.
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@LindaH-FL – johnsonps306 is correct regarding Social Security limits. From SSA website:
" When we figure out how much to deduct from your benefits, we count only the wages you make from your job or your net profit if you’re self-employed. We include bonuses, commissions, and vacation pay. We don’t count pensions, annuities, investment income, interest, veterans benefits, or other government or military retirement benefits."
Source (scroll towards the bottom): Benefits Planner: Retirement | Receiving Benefits While Working | SSA
Then I apologize…but I did look for info before posting and the info I found said gross income.
Again, I stand corrected and my apologies.
P.S. Just went and looked again…it is gross earnings on wages and net on self employment income…so I misread the statement…again, mea culpa