The California League of Independent Notaries (CLIN) is leading the charge to raise the state notary fee cap to $20 per notarization.
Why does this matter? A higher fee cap reflects inflation, supports small business owners, and ensures notaries are compensated fairly for their vital work.
Join CLIN today and help amplify our collective voice! Together, we can advocate for a brighter future for California notaries.
You should go.after the loan signing companies for fair wages on loan signings. They expect us to do purchases or refis with 13+ notaries for 2 people , starting fees have dropped to the range of $45-75 is just crazy. When i started in 2009 the average was $125 in california. Somehow it has gone down. We should not allow it to happen!
You can raise the charge per notarization all you want and it still won’t help signing agents who are expected to notarize a dozen documents for two people for a grand total of $75 or so.
Be careful what you wish for. In May in WA state the notarization fee went up to a maximum of $15 per notarization. I have passed this cost on to the signers for my GNW. They are not happy. I have been challenged more than once on notarizing 4 seals at a cost of $60.00. The last guy told me that “you can charge a maximum of $15 per seal, but you don’t have too, right?”. I told him he was right, and told him I take all forms of payment including Venmo and PayPal.
What he didn’t know and I felt I didn’t need to explain is that he wanted to sign in the evening after 6:00 pm. I was on my way to him from a signing in Tukwila during rush hour traffic. A not too long travel distance, but with traffic a commute that would have taken 20 minutes took 45. I got to him shortly after 7:00 pm, keeping him apprised of my estimated time of arrival at least twice during my commute. There was no way he was going to get this service for less than my maximum allowable fee.
Sometimes people want a second set of notarized documents, but feel that the second set should be free of charge, as if it was a carbon copy! Be prepared for the blowback!
Hopefully your state’s notaries will follow suit charging the new $15 fees, like ours. I’ve had no issues since our rate when up to $15 in Calif. Can’t believe that was 8 years ago in 2017!
I do, however, offer some breaks on my mobile service fee when there are a lot of notaries.
A raise in fees will help with General Notary work but the loan packages are pretty much standard rate with no accounting for the number of notarizations. I haven’t had time to develop the GNW side of my business but every once in a while I will get a job through Notary Cafe or Google. I explain my fee prior to going to the appointment because I want no haggling once I am there. Some assignments are pro-bono and others I waive the travel fee if I am already at the signing. Doing a side certificate at a loan signing occurs once in every 700 signings or so.
That’s too much money! Stop being so greedy! Stop gouging customers! Do you really want the public hating notaries even more?
The ripoff happens with the mortgage package signings. You should work on that because it’s always been $100 on average since 2008. Inflation goes into the pockets of the agencies.
Stop being so greedy with the people and go after the greedy agencies and banks who don’t pay enough for signing agent work.
Stop this nonsense. This isn’t a full time job for most notaries. If you need more money why don’t you get a real job?
Fee caps should be raised in CA because the last time they were raised in 2016 to $15, that is now $19.97 in today’s dollars according to the US CPI index. All we’re asking for is that the fee caps should be raised to reflect the 33% inflation that has occurred since the last increase.
On the topic of loan signing fees, NSA’s need to do a better job of negotiating the fees that they will accept. If fees are too low for you, then ask for more or don’t accept the job. But, if we start trying to legislate what NSA’s are paid for loan signing jobs, what WILL happen is that the Title Lobby, the Realtors and the Mortgage Brokers will come to the table and amend those proposed fees down so low that all the work becomes charity work. And then on top of that, if a bill governing loan signing fees was passed, you will no have the ability to negotiate your fees as a small business owner because the fee that they will pay would be codified into law. Is that really what everyone wants???
Further, being a mobile notary most certainly can be a full time job and I think most would consider it not just a “real” job but also a profession.
Occasionally, after a loan signing is complete, someone will ask if I can notarize a personal document for them. At that point, all I want to do is get out of there, so it’s easier to just say “Sure, what do you need notarized?”. I just don’t feel like telling them it will cost them $15 to notarize a personal signature which will take me about a minute.
I found it very interesting on the various position we all conveyed on this topic. Some people even felt it would be price gouging. Others felt the public would push back against a raise in the notarial fee. Some even felt it would not make a difference with the title/signing companies due to how they bundle fees with their signing orders. But let’s look on how inflation has impacted our business: Fuel cost in 2015 was an average price of 2.176, today the average cost of fuel is $3.268. Paper products priced at $20 in 1997 → $46.53 in 2024". Take toner at one time it cost $73.89, today the same item cost $112.89. I think everyone can agree that our operating costs has gone up over the years. The average consumer understand that prices for goods and services have gone up. It’s not rocket science to see the need for our notarial fees to be increased too. What I do know, Florida notarial fee since 2015 has been $10. When you factor in the future value of a dollar at 2.6% growth rate over the past 10 years. Today you would need $13.31 to purchase the same goods and services purchased 10 years ago. So, today each notarial act I perform in Florida would earn me $6.69 in purchasing power, now my math could be wrong. Hmmm?
Stand by your rates, Jo Ann!
Anyone who balks at my $15/notarization and travel fee (I charge $50 minimum travel fee), I am happy to refer to notarycafe.com and 123notary.com or urge them to take their documents directly to their closest UPS store or attorney.
From my website:
RATES: My mobile notary rate is **$15 per notarization plus a minimum travel fee of $50 USD and $1 per mile roundtrip from my door to yours. Use Google Maps to estimate mileage from door to your door. If you live on an island and I must take a ferry to reach your location, understand that time/cost will be added on as a travel fee.
In Washington state, notary travel fees are not required by law, however, I do charge a travel fee in my mobile notary business and want you to be aware of this.My minimum basic notary travel fee is $50 USD plus $1 per mile round trip door to door. *** WAC 308.30.220: “A notary may charge a travel fee when traveling to perform a notarial act if: '(a) The notary and individual requesting the notarial act agree upon the travel fee in advance of the travel; and ‘(b) The notary explains to the individual requesting the notarial act that the travel fee is in addition to the notarial fee in subsection (1) of {WAC 308.30.220] and is not required by law’ (WAC 308.30.0220[5]).”* If you do not agree to my notary travel fee, you could contact The UPS Store nearest you or a notary public or law office closer to you. Find a UPS Store Near Me Find an Attorney Near Me Find a Notary Near Me
This is a bit harsh. Everyone pays a fee for service. I quit my 9-5 to became a full-time business owner as a Loan Signing Agent. When you are compensated correctly your business can thrive. True, the agencies, lenders, and title companies SHOULD know the state minimum Notarial Act fee and offer a closing according to the correct amount. However, we as Notaries need to counter the fees offered more often. As for the general public, I charge the minimum fee and the service/ travel fees if you are a Moblie Notary like me. It is a convenience offered to them for a profit. Anyone who uses Uber Eats or Insta Cart has " fees" charged to them. It’s the same concept for us.
Read the full story and learn how you can make a difference: Advocating for Fair Compensation: CLIN’s Push to Raise Notary Fee Caps to $20 | CLIN