So, am I to conclude that most Signing Agents don’t make enough income to support themselves? Thank God I haven’t invested too much in to this yet. 
@Reachus Those are the reports from various sites and FB groups. I got out of them several years ago … only do GNW now
Hello Linda H,
Thanks for responding, however I am not clear on whether to believe the posts on this platform or not. Also, regarding general notary work: is it lucrative enough to make it worthwhile?
Thanks again,
Melissa M
First of all, you can believe the posters here - we’ve only found a few who blow smoke, but most are reliable.
Second, as for GNW - in my area I don’t get a lot of calls but I don’t market all that much, mostly because in my area people don’t even want to pay the $10/notarization we’re allowed, never mind adding in fees for travel and time…they seem to forget they’re calling a “business” when they call. How much you make in GNW depends on your area and your marketing. There are many posts here on how to market your GNW services outside your profile - I’d suggest a search here.
Best of luck
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Good information. Thanks so much.
Melissa M.
Let’s see…thru networking ( it really does pay off, I promise!) I recently received an gnw assignment for 11 sigs for 11 Simple IRA’s. This was my first notary assignment as a notary! If I wanted to…$15.00x11=$165.00+my $100.00 per hr fee = $150.00+ milage (in ca I charge 2-3 per mile) 40 miles x 2.00 = $80.00. That is $395.00. That assignment took me 1 1/2 to complete. Snacks, paid parking and a great view of the cemetery where lies Marilyn Monroe and other famous folks. Weird, but just one of the many different things I imagine I will enjoy or not enjoy as a notary. I just received an SS order for a seller package for a piece of property less then 2 miles from my home. 30 pages $95.00. I know these assignments are not always going to be this easy to come by but so what. I love a challenge and this market is not the ideal one to jump into as a notary. But wait a minute…it’s going to work for me period! The changes coming down the pipeline regarding RON will give me and those that stick this readjustment period out the leg up! Bring it on baby!!! BTW I’m in Redondo Beach, CA. I’m always willing to jump in if a fellow notary can’t make an appointment! 310 710-2137
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How would you compare the income from GNW to Signing Agent work? It seems to me that a good mix of both would be the best. Or?
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GNW requires advertising, SEO, and a professional website. That’s not cheap but you have to spend money to make money. Signing Agent muppets just sign up with middle men signing services and wait by the phone. When and if they get an assignment they forfeit half their notary fees and wait a month to get paid. Then get a 1099 at the end of the year.
You need to work directly with a title company to make a living wage as a loan signer, then you can use that money to build your GNW business.
I would expect a balanced mix of both is best…other than that, I can’t honestly comment on loan signing work as I don’t do them any more…I’m strictly GNW and even that, in my area is slim. There are several notaries in my area and people around me don’t want to pay to have something notarized, never mind pay for me to travel to them.
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I see these articles every day and try to send a letter to the editor. AARP just published one too. It’s really disturbing.
So in CA you’re allowed to charge an hourly fee + mileage? Trying to figure out your $395 fee.
You make a great point about the travel fees. The first thing I look at when deciding whether to accept an offer is the location. Not necessarily the distance to the location (although that’s a big part of it), but where the address specifically is located and the anticipated parking situation. I’ve encountered situations here in the Los Angeles area where parking cost almost as much as the fee I was receiving for the job.
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Great point about parking fees! $20 to park in San Francisco… I feel your pain cuz I get a constant dose.
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There’s an area in Los Angeles (Century City) where parking is around $35. It’s all tall buildings with underground parking and you really have no other choice where to park. The area has its own zip code and when I see that zip code on an offer, I immediately reject it without looking any further.
Hi- As far as CA is concerned, notaries can charge a fee that is based on no more than $15 per cert and the rest is what you the customer agree upon. It could be a flat fee or an hourly fee or no fee if you wish, and a travel convenience charge. I’ve created a business model that reflects the population that I’m willing to serve and the services that I’m willing to perform. General/Specialty and Loan Signing opportunities are what The Signing Resource is available for at the moment. Right now, loan signing is dead for me. I started this bus in Jan '24 knowing the loan signing business was nearly at a standstill. So, for now, I’m focused on general work. At the same time, I’m planting the seeds with local escrow, mortgage and real estate agents advising them that I’m a certified signing agent and I will be positioned for them when rates begin to fall. At the time I wrote what you are responding to, I was charging $100 per hour. 11 sigs at $15 and mileage at $2 per mile. That is where the $395 came from. Because they were a first-time customer, I offered them a significant discount. Btw, this was one of those high-rise buildings on Wilshire Blvd. in Century City. I had them validate my parking, they had coffee and snacks waiting and they provided a room specifically for the signings. I also did recent work for an attorney in the area who flat out told me I was not charging enough! I have other customers who think I’m too expensive. It’s really a matter of perception of what value means to the customer. The Signing Resource is a Mobile service that offers a convenient solution to having documents notarized. I have found that some people really don’t mind paying for my service which provides having someone professional and courteous came to them! kk peace!
If I were a customer, I’d be entitled to not pay more than the notary fees specified by CA plus fees for non-notary work and expenses (such as travel). $2 per mile, for each mile in the round trip, = $80*? Fine. $15 per signature, X 11 = $165? Fine. So far that’s $245.
Hourly rate for 1.5 hours? So 90 minutes divided by 11 signatures is about 8 minutes per signature. That’s a little long for completing one signature. Some of that is for something outside of the notarization, such as waiting while the signer reads the package for the first time. But some of that time is for the actual notarization process, such as asking the correct question ("Do you swear…?), watching the signer sign, filling out the certificate, and filling out the journal. I’d think that would be around 2 minutes per signature. It doesn’t seem right to charge a $15 fee per signature AND a $100 hourly rate while the notarization is actually being done.
*Or was that $2 per one-way mile? If so, it’s a bargain. I also wonder if you charge the $100 hourly rate while you are driving.
Well again, the client said they were very happy and that is the name of the game! I’m aware there is a fine line in this biz between undercharging to gain customers or overcharging to make up for lost rev. or whatever. I use the simple rule of asking myself what would a reasonably thinking businessperson with a strong sense of common-sense do? There is no point in making enemies in this or any business that your name is attached to. Create a business plan, adjust it if needed as you learn your customer base. It’s your business make it work for you and most importantly, your customers!! kk peace!
Hi Susana ~ I’m in my 70’s + and never wanted notary work to be full time job and just part time. I still have good paying property signing clients but majority of my work is GNW which is still a good part time job for me. Since I’ve started writing my book “Alice’s Story” project is larger than anticipated and I might even publish my book. I might actually retire next year because of my desires to travel and finish my book before my brain cells go… Feel bad for younger people actually believing this is an occupation like the old days. Our world is changing and not always for the better.
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we notarize signatures per person so the charge is $15 per signature notarized not per certificate because more than one person can be added to the same notary certificate but sign the document individually , how many people are signing? If its 2 people that would be $30 x 11 signatures = 330 if it one person signing then its $165. Just in the signatures. The fact that you’re charging a $100 labor rate on top of that plus travel time makes can make sense. When we go to the mechanic for repairs they charge material + labor rate . Documents don’t notarize themselves 
I used to charge a labor rate of $35 per hour when I do Estate Planning at the law officers because I’m expected to stay there for the duration of the time the documents are being explains which can go well over the 1 hour , it benefits me to sit their and listed to the documents being explained because I learn directly from the estate planning attorney so its a win for me, however some people didn’t want to pay it so I stopped charging .
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In Washington state, we can charge a travel fee that has been agreed to in advance, but cannot charge a labor fee or $Per hour
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