Hi all, I’m typing up my services menu at the moment and I want to include an hourly rate (or charge for smaller increments of time) for those who keep me at an appointment longer than expected- is this legal at all or in NY particularly? I’ll call the NNA hotline later today but I thought I’d ask here anyway it could help someone else in the future.
If permissible by your state (check your state handbook) that would fall under service fee. You would have to determine how much your time is worth…$50/hr…$30/hr… ect and make sure you communicate that up front in writing via email communication/ confirmation when they book the appointment.
However let me say this… for example:
Yesterday I received a same day notary request from a rehab client on 2 miles from my home. 2 signatures I can only charge $10 each. I went the brother who booked the appointment forgot the iD for the signer at home and had to run home to grab it… so there I sat waiting 1/2 hour for him. This was supposed to be a quick 5 min $20 job. Was I annoyed… yup but kept it professional and sat and waited.
He came back…we completed the signing and he hands me $60… I told him that was way too much and was handing him back $20… he refused. He said he appreciated the last minute appointment and the fact I waited instead of rescheduling. I love doing GNW because although my state does not allow service fees 9 out of 10 times I get tips which I can accept. He was a referral from another customer and he said he will refer me to others to would need my services.
Now why did I tell you that story?
Charging a wait fee may not sit well with some. Remember you are competing with other notaries for the same job. If you charge a wait fee they will more that often go with the notary who does not.
Just food for thought
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It’s normally PoA done in hospitals that go over what I think they will- I’ll just increase the fee I quote up front to an amount that is fair yet satisfactory for an hour and a half. This is better than feeling uncomfortable asking for more when I’m there 40 mins longer
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I do a lot of hospital and nursing home GNW. What I find helpful is to ask them upfront the best times that will not conflict with the nurses visit, rotations or medication delivery. They often know…if they don’t 9 out of 10 times they will check and agree to call you back. I have yet to spend more than 15 at any appointment ( except the last one of course…that was a first)
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I agree with others’ comments here that Hospitals/Nursing Homes POAs generally take longer so make sure you don’t double book yourself and that you ask for an appropriate fee to start with. I also think that you will price yourself out of work in this current environment where there is not enough work to go around.
The signings that I always plan to take longer than I think are reverse mortgages and I always make sure that the fee is worth it to cover the additional time and patience that they will require.
Good luck!
Thank you, @RJMandez - I so agree with this statement.
One thing I’d like to add - sometimes you really are not sure what to quote until you’ve actually done a few and realize what is involved. For example - IME - one nursing home I service is easy to navigate and the residents are very easy to deal with - vs doing a GNW appointment at the VA Medical Center near me…parking is always a challenge as the lot is usually packed and navigating the hospital can take some time (you get your steps in with those, I can assure you of that!!..lol)
I do agree about being careful about overpricing yourself right out of work - depending on your demographics that’s a serious consideration. I’ve had people here balk at paying me the $10 we can charge - they’re shocked I charge for travel. I’ve read some other notaries posting fees paid for GNW where the folks are happy to hand over the money and the sky is the limit - not so in my area.
Good Luck
It can definitely be a juggling act at times. I have on occasion waived the travel fee if i am in the area (and I let them know that upfront I am waiving the fee… they appreciate that) or if it’s a lot of documents like 10= $100. I am fortunate enough to have rehab, nursing homes and assisted living facilities all within 10 min drive or less from me with easy in and out access. Yuma is a place where people come to retire… I thought FL was the same? @isabelayarbroughmn If priced right and you treat your clients well, you will get a lot of referral business. When I walk in I speak to all the nurses…smile and talk them up so they remember me… let them know who i am and what i do. I have gotten a lot of repeat business just from them alone. Many times, their patients will ask them if they know a notary and they refer me because of this.
I’ll keep that in mind next time, chatting with staff. So far people in my area don’t seem to have an issue paying what I’ve quoted and I really don’t want to be spending 30-60 mins total for $10-$20 jobs, it isn’t worth it to me
If they don’t have an issue then you are pricing it fairly… yes I agree with you time is money
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