This was part of the instructions."2 witnesses the notary can act as one witness. Please have the notary provide the 2nd witness. " How do you charge for providing a 2nd witness? And, should you charge more being a witness on a document?
I pay my witnesses $25.
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The last time I needed witnesses I charged $50 each and passed it through to them.
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Thanks. I was wondering how that is handled.
Pay them $25 and charge the company $50 
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Your state of location? Different states have different Witness requirements. WA State RCW 42.45.020 Authority to perform notarial act.
(2) (b) A notarial officer may not notarize the notarial officer’s own signature.
(2) (c) A notarial act performed in violation of this subsection (2) is voidable.
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That is highly unethical…
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What is unethical?
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Yep…and the sad part is he doesn’t know why. Unethical and tantamount to fraud. JMO
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When I accept assignments that require witness(es). First, I never act is an witness. I elect to work only in a Public Official capacity thereby maintaining my impartiality. I choose to limit my legal exposure should any potential legal matters arise. Most times, I ask the borrower(s) to provide their own witness(es). I hire my wife to be a witness for loan signings. I ask the hiring company for a witness fee of $50 and more if travel happens to be greater than 15 miles.
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Thanks. It is not unreasonable to ask for me to ask for a fee if I have to find a witness for the signing. That is good to know.
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The fact that you do not specifically address my position tells me it is more about feelings than facts. I understand your feelings about business.
I wanted to believe you were kidding…and I hope you were. As Mannie said, that is highly unethical. Keep in mind, companies monitor these boards…they see this as your business practice, all trust in you goes right out the window. Just a friendly word of warning.
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Then they should make sure a witness is available. It is just sad you undervalue your service. You finding a witness, coordinating, and insuring that the witness is present has ZERO value in your business. For my business, that has a value that should be compensated. I hope the companies that monitor compensate accordingly. Clearly, fair compensation is a problem. So much for ethical consideration.
“Then they should make sure a witness is available” Title or SS will NEVER going to do That, You do not specified what kind of signing you were asked to provide witnesses, It was a GNW or a Real State signing, and because a witness has ZERO value in your business, why do you give it too much importance? when Title or SS companies ask you to provide witnesses, they do not mean you have to carry them all the way around while you are performing the signing, about the payment, when you agree to a signing with witnesses, you must let them know about the payment for them, they usually agree to pay an average of $25.00 for each witness to you, now, about the borrowers or clients you are providing the signing, YOU always can ask them to provide THEIR witnesses, Witnesses can be people over 18 old who can provide a valid ID for you to record on your Notary book, they can be neighbors, the gardener , the post man or whoever signers find available at the time of signing, and guess what? I never paid a cent to them because they gladly cooperate helping, the best thing in my experience is that Title and SS companies pay YOU for the witnesses provided, in my career I never paid a cent to a witness, on the other hand, if you want to provide a witness or witnesses and you are taking them along with you to the signing, THEIR time is valuable and then you have to pay them according to the time spent going to the signing with you, that’s in your dime, a word, you never in my opinion carry strangers to a signing where privacy is paramount, unless you take your wife, JK,…
My process for this…when I told signers to have witnesses there, I reassured them the witnesses did not have to sit for the whole process and be privvy to their private business…they just had to be there long enough to see them sign and/or hear them swear to the truth and sign (unless, of course, it’s a Will with a Self-Proving Affidavit). The few times I had to take my husband as a witness, he sat in another room until we needed him (watching John Wayne movies compliments of the man of the house..lol)
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Hi ~ Alice here in WA and I posted RCW Law for our state. You never did mention state you are located. Did you view your state laws which may also answer legal question aside from $ question? Following the law to me is more important than $. As for myself when it comes to Witness(es) for signing, I never provide witnesses and leave that responsibility to contractor or signer. Have had my business since 2015 and has always worked for me. Good luck!
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Also most companies have a cap of 25.00 unless you have good enough reason. I was once able to get 40.00 because it was an hour drive.
Maybe you’re a little over zealous in your value and charging of things? That can see you becoming underutilized when pushed too far.
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Hmm they pay that? Don’t think that would ever fly here in Florida.
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