Thinking of Becoming a Notary? Here’s What It’s Like Today.

Could becoming a notary be a job? A gig? An asset to bring to potential employers? A way to help people? Your entrance into the fast-evolving area of digital closings?

You may wonder if obtaining a notary commission is worth the cost, time, and effort. Let’s take a look.

An Option for Entrepreneurs?

Yes, you can make notarial services your main business — or at least a second job.

Plenty of people run small businesses as certified loan signing agents, for example. If you opt to create a mobile notary startup, you don’t even need to have a brick-and-mortar office. But you do need equipment. Today’s notary startups advertise their online notary software, advanced scanners and laser printers, tablets and mobile hotspots, and eFax offerings.

If you start up a mobile notary service, lawyers and title companies may call on you to notarize signings at people’s homes or offices, or at medical and assisted-living sites.

But is the work regular and the income sustainable? Not necessarily as an only job. And the state’s Notary Public Act might put a cap on how much you can charge. That’s why a notary might have a “day job” and moonlight as a loan signing agent, making house calls when refinancing homeowners close on their loans.

That said, it’s possible that managers at your “day job” have legal papers to be signed, and that can be another way into the notary role.

Is There a Notary in the House?

At many kinds of workplaces, legal documents need notarizations. This brings the notary in contact with the people handling the legal and financial tasks for a company.

Some companies pay for employees to get commissions and renewals and take on notary roles in addition to their core job descriptions. This is a cost-free way to test the waters.

Sometimes, notary licensing can strengthen an application for HR and related positions. Retirement forms, loan documents, benefit distributions, waivers, compliance statements — any of these could require notarized signatures. Healthcare-related workplaces could also need notaries, to verify such things as medical credentials or patient forms.

Or you may find work at an office that prepares deeds, liens, easements, purchase agreements, or other legal instruments for the county records. Title transfers can become a source of regular work for an independent notary.

In short, notary capabilities may be helpful to you, to your co-workers, and to clients. And this is knowledge you can take with you if you leave your company. If you’re an entrepreneur, having a notary public in your startup can be a serious time-saver.

Is it Hard to Become a Notary?

It depends on your county and state of residence. To take Bucks County, Pennsylvania as an example, you must be an adult who lives or works in Pennsylvania, “of good character, integrity and ability.”

Some states make courses and tests mandatory. Often, these consist of simple, pre-recorded materials, and quick, straightforward exams. Some states (such as Idaho and Texas) simply require a form and a fee. At the other end of the spectrum is New York, which has more complicated paperwork and testing. Other “exceptionally strict” states are California, Georgia, Florida, Ohio, and Pennsylvania. 

To take your oath, you’ll go to the office of your local Recorder of Deeds with a photo ID. You’ll sign your signature card, and record a bond (more on this below). Appointments may be necessary. What’s the cost hurdle? Consider a typical notary applicant in Bucks County, Pennsylvania. The applicant will pay $43 to the Recorder of Deeds for processing, while total costs of becoming a notary run about $400.

Governments do change their notary fees, laws, and procedures from time to time, as well as their recordkeeping rules. Does your state put limits on the fees you’ll be charging? Take a look. To get the current low-down on county and state rules, call the office of your local Recorder of Deeds, and visit the website for the Secretary of State in your state of residence.

Did the Pandemic Change Notarizations?

Oh, yes. Today, remote online notarization is widely performed.

A typical state now allows three methods of notarization:

• In-person notarization. The signer meets with the notary face to face. This method continues to be available across the nation.

• Electronic notarization. An online signing involves digital signatures and seals. Today, this method is often applied for in-person signings.
• Remote online notarization. Known as RON, this method enables signers, witnesses, and notaries to carry out the notarization in real time using approved audio-video software.

Modern notarial certificates state the method used: in-person, electronic, or fully remote. Notary journals may be physical books, or they may be computerized.

Professionals and their customers are now acclimated to the new normal of online signings. For notaries, this has opened up new opportunities. On the other hand, some states have made many of their rules more stringent. For instance, Illinois’s recently updated Illinois Notary Public Act includes new penalties for improper notarial acts.  

Can a Notary Be Liable for Mistakes?

There are instances of notaries being held personally liable. This is normally for deliberate misuse of signatures and seals. What about unintentional errors? What if someone makes a false claim about a notarial act you carried out? To protect the notary and the public interest, notaries are insured and bonded.

Notary Insurance

Your state sets forth the requirements for insurance. You can expect to pay several hundred dollars a year for errors and omissions (E&O) insurance. Typically you’ll get a half-million or a million dollars’ worth of coverage.

The Notary Errors & Omissions Insurance policy from the National Notary Association covers the term of your notary commission. If needed, it would cover your legal costs and court costs, without charging a deductible.

Surety Bonds

As for the surety bond that your county will record, you can obtain that from the National Notary Association. The state requires a bond to protect its residents from notarial missteps.

In Pennsylvania, for example, you’ll need a $10,000 bond. In Illinois, the current bond for in-person notary applicants is $5,000. For electronic or remote notaries it’s $30,000.

Check the National Notary Association’s website for training and certification offerings, as well as insurance and bonding.

Parting Thoughts

A notary stamp is a desirable tool — to other people, once they learn you have one. If you’re working for a company, you may become the go-to notary. Will that be satisfying, or annoying? It’s your call.

Some notaries love the ability to help out, especially for nonprofit work or to help essential workers and seniors. And some make their notary credentials a key offering at their own businesses.

To get a feel for what notaries in your state think, check out the buzz in online forum groups such as Notary Café, or Notary Rotary. We hope this article helps orient your journey. As you can see, in our electronic era, the demand for notaries is steady and strong.