Notary

Again, as a notary, your job will be to act as a witness when people sign important documents. These may include:

• Real estate deeds
• Mortgages and other loans
• Wills
• Power of attorney documents
• Car titles
• Affidavits

Most part-time notaries spend the majority of their time on real estate transactions and loans.

What does witnessing a document actually involve?

“Witnessing” a document entails:

• Verifying that the signer is who they say they are (which you’ll do by checking their ID)
• Confirming that they understand what the document says
• Making sure they’re signing it of their own free will, not being coerced
• Watching as they actually sign the document
• Signing and stamping it yourself
• Recording it in a special notary journal

That might look like a lot, but the process of notarization is fairly routine. You won’t have to do a ton of investigative work to make sure each signing you notarize is above board. You’ll just show up, and assuming you don’t see any red flags—which you usually won’t—you’ll stamp the document and be in and out in 20 minutes to 1 hour, depending on how long the signer takes.

What are the different types of notaries?

The term “notary” actually refers to several different but related roles, all of which you should be familiar with if you’re considering starting a notary side hustle.

• Notary public: This is the technical term for notaries of all types. By definition, if you provide notarization services, you’re a notary public.
• Mobile notary: Some notaries work out of an office, but many travel to their clients (i.e., visiting properties as they’re being sold). These are referred to as mobile notaries or traveling notaries.
• Remote online notary: In some states, it’s also possible to provide certain notarization services online, although this isn’t legal everywhere. Remote online notaries (RONs) are exactly what they sound like—notaries public who work remotely, using a video call service and electronic signing platform.
• Notary signing agent: Signing agents focus on mortgages and other loans, and they have more extensive responsibilities than “ordinary” notaries public. Instead of just being responsible for the actual signing process, they also review the contents of the documents they witness, confirming that everything’s correct, and they make sure the documents are filed on time.

Most people who pursue notarization as a side hustle become mobile or remote notaries. That’s because when you’re doing this as a part-time gig, it’s more convenient (and cheaper) to travel to your clients or simply video call them than maintain an office. As a mobile notary, you can also add travel expenses to your rates, which in many cases will be how you earn most of your money.

Many notaries choose to become NSAs, too. That’s because signing agents are allowed to charge considerably more than people who only provide notarization services, something we’ll elaborate on in the next section.

Pros and cons of becoming a notary

There are legal restrictions on how much notaries public can charge for their services. These vary from state to state, but are generally fairly stringent; in many jurisdictions, you’ll be allowed to charge just $2–$15 per signing (plus a travel fee if you’re a mobile notary).

Earnings for notary signing agents

Signing agents earn much more than other notaries public. Because the services they provide are more extensive, they’re often able to charge between $100 and $200 per signing (although many choose to set their prices lower in the beginning when they’re getting established).

Most appointments are relatively quick (under an hour). Travel and signing-adjacent clerical and filing support will add time to most of your jobs, but on average, you can still expect to make $150+ per hour.

This means that if you become an NSA, a notary side hustle can be quite lucrative—if you’re able to attract enough clients, that is.

Is starting a notary side hustle still worth it?

There are several popular online courses that teach people how to become notaries or signing agents (arguably the most famous is offered by a trainer named Mark Willis). These courses claim that it’s possible to earn a six-figure income from this side hustle with relatively little work.

Unfortunately, those claims are false. Most people don’t need notarization services very often, which can make it hard to land work. That was less true in 2019–2021; when interest rates were low and real estate was booming, there was significantly more demand for notaries and signing agents, but these days, the market is a lot tougher.

It’s still possible to earn money with this gig, but you’ll need to put a lot of work into it to do so. Those $200+ signings won’t just fall into your lap. You’ll need to advertise and get your name out there, just as if you were starting any other type of small business.

The bottom line is that becoming a notary or signing agent can be worth it, but what you’ll get out of it depends on what you put in. If this was an effort-free way of earning big bucks, everyone would do it.

You don’t need a college degree to become a notary public or a signing agent, but you will need to jump through a number of bureaucratic hoops, which will include passing an exam and getting a government-issued certificate.

To undergo this process, you’ll generally need to meet these requirements:

• US citizen or permanent resident
• Resident of the state you live in
• 18+ years old
• No felony convictions
• Able to read, write, and understand English

The specific criteria you’ll need to fill, as well as the process you’ll have to follow, depend on your state. You can refer to the guides below to get a general sense of what you’ll have to do, but for the details, your best bet is to refer to the National Notary Association (NNA), a professional organization that provides state-specific instructions.

How to become a notary public

Becoming a notary public is a multi-step process:

1. First, you’ll need to complete and submit an application form.
2. When you do, you’ll have to pay a filing fee (which will be modest, usually $10–$30).
3. In some states, although not all, you must complete a training course. This usually just consists of watching several video lessons, which will take you 3–6 hours.
4. In some states, you’ll have to pass an exam that will test your knowledge of the course’s material.
5. Some states also require you to register your fingerprints and undergo a background check, which will take several days.
6. You may have to obtain a notary bond (a type of insurance covering you if you make a mistake on the job) from an insurance company or bonder.
7. At this point, you’ll receive some paperwork (a notary commission certificate) from your state. You’ll have to submit these, along with your bond, to your local “notary regulating official” (e.g., your county clerk) and register your signature.
8. Lastly, you’ll need to purchase notary supplies, including a notary stamp, a journal, and an inkless thumb printer, as well as any other office supplies that you anticipate needing.

After you complete those steps, you’ll be a commissioned notary public, which means you’ll be legally allowed to provide notarization services in your state. However, you’ll still need to do a lot of work to get your name out there and land your first few clients.

You can expect all of this to take at least 4 weeks, and potentially longer. We spoke to Amanda McCarty, an Oregon-based notary, who told us that the entire process (including beginning to advertise her operation) took around 2 months.

How much will this cost?

Because many of these steps involve fees, becoming a notary can be fairly pricey. The exact cost (as with every other aspect of the process) depends on where you live, but in many states, it will set you back by $200–$400. It may take several dozen jobs for you to earn back your initial investment.

How to become a mobile or remote notary

If, like many notary side hustlers, you’re interested in offering on-the-go services, you don’t need to do anything special to become a mobile notary. There are no special regulations governing them; when you arrange to meet your clients, just offer to do so at their location rather than an office.

Offering remote services is another story. Many of the states that allow remote notarization require the people who perform it to hold separate commissions and surety bonds.

In effect, this means you may need to apply to be a notary twice—once to become a traditional notary public, and once to become an RON.

You’ll also need to acquire a digital certificate, which will act as an electronic fingerprint validating your signature, and choose an online notarization platform, such as BlueNotary or Notarize.

Here again, the process of becoming a commissioned RON varies greatly from state to state, so your best bet is to review the NNA’s page on remote online notaries and follow their instructions.

How to become a notary signing agent

You don’t need to meet any special legal requirements to become a signing agent, provided you’re already a commissioned notary public.

However, NSAs receive their work from real estate companies and agencies known as “signing services,” and virtually all of these companies require their workers to meet certain requirements. You must:

• Pass the NNA’s exam for notary signing agents
• Pass an NNA background check
• Hold an appropriate amount of Errors & Omissions (E&O) insurance

These requirements aren’t particularly stringent. The NNA offers a package that includes their exam, an online training course (which will take just a few hours), and a background check for around $30.

Other courses for signing agents

Many other companies offer courses that teach you how to become a notary or loan signing agent. Some people swear by these, but the general consensus is that most of them aren’t worth it.

Most are significantly more expensive than the NNA’s program, and given the shaky state of the post-2023 real estate market, it could take you a long time to make back what you spent and break even on your side hustle, to say nothing of turning a profit.

Because the market for notaries public and signing agents is tougher than it used to be, you’ll need to be savvy and strategic to succeed. Follow these tips:

Explore underserved niches

Most part-time notaries focus on real estate transactions, such as closings and refinancings, because that’s often where most of the demand comes from (and because they can charge the higher rates that NSAs command, rather than relatively modest notarization and travel fees).

However, the situation in your city or neighborhood might be different. Remember that as a notary public, you can facilitate other types of signings, and in your area, this might be more worthwhile than average.

You could focus on notarizing medical power of attorney forms, for example, or immigration forms. The latter might be a particularly lucrative avenue if you’re in a city with a large foreign-born population and you speak another language fluently. Consider your skills and look into whether there are any underserved niches where you live.

Advertise your services through multiple channels

You’ll need to be proactive to land enough work to make your notary side gig worth it. You can market yourself via:

• Notary directories: There are several websites that you can list yourself on so that potential clients (and agencies) can find you. These include 123notary, Notary Rotary, SigningOrder, and Snapdocs. Most cost money to use, so pay attention to whether or not you’re getting enough business from them to justify the price of admission.
• Your own website: Whether or not you use these directories, you need a site of your own, which should introduce you and clearly explain your services. List your business on Yelp (with a link to your site) so that people can find you. Amanda McCarty told us she strongly advises creating a Google Business profile and looking into purchasing Google Ads as well.
• Social media: It’s also well worth advertising on social media platforms, especially Facebook, Nextdoor, and Craigslist. If you have any special skills (such as speaking another language), highlight that in your posts.
• Signing services: If you’re an NSA, the most obvious way to land jobs is to work with a signing service. To find active services in your city, search on Google or ask on the subreddit r/Notary. You can also refer to Notary Rotary’s (very long) list of signing services, although some of these are defunct, and the interface is somewhat hard to navigate.
• Local outreach: One of the very best ways to establish yourself is to contact local companies that you think might need notarization services, such as law firms, title companies, and banks. You probably won’t strike gold the first time you do this, but if you keep at it, you might eventually form a relationship that will yield consistent, ongoing work.

The market for notaries is saturated enough that for at least the first year, filling your schedule will require a continual grind. Pay attention to what works and what doesn’t, and adjust your strategy accordingly.

Be flexible about your schedule

As a notary, particularly a mobile notary, your availability is very important. Many banks and even some public libraries and post offices offer cheap or free notarization services, and you’ll have to compete with them for clients.

One way to do this is to make yourself available at the drop of a hat. People sometimes get caught by surprise by the need to notarize a document and don’t have time to make it to any of the places that will do it for free.

If you list your cell number on your website and are able (and willing) to make urgent appointments at unusual times, such as in the middle of the workday or even late at night, you might land clients simply by virtue of being the only notary public available on such short notice. With any luck, you’ll be able to turn this into repeat business, either when that person needs notarization in the future or when they refer someone else to you.