How to Invoice as a Notary Public: Rates, Terms and Templates

Notarial fees are set by state law, usually as a maximum per act, and states count the act differently: per signature in California, first signature plus additional signatures in Texas, per person in New York. Mobile notaries add travel, printing or after-hours charges, which are not notarial fees. A good notary invoice keeps those two kinds of charge on separate lines, so the client and anyone reviewing your journal can see that each notarial fee is within the limit.

Loan signings bundle many notarizations into one package fee. Itemize the acts as well when the signing company or your state's rules ask for it.

What can a notary charge per act?

These are the maximums in four large states, from the official sources listed in the notary invoice template, checked October 28, 2026:

California and Texas guidance both say a notary may charge less than the maximum or nothing at all. The Texas Secretary of State warns that charging more risks prosecution and loss of the commission. Other states differ, so check your commissioning official's current schedule.

What sits outside the per-act fee:

• Travel: per mile or by zone, agreed with the client before the trip. California's handbook says travel fees, if any, should be identified separately in the journal. Check your state for any limits or disclosure rules.
• Waiting time, printing and courier: your own charges, agreed in advance and shown on their own lines.
• Remote online notarization (RON): platforms may charge a fee; pass it through as a labelled line or absorb it. State rules for RON fees differ, so check yours.
• Hospital or care-facility visits: often take longer on-site, so many mobile notaries publish a minimum trip fee or waiting-time rate.
• Non-notary tasks: invoice only what you may legally do and label it accurately. A notary does not issue apostilles (the state's apostille office does), and should never bill for legal advice or document preparation without a licence to give it.

Sample invoice: Texas mobile appointment

An illustrative consumer appointment in Texas. Travel, printing and after-hours rates are this notary's own published rates, not market data.

The notarial lines total $31.00 ($10 + $1 + $10 + $10), each at the Texas maximum. The other $77.50 is travel, printing and the after-hours charge. The same three documents in California, at its maximums, would be $15 × 2 signatures + $15 + $15 = $60 in notarial fees; only those lines change between states.

Signing-company invoices look different. For a loan signing, the invoice goes to the signing company, not the borrower: their order number (for example #4582), borrower name, signing date, the package fee you agreed, and any agreed extras such as printing or a second trip on separate lines. Ask whether they want the notarial acts listed too.

When to send the invoice

• Consumer signings (general notary work, estate documents, real property): invoice on completion, ideally before you leave, and mark it paid if the client pays on the spot.
• Signing-company work: send the invoice as soon as the documents are returned (scanbacks done and the package shipped), with the order or file number in the header. Signing companies match invoices to files by that number.
• Title company and attorney office contracts: invoice on the agreed schedule, often weekly or every two weeks. Put each appointment on its own line with the date, file number and fee.

Payment terms

• Due on completion for consumers.
• Agreed terms (often Net 15 or Net 30) for title companies and signing services, starting when the documents are confirmed received. Print a specific due date.
• Commercial clients will usually ask for Form W-9 and may set you up as a vendor before the first payment. From 2026, a business generally files Form 1099-NEC when it pays you $2,000 or more for services in the year (IRS).
• Cancelled appointments: charge a trip fee only if your published policy allows it and the client agreed. Put it on its own line with the policy reference.
• Remittance details: repeat bank or check instructions on every invoice, because the person paying may change.

What to include

Your name and contact details, commission number and state, the client's name, invoice number and date, appointment date and location type (office, mobile or remote), one line per notarial act with the document, act type, count and fee, separate lines for travel, printing, waiting time or courier, tax only where it applies, the total and the due date. For signing companies, add their order or loan number. Our guide to writing an invoice covers business details and numbering, and what to include on an invoice helps when a title company onboards you as a vendor.

Your journal is a separate record. Where your state requires one (California's handbook, for example, requires the fee charged in each journal entry), keep the invoice and the journal figures identical, but do not copy ID numbers or other journal details onto the client's invoice.

Common mistakes

• Charging above the state maximum, or using another state's fee schedule copied from a national blog.
• Bundling travel into the notarial fee. "Notarization, $50" hides a capped fee inside an uncapped one.
• Invoice and journal that disagree. If the journal says $15 and the invoice says $20 for the same act, the invoice is evidence of an overcharge.
• Vague "legal services" lines when you are not an attorney.
• Assuming sales tax rules. Whether notary or related services are taxable is set by each state; check your state revenue department rather than charging tax by default.
• After-hours or rush charges not in your published schedule, which clients are likely to dispute.
• Second trips without a policy. If documents force a second visit, your trip-fee policy should say what you charge. If you waive it once, note "no trip fee, policy exception" so the client does not expect it every time.
• Witness confusion. If you arrange witnesses but do not charge for them, label them "client-supplied" in the memo.

Step-by-step: sending your first notary invoice

Step 1: Confirm who pays

A title company, law firm or signing company that books you usually pays you, even though the borrower or client signs the documents. Confirm who is billed before the appointment; it decides the name on the invoice and the payment terms.

Step 2: Itemize each act

Not "Notarization, $75", but one line per act with the document and signature count, then travel on its own line. Itemizing shows that each fee is within your state's cap.

Step 3: Send signing-company invoices promptly

Submit the invoice, with the order number, as soon as the documents are returned, through the company's portal or by email as they ask.

Step 4: Keep travel separate

State caps apply to notarial fees, not to agreed travel charges, but some states have their own travel rules. Show travel as its own line with the distance or zone.

Step 5: Match the invoice to your journal

Where your state requires a journal, record the fee for each act and make sure the invoice shows the same amounts.

Common notary billing scenarios

• Walk-in signing at your office: a power of attorney with one signer. Charge your state's fee for the act (in Texas, $10 for a single-signature acknowledgment) and give a receipt or a paid invoice if the client wants proof of payment.
• Courier help with an apostille: you notarize the document at the state fee, then, if you offer it, courier it to the state's apostille office. Bill the courier service as your own charge and pass on the state's apostille fee at cost, labelled as such. You are not issuing the apostille.
• Remote online notarization: list each act at your state's fee for remote acts, plus any platform fee as a separate, labelled line, and the session ID for your records.

Notary fees and taxes

The IRS instructions for Schedule SE (2025) list fees for services performed as a notary public as income that is not subject to self-employment tax. You still report the fees as income. That exemption is written for notary fees; whether travel, printing or signing-agent charges count is a question for a tax adviser, which is another reason to keep them on separate lines.

This page is general information, not legal or tax advice. Last reviewed October 28, 2026.

Template link

Use the notary invoice template for per-act, travel and signing-package rows. In InvoiceQuickly, enter each act as quantity times fee (for example 2 × $15.00) and travel as its own line, or type or say what happened at the appointment and review the draft before saving. InvoiceQuickly does not print your commission number automatically, so put it in the notes.

Frequently asked questions

What's the per-signature fee cap in my state?

It depends on the state. As of October 2026: California allows up to $15 per signature for an acknowledgment; Texas allows $10 for the first signature and $1 for each additional signature; Florida allows up to $10 per notarial act with listed exceptions; New York allows $2 per person for an acknowledgment and $2 for an oath. Check your Secretary of State or commissioning official for the current schedule.

Can I charge more than the state-set fee per notarial act?

No. Charge at or below the maximum for each act. Travel, printing and agreed convenience charges are separate from the notarial fee, but check your state for any rules on them, and keep them on separate lines.

Should I charge sales tax?

Sales tax rules for notary and related services are set by each state. Check your state revenue department before adding a tax line. InvoiceQuickly applies one tax percentage to the whole invoice.

Are notary fees subject to self-employment tax?

Not as a rule. The IRS Schedule SE instructions list notary fees as income that is not subject to self-employment tax, though you still report the income. Signing-agent and other service fees may be treated differently, so ask a tax adviser.

Do I need to invoice for cash walk-in signings?

Keep a record of every fee you collect. A paid invoice or a simple receipt works as proof of payment for the client; your journal, where your state requires one, is a separate record and does not replace either.

How do I handle a title or signing company that pays late?

Follow up with their accounts payable contact with the order number and invoice date, then escalate in writing. Check your agreement for payment terms before you accept more work from a company that pays late.

Can I refuse a notarization?

Generally yes, when the signer cannot be identified or the act would break your state's rules; your state's handbook lists the grounds. Note the refusal in your journal if your state requires it, and charge a trip fee only if your published policy and the client's agreement allow it.

Should I invoice remote online notarization differently?

Show each remote act at your state's fee for remote acts, any platform fee as a separate labelled line, and the session ID. State rules for remote notarization fees differ, so check yours.

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