How to Make Money as a Notary

Notary jobs are high in demand and can be done either as a part-time or full-time venture. However, there are stern qualifications and requirements that you need to fulfill before you can qualify to become one. But first, let us ...

But first, let us understand who a notary is.

In simple terms, a notary is a person who avails themselves to witness the signing of official documents at a fee. These documents include; a will, land deeds, car deeds, wedding certificates, bank documents amongst many others.

The duty of a notary in such a case will be to prevent fraud from occurring by confirming the identity of the involved parties as well as understanding the document being signed.

Who requires the services of a notary?

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Who requires the services of a notary?

Anyone who requires a witness when signing any official document. Legal firms and lending agents usually have a list of notaries who they can call to show up. Whoever is available gets the job. It is just as easy as that.

Requirements for becoming a notary

The requirements differ from one country to another however there are a few common requirements. They include;

A person has to be at least 18 years or older
Must not have a criminal record
Must be a legal resident of the country

If you meet the above requirements, then you can apply to become a notary. It is a whole process that you must go through. The steps to follow are;

Submit your application stating your wish to become a notary
If your state requires you to take a test, then you will need to take one and pass the test.

If selected to become a notary, you will then need to secure a surety bond
You will then be provided with a proof of surety bond that you will submit to your state government
Then if your application is approved, you will get a notary seal and you will be set to start making money as a notary.

How much money does a notary earn?

Several factors determine how much you can make as a notary. They include; where you live, who you work for, what documents you are witnessing and whether or not you are required to travel.

Depending on the above-mentioned factors, you can be able to make as little as $10 per hour to as much as $200 per hour.

How to make money as a notary

Charge the maximum fee

As a notary, either you are working part-time or full time, you make money based on the number of documents you sign. Therefore, it is best if you make each one of them count. The only possibility of losing a client using this method is if the agency or bank can offer the services at no extra cost. Otherwise, the client will find that other notaries are also charging just about the same amount.

Avail yourself during the weekends and holidays

Most people and businesses do not operate during the weekends and holidays.Regardless, some clients might still want to get work done hence they will look for the next available freelance notary.

Become a certified signing agent

Certain documents require more than a notary, such as mortgage applications. For this, one is required to have a certified signing agent. Therefore, you might want to consider partnering with an agency so that you can be able to upgrade your services and increase your chances of making money.

Work for a notary agency

This is the ideal way for someone who would like to take up this as a full-time job. working in an agency is a sure way to guarantee you continuous workflow. This is because most agencies have a full list of people that they are in partnership with making it even easy for you to land a job. The downside of these is that the pay rates are set by the organization hence you will have to work with that.

Perform process serving

This involves serving legal documents to people. These are documents such as child support documents, subpoenas, divorce files, etc. be sure to check with your state to determine what is required of you to become a server.

Go digital

Did you know that is possible and legal to notarize documents online? Everything is done online these days anyway. This means that you can be able to make good money as an online notary. All you need to do is to facetime with the other party to be able to confirm their identity. You will then go through the document and if all sit well then you can notarize the document and get paid electronically.

Transcribe Depositions and Affidavits

If you are also a legal transcriptionist, you can transcribe depositions and affidavits then notarize them. Depositions and affidavits are documents that a witness can provide to the court in place of them appearing in court.

So your work will be to transcribe their accounts of an incident then certify their testimony to make it viable in a court of law.

Marketing

Last but not the least, you need to advertise your services locally. To increase your chances of finding jobs, you will need to go and pitch your services to the people who are likely to need them. These include; at insurance agencies, in law courts, at accounting firms, in restaurants, housing agencies amongst many others. Also, ask your friends and clients to always remember to refer you if anyone they know needs your services.

Also, as a form of advertising, you could host seminars to educate people on legal matters such as how to buy a house or how to protect themselves from identity theft. You can charge a small feed during these seminars and also remember to hand out business cards.

Bottom line,

There are a lot of opportunities to make money as a notary. However, how much you make is highly dependent on your efforts. If you want to do this as a full-time job, then you need to out in a lot of effort and be a go-getter. This will help you to land more opportunities. More opportunities also mean more money.