Californians paying way too much for class

First-time California notary public applicants need a 6 hours class. One college is offering the class for $75. Somebody told me they paid $130 elsewhere.

Hey, folks--a little surfing here. I've seen the class offered for thirty bucks online, approved by the Secretary of State.

Wisconsin's governor is proposing moving responsibility for notaries public away from the Secretary of State. In 78% of the states, the Secretary of State is responsible for the notary public.

Update: Effective July 1, 2011, the Department of Financial Institutions is in charge of Wisconsin's notaries public.



Image courtesy of Ambro

Does anyone make a living being a notary public?

Is anyone making a living from being a notary public, someone asked on Yahoo Answers. He'd heard people can make $50,000-$100,000 doing this.

That would probably be a surprise to most of you!

I'd guess the majority of notaries have a tough time recouping their costs for application, seal and insurance. State limits on fees are usually low.

Six or seven years ago I had a notary friend making $50,000 a year. He was doing mortgage loan signings.Besides his notary charge-per-signature, he was paid to make sure the docs got signed correctly. (In some states, such as South Carolina, notaries are not permitted to do this.) Since the mortgage collapse following 2006, this kind of volume is not possible.

Notaries may be able to perform marriages (as in Florida and Maine) or issue marriage licenses (California if specially trained; some notaries then offer to do the service in a non-notary role). Proctoring traffic school exams is another way to use the commission.

If a notary dusts the commission and waits for the public to come, it's likely to be a lonely job. Knowing how to market what you offer will bring better results.

But being a notary public is at best a second job right now.




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Nebraska--The spring 2011 Notary Bulletin is out. The Secretary of State reminds that a notary public's signature must be consistent and that Nebraska notaries are not required to join a notary associaton.


--brought to you by 12 Tips to Make More Money as a Notary Public. Probably tax deductible as business expense--ask your accountant. Available for just 99 cents from Kindle or Nook. Or instant PDF download


Image courtesy of Michal Marcol

A governor, a theft, email and the Ottoman Empire--good day for news

Wisconsin's governor wants to take supervising notaries away from the Secretary of State.

In Walnut Creek, CA, a thief breaking into a car really made out: a notary seal and journal were stolen.

In Texas, notaries can now elect to receive their commission by email.

Just to complete your collection, an Ebay auction is offering a notary stamp from the Ottoman Empire, allegedly dating from 1919. For a mere $129.99. There were no bids on an earlier auction at the same price. You'd think she might dip the starting bid a bit. Seems a tad pricey for a blue stamp with a black overprint.

More great news in 12 Tips to Make More Money as a Notary Public. 99 cents (probably tax deductible as business expense--ask your accountant). Available for
Kindle and Nook or for Instant PDF download:

How early to renew in California?

The California Secretary of State wants you to take the notary public exam 6 months before your license expires. The Secretary thinks you complete your continuing education (3 hours or 6 hours) before the test. The test vendor's site, though, says they'll let you test without proof of completion.

What happens if the Secretary doesn't renew you before your current commission expires? Do you have to take another 3 hours of CE?

The Secretary's site doesn't address the issue. Taken literally, it seems to say if you submit the education and pass the test the day before you expire, nothing new is needed. You can't practice as a notary until you're re-commissioned (which, apparently, could take half a year).

Notaries tell me though they took the 3 hours CE (because they already had a 6 hours CE under their belt) and were told to take another 3 hours when the Secretary had not renewed them before their commission expired.

Bottom line is, save a couple of bucks and get that test in 6 months before you expire. Ouch.

In a March 11, 2011 memo the Secretary says processing time for business documents has fallen to 40 business days (about 2 months). It's not clear if notary commissions are business documents but the memo is posted on the notary site.

How this reconciles with the 6 months advice isn't stated. So sounds like the prudent thing to do is still renew way early.

More clues on making being a notary a great business at 12 Tips to Make More Money as a Notary Public. Just 99 cents (probably tax deductible as business expense--ask your accountant). Available for
Kindle and Nook or as Instant PDF download: