How much should a notary charge for swearing in a …
Please keep in mind that notary rules, and notary prices vary from state to state. Also, notaries engage in various types of notary acts involving Acknowledgments, Jurats (which include Oaths), Oaths, Affirmations, Protests, and more depending on what state is in question.
How much should a notary charge for swearing in a witness?
Notaries can swear in witnesses, and so can a judge, as well as other types of state appointed officers such as a justice of the peace, etc. When you are swearing someone in, you are administering an Oath to them. You might have the affiant raise their right hand and ask them, “Do you swear or affirm to tell the truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth?”. They might say, “Yes”, or “I do”.
An Arizona Notary can charge $2 for administering an Oath
A California Notary can charge $10 for administering an Oath.
A Florida Notary Public can charge $10 for administering an Oath
An Illinois Notary may charge $1 for administering an Oath
A Maryland Notary may charge $2 for administering an Oath
A Michigan Notary can charge $10.00 for administering an Oath
A Notary in New York can only charge $2 for administering an Oath
A Notary in New Jersey can charge $2.50 for administering an Oath
An Ohio Notary can charge $1 for administering an Oath
A Pennsylvania Notary can charge $5 for administering an Oath
A Texas Notary can charge $6 for administering an Oath
A Virginia Notary can charge $5 for administering an Oath
A Washington State Notary can charge $10.00 for administering an Oath
A Washington DC Notary can charge $2 for administering an Oath
Note: The price for Oaths and Affirmations in the mentioned states are identical. We are only showing rates for highly populated states, and the rest of the state notary prices and notary rules and be queried by visiting our find a notary page.
Swearing in a Credible Witness?
If you need to use a Credible Witness as part of a signing, please consult your state notary manual to see if you can charge extra for each Oath you administer to them.
How much should a notary charge for swearing in an affiant who is signing an affidavit?
Any time a person signs an Affidavit, or other document which requires a sworn Oath, the Notary (if they are using a notary) needs to have them raise their right hand and swear under oath. The notary generally has to choose the verbiage for the oath which requires a small amount of skill and extemporaneous “improv” talent. The notary should charge whatever their state allows as a fee for an Oath.
How much should a notary charge for swearing in someone who is not signing anything?
Sometimes the Oath accompanies a document that is going to be notarized, and other times it is an Oath of Office, an Oath for getting a commission, an Oath swearing them into court, or for a variety of other purposes. The notary price for this type of Oath should be whatever the local state you are in allows a notary to charge for an Oath.
How do you document an Oath without a signature as a notary public?
Not all states require a notary to have a journal, but without a journal, you can not document any of your transactions, many of which might be very sensitive such as notarizations of Deeds, Powers of Attorney and other important documents that could have high stakes involved. If someone is taking a purely oral Oath with no paperwork involved, you should document this in your journal, and have the affiant sign your journal. You should document in the notes section of the journal that you administered an Oath, and write a few words describing what the oath was about. The exact wording of the oath is not critical for the journal entry. The notary price or notary fee for this type of act should be whatever the state in question allows a notary to charge for an Oath.
Travel fees and waiting time?
Many years ago, I went to a lady’s house in Los Angeles. She was having a court case by phone, and I was there to swear her in before the judge on the other end of the line. I had to wait for 45 minutes, and had to drive twenty minutes as well. So, I charged a travel and a waiting fee. I was a very reliable notary and got to this very critical appointment early, so I feel entitled to my fee! Not all states allow travel fees or waiting time fees, so you need to know the notary prices and acceptable charges in your state of commission.
Tweets:
(1) How much can a notary charge for swearing in a Witness. A state by state fee chart!
(2) Notary Fees for swearing in witnesses range from $1 to $10 in the states we compared.
(3) How do you document an Oath that has no accompanying documentation? #Notary #Journal
You might also like:
10 rules for negotiating Notary fees
http://blog.123notary.com/?p=19620
FAQ: How much do notaries charge?
http://blog.123notary.com/?p=5317
Identification requirements for being notarized
http://blog.123notary.com/?p=4299
Pricing formulas for mobile notary work that include time spent
http://blog.123notary.com/?p=588
Don’t put the Fedex in the drop box!
Please, no drop boxes!
I know a lot of you use drop boxes (Fedex, UPS, etc) to drop your document packages. And before you say it, I know some of you have no other options that are close to you. In this case your options are limited. You are forgiven. Maybe you have had issues with drop boxes or maybe you haven’t. But, regardless, it is something to consider, if at all possible please don’t drop your packages in drop boxes. Because, if you have bad luck and the documents get lost; and you have no documentation; It can cause you a great amount of grief, stress and aggravation; and in the end it could cost you a valuable client.
Loan package with a hefty cashier’s check thrown in a drop box
To give you an example, here is one story of several that has been shared with me. I had an Oregon notary just the other day call in to 123notary. From her tone she was obviously very upset. It seems she had completed a signing successfully and had dropped her documents on a Friday in one of those infamous drop boxes of Fedex. It was now Tuesday, and she got that dreaded call: the title company still hadn’t received the package. I thought to myself, this is going to be bad. When this Oregon notary public and title went to track the package, there was no tracking information available. To make matters even worse there was a substantial amount in a cashier’s check also in the missing package. The assignment that had been given to the Notary in Oregon was for the paperwork that was to be used to purchase the property. So, now everyone is upset and confused as to what to do.
Get your tracking — people!
Now in my mind, I’m thinking why in the world would you drop a set of documents in a drop box, especially with a large amount in a cashiers check. This to me this is a disaster waiting to happen. The first thing I let our Oregon notary friend know is that unless absolutely necessary, you should always hand your packages to a driver and ask him to scan them or take them to hub or staffed service center, have them scan them and get a receipt. This way YOU are off the hook. Which brings me to another point…
Hand fill the shipping labels
PLEASE remember when you are required to hand fill out the shipping labels with the client; title-escrow etc account numbers you should always list the person that you are shipping to as the recipient and as the shipper. Do NOT use your information at all. This will serve two purposes. One-if the envelope is lost, it will not come to you it will just automatically go to the company that hired you. Two- if the company has not paid their bill you will not get charged for the service. Currently I have about 3 notaries battling with Fedex on this matter (cause they put their name as the shipper)and they are in collection status with them. Be careful! This can cause you a great deal of trouble with UPS, Fedex etc. and worst of all it will effect your credit if you cant straighten it out. You will have to pay it if you cant prove to their satisfaction that, you were hired by a 3rd party.
Now I understand that some of you may not be near a hub or have a location that you can go into to get a scan or receipt near by. But for those of you that do. It is better to safe then sorry. Always try to get a receipt or have driver scan your packages for you. This will protect you. For me, I need to know where my documents are at ALL times.
Now, unfortunately as of today I haven’t heard back form the notary in this situation so I cant give up an up to date but I am confident if those documents didn’t turn up everything would have to be redone…and all I can say is what a mess. If and when I hear from her I will let you know….Just remember: No drop boxes if you can help it…
Thank for reading and be safe…until next time!
PS — Jeremy did a signing ten years ago that was put in a drop box. The documents were missing for a week. The signing company eventually called Fedex — and you will never guess where the documents were. They were still down there at the bottom of the drop box, and getting very cold by this point! The driver who was assigned that drop box had quit and his replacement wasn’t given good instructions as to which drop boxes to pick up from every day!
Tweets:
(1) You could lose a client if you put a FedEx in a drop box on the off chance it never gets picked up.
(2) Sooner or later, the FedEx you put in a drop box won’t get picked up. Be safe & take it to a hub!
(3) If you put a FedEx containing a cashier’s check in a drop box, that is a recipe for disaster!
(4) Once I put a FedEx in the drop box that never got delivered. FedEx found it a week later still in the box!
You might also like:
Should you send the Fedex right away?
http://blog.123notary.com/?p=16166
What tasks can you do which are worth $1000 per minute?
Compilation of Notary stories on the blog categorized
http://blog.123notary.com/?p=21898
Comparing journal entries to Fedex signatures
http://blog.123notary.com/?p=19375