Notaries · Notary Fee Quote
How much should a mobile notary charge for travel
Most mobile notaries charge a travel fee of $25 to $35 for trips under 10 miles, $40 to $60 for 11 to 20 miles, and $65 to $85 for 21 to 30 miles, on top of the state-capped fee per notarial act. Travel is unregulated in most states; a few tie it to a mileage rate or require advance agreement.
Why travel is priced separately from the notarization
State law caps what a notary may charge for the notarial act, usually $2 to $15 per signature or act. It does not cap the cost of getting to the signer in most states. That split is the whole basis of the mobile notary business: the act is cheap by law, the convenience of a notary arriving at a hospital room, a kitchen table or a title office at 7 p.m. is what the client pays for.
Because the two are legally different, they must be presented differently. A quote that says $75 for one acknowledgment in a $10 state looks like an overcharge. A quote that says $10 notarial fee plus $65 travel fee, agreed in advance, is fine in nearly every state. Always itemize, and always get the travel fee agreed before you leave.
The same logic applies to printing, waiting time, scan-backs and after-hours service. Each is a separate line with its own agreed price, none of them is a notarial fee, and none of them count against the cap.
Typical travel fee ranges by distance
Published 2026 price lists from working mobile notaries cluster around distance bands. 0 to 10 miles: $25 to $35. 11 to 20 miles: $40 to $60. 21 to 30 miles: $65 to $85. Beyond 30 miles: $100 or more, or a per-mile rate of $2 to $3 for every mile past 30. Some notaries quote a flat fee within a service area and a per-mile rate outside it, which is easier to explain on the phone.
Broader consumer-side surveys report total mobile visit costs of roughly $75 to $200 for a standard one to three signature appointment during business hours, with travel making up $25 to $75 of that in most markets and more in large metro areas where a 15-mile trip can take an hour.
Set your own band by measuring round-trip time, not one-way miles. A 12-mile trip across a city at 5 p.m. costs you more than a 25-mile highway trip at 10 a.m. Many notaries price by the hour of total time (travel, signing, return) and then translate that into a distance table for clients.
States that regulate travel fees
A minority of states put rules on travel. Arizona is the clearest example: A.R.S. 41-316 provides that a notary may be paid for travel up to the amount authorized for mileage and per diem for state employees, so the travel charge is tied to the state mileage rate rather than freely negotiated. Compilations also list Connecticut, the District of Columbia, Idaho, Nevada, New Hampshire, New Mexico and Virginia as setting travel rules by statute, and Indiana, Maryland, Montana, Nebraska, North Carolina, Utah and Wyoming as using mileage-based limits.
The common pattern in regulated states is one or more of: a per-mile cap that follows the state's or the federal mileage rate, a requirement that the signer be told the travel fee before the notary travels and agree to it, and a requirement that the travel fee be recorded separately from the notarial fee in the journal. Some states also require the notary to tell the signer that the travel fee is not required by law and is separate from the notarial fee.
If you work in one of those states, put the exact rule on your price sheet. If you do not, the safe practice is still the same: disclose, agree in advance, itemize. Benchlet Notary Fees flags the states with travel rules when you pick the state, so the travel line is either capped or marked as negotiated.
After-hours, rush and special-location surcharges
Working notaries commonly apply multipliers rather than new base fees. Weekday evenings after 6 p.m. and before 8 a.m.: 1.5 to 2 times the standard travel fee. Weekends: 1.5 times. Holidays: 2 to 3 times. Same-day rush: a flat $25 to $50 on top of the normal fee, or a $150 to $200 total for a rush loan signing.
Special locations carry their own ranges because of check-in time, security and emotional load: hospital and hospice signings $150 to $300 total, jail or prison signings $150 to $300 total. Additional signers at the same appointment are usually $25 to $50 each, and required scan-backs of a loan package add $25 to $50.
State these as a schedule, not as improvised numbers on the phone. Clients accept an after-hours multiplier they can see on a price list; they dispute one they hear for the first time on the invoice.
Building an itemized quote in practice
A quote a client can read has five lines. Line 1: notarial acts, quantity times your state's per-act or per-signature cap. Line 2: travel, from your distance table, with the miles shown. Line 3: any surcharge, named (after hours, weekend, rush). Line 4: printing, if you are printing a package, priced per page or per package. Line 5: total, followed by a sentence that the notarial fee is capped by state law and the other lines are agreed service fees.
Send it in writing before you leave, even as a text message. In states that require advance agreement on travel, the written quote is your proof; in states that do not, it is still what settles a dispute. A calculator that keeps the capped lines and the negotiated lines separate, such as Benchlet Notary Fees, makes this a 30-second task between appointments.
Record the travel fee separately in your journal where your state requires it, and keep the same split on your invoice and in your bookkeeping, because travel is also treated differently from notarial fees on your tax return.
Frequently asked questions
Is there a legal maximum travel fee?
In most states no; travel is negotiated. A few states, Arizona among them, tie it to the state employee mileage rate or require advance written agreement. Check your Secretary of State's notary rules.
What is a normal travel fee for under 10 miles?
Published 2026 price lists put it at $25 to $35, plus the per-act notarial fee. Large metro areas run higher because of time rather than distance.
Can I charge a travel fee if the signing is cancelled after I arrive?
Only if the client agreed to a trip or cancellation fee beforehand. Put it on the written quote; a travel fee cannot be a notarial fee, and no notarial act was performed.
How do I show travel on a loan signing invoice?
Usually the signing fee ($75 to $200 depending on the source of the work) is a flat service fee that includes travel within a set radius; extra distance is a separate line at your per-mile rate.
Should travel be in my notary journal?
Where your state requires fee entries, record the notarial fee and the travel fee separately so an audit shows the notarial fee at or under the cap.
