Pricing is the question new signing agents ask most — undercharge and you can’t sustain the business, overcharge without justification and signing services move on to the next name on the list. Here’s how to think about it.
Typical Fee Ranges
A standard loan signing (borrower closing, refinance, or HELOC) typically runs $75–$200 depending on your market, document count, and travel distance. General notarizations (single documents, acknowledgments, affidavits) are usually billed per signature or per stamp, and many states cap that per-notarization fee by statute — check your state’s current maximum before quoting a per-signature rate.
What Actually Moves Your Rate
- Package size and complexity — a HELOC or reverse mortgage takes longer than a standard purchase
- Travel distance and time of day — evenings, weekends, and rush (same-day/next-day) signings command a premium
- Printing — offering to print the package yourself (rather than the borrower) is usually worth an added fee
- Your certifications — NNA-certified, background-screened, E&O-insured agents can reasonably charge more than uncertified notaries
Negotiating with Signing Services
Signing services take a cut between what the title company pays and what they offer you, so their first offer is rarely their ceiling. State your rate clearly and let them counter, rather than accepting the first number — and don’t be afraid to decline a signing that doesn’t cover your time and travel. Agents who never negotiate tend to get offered the lowest rate in a service’s rotation by default.
A Red Flag Worth Knowing
Be cautious of signing services that consistently offer well under market rate, are slow to pay (net-60 or longer with no clear terms), or pressure you to accept a signing with no confirmed compensation up front. Working directly with title companies — rather than exclusively through a signing service — usually means better and faster pay, which is one reason a public profile that title companies can find directly is worth having.