Everyone at some point will need notary services, but notarizing your document doesn’t need to be expensive. Having a notary public come to you — more commonly referred to as a mobile notary — is less costly than you think. So, where can you find a cheap notary in Reading PA? Keep reading.
The notary services fees in Pennsylvania are set by the Department of State and do not exceed $5.00 per act. So why is it so much more when you arrive at the notary? That is because of the additional costs notaries public must absorb to provide the service to you.
Among the things a notary public must pay for include:
- Training mandated by the state
- Application and exam fees
- Local government fees for filing their commission
- A bond to protect customers from financial loss
- Errors and omissions insurance to protect themselves
- The costs of stamps, ink, and journals are all required by law
- Either office costs or travel costs, depending on how they operate
- Additional charges related to e-notary and online notary services
- Annual background checks if a loan signing agent
And these are only some of the costs notaries public can incur. As you can see, that can quickly add up, and the $5.00 charge pays for very little of a notary’s expenses.
Administrative Fees
To make the job of a notary public feasible from a business standpoint, the Commonwealth allows notaries to recoup the above costs by charging reasonable “administrative and clerical fees.”
Here there is less guidance, so fees can vary widely. AAA branches offer these services for a small fee, and low-cost or free notary services are occasionally available from notaries- for example, notarizing nomination petitions for political candidates.
In any case, you should expect to pay at least some administrative fee on top of the $5.00 charge allowed by the state. The fees can vary widely depending on what you’re doing, whether just signing a document, closing a loan, or doing it in person or virtually.
Cheap Notary Service in Reading PA that comes to you
While you may be accustomed to going to a notary shop to get your documents notarized, that’s no longer necessary. Late Night Notary is an entirely “mobile” notary, meaning we meet our clients at their homes, businesses, or a mutually agreed upon central location.
Much like how Uber or Lyft works, a mobile notary bills you for the distance traveled or time, in addition to the state fee. While some notaries do charge a hefty premium for this service, we’ve decided to make it affordable to everyone.
We do this by keeping our costs low. We don’t have an office or equipment we need to rent — so there’s less overhead we need to cover. We also believe in good customer service: we’d send you to a local mobile notary if you’re closer to one rather than charge you more than you need to spend.
Notarization doesn’t need to be a pain or expensive. Late Night Notary aims to make it easy and affordable.