3.3 Texas Notary Fees

The Statutory Fee Schedule (Government Code 406.024)

Texas law sets maximum fees a notary may charge for each act. These are ceilings — you may always charge less, or nothing. Note: older study materials list a $6 acknowledgment fee; the legislature directed the Secretary of State to raise the maximums for inflation (CPI) once every five years, and the current cap is $10 for a first signature. Memorize the current numbers below.

Online (Remote) Notarization — The Extra $25

For a notarization performed online by audio-video, Government Code 406.111 lets the online notary (or the notary's employer) charge an additional fee of up to $25 on top of the regular act fee. So an online acknowledgment of one signature can cost up to $10 (the act) + $25 (the online fee) = $35.

Worked Fee Examples

The exam loves multi-signature and online math. Work each one as act fee first, then add allowed extras.

Example 1 — Single-signer acknowledgment

• First signature: $10
• Total: $10

Example 2 — Three signers on one document

• First signature: $10
• Second signature: $1
• Third signature: $1
• Total: $12

Example 3 — Jurat (oath + signature)

• Administering oath with certificate and seal: $10
• Total: $10 (the oath fee already covers the act; you do not also bill a separate acknowledgment fee)

Example 4 — Online acknowledgment, one signer

• Acknowledgment first signature: $10
• Online notarization fee (406.111): up to $25
• Total: up to $35

Example 5 — Two-signer acknowledgment performed online

• First signature $10 + second signature $1 = $11 act fee
• Online fee up to $25
• Total: up to $36

Fees That Texas Does NOT Regulate

Travel and convenience fees are not part of the statutory act fee, so they are not capped — but you should disclose and agree to them before performing the act. They are not notarial-act fees and should be itemized separately, not folded into the act fee, to avoid the appearance of overcharging. A mobile notary, for instance, might charge the $10 acknowledgment fee plus a separately stated $40 travel fee for a hospital visit; that is lawful so long as the signer agreed to the travel charge in advance and the act fee itself stayed within the $10 cap.

Why Texas Caps Notarial Fees

The fee ceilings exist because a notary exercises a delegated public power; the act of notarization is a governmental function, not a free-market service. The legislature did not want fraud-prevention services priced out of reach, so it fixed low maximums and then built in the five-year CPI adjustment so the caps keep pace with inflation rather than eroding to nothing. That is exactly why the historical $6 acknowledgment figure rose to the current $10 — the underlying policy is a stable, modest, inflation-tracked maximum, not a frozen dollar amount.

Recordkeeping and the Right to Decline

Whether you charge $10 or $0, you must record the fee actually charged in your notary record book (journal) along with the act, date, document, and signer information. If a signer requests a receipt, provide one. A notary may decline to perform an act if the agreed fee is not paid, but may never refuse service on the basis of race, religion, national origin, sex, or similar protected characteristics, and may not condition a public duty on a tip.

Common Fee Mistakes the Exam Tests

On the Exam

• Acknowledgment first signature maximum: $10; each additional signature: $1.
• Administering an oath/affirmation with certificate and seal: $10.
• Online notarization adds up to $25 under 406.111, in addition to the act fee.
• Maximums are ceilings — charging less or nothing is always allowed; charging more risks suspension or revocation of the commission and possible prosecution.
• The Secretary of State adjusts these caps for inflation every five years, so confirm the current figure rather than relying on old $6 references.