How much can a New York notary charge?

New York caps most notarial fees at $2.00 per act under Executive Law § 136. It’s $2.00 to administer an oath or affirmation, $2.00 per person to take an acknowledgment or proof of execution, and $2.00 to swear a witness to a proof. A protest is $0.75 plus $0.10 per notice. An electronic notarial act is $25.00. Travel and other charges are not set by § 136.

The trap on the exam

The exam tests the exact numbers and mixes up fee types. The $2.00 per-ACT statutory fee is not the $15 exam fee or the $60 commission application fee, and it is not the $25 electronic act. "Per person" on acknowledgments is another favorite: two signers on one document is $4.00, not $2.00.

A real example

You take an acknowledgment from a married couple on one deed. That’s two people, so $2.00 each, $4.00 total under § 136. If you also drove to them, any travel charge is yours to set and disclose; the statute doesn’t cap it, but it isn’t a "§ 136 fee."

Remember it as Almost everything routine is $2. Acknowledgments are $2 per person. The $25 e-act is the modern exception.

What the law says

Executive Law § 136 and the booklet’s Schedule of Fees: $2.00 for administering an oath or affirmation; $2.00 per person for taking and certifying an acknowledgment or proof of execution; $2.00 for swearing a witness thereto; $0.75 for a protest plus $0.10 per notice (max 5); $25.00 for an electronic notarial act (19 NYCRR 182.11(g)).

Source: NY DOS Notary Public License Law, Schedule of Fees

Walker's Notary is an independent study course. We are not affiliated with the New York Department of State. This answer traces to the current License Law publication; always confirm against the official source before you rely on it.