What a Pennsylvania notary signing business costs
How much does it cost to become a notary signing agent in Pennsylvania?
The fixed state fees for a Pennsylvania commission
The state's own fees are small. You pay $42 to file the application and $65 for each exam attempt, so a first-time pass costs $107 in state fees.
Those are the only figures the Department sets for getting commissioned. Renewing notaries who apply on time skip the exam, so their state fee is the $42 filing fee alone.
Retakes are where the fixed number moves. Each failed attempt adds another $65. Two attempts put state fees at $172. That is still modest, but it is worth knowing before you book the first sitting unprepared.
| Item | Fee | When it applies |
|---|---|---|
| Application filing fee | $42 | Every initial and reappointment application |
| Notary exam | $65 per attempt | First-time applicants and anyone whose commission lapsed |
| Remote notarization notification | $0 | Once, before your first remote act |
$42The Pennsylvania notary application filing fee is $42. — Pennsylvania Department of State, retrieved 2026-09-27
$65 per testThe Pennsylvania notary exam, administered by Pearson VUE, costs $65 per test. — Pennsylvania Department of State, retrieved 2026-09-27
Costs the Department of State does not set
The course, the bond premium, the stamp, the journal and county recording all come from other sellers. The Department sets none of those prices.
Education providers price their own three-hour courses. Sureties set the premium for the $25,000 bond. Stamp and journal vendors compete on price. The Department says plainly that it does not regulate these add-on services, even when your course provider sells them.
Shop them separately. A bundle that pairs the course with a bond, stamp and E&O policy is convenient, not required. Nothing obliges you to buy the bond from the company that taught your course.
The Department of State notes that many education providers also sell bonds, E&O insurance and equipment, and that it does not regulate those additional services. — Pennsylvania Department of State, retrieved 2026-09-27
The $25,000 bond is a requirement, not an option
You cannot notarize without a $25,000 bond on file. The premium is yours to pay, and the bond covers the public, not you.
That second point changes the budget. The bond pays a harmed customer, then the surety comes to you for the money. So most signing agents add errors and omissions insurance, which is optional in Pennsylvania but often required by the signing services that book the work.
The difference is set out in full on the bond and E&O page. For budgeting, treat the bond as a fixed cost and E&O as a cost you will probably carry anyway.
$25,000A notary may perform notarial acts in Pennsylvania only while a valid $25,000 bond is on file. — Pennsylvania Department of State, retrieved 2026-09-27
Business filings on top of the commission
The commission is personal, so the business costs are separate. Forming a Pennsylvania LLC costs $125, and the annual report costs $7 a year.
Operating as yourself under your own name needs no state filing at all. Trade under a brand like "Keystone Mobile Signings" and you need a fictitious name registration, which costs $70. An LLC trading under its exact registered name does not.
The LLC decision is covered on the business structure page. The filing order is on the setup guide. The state fees are the same whoever files them.
| Filing | State fee |
|---|---|
| Certificate of Organization (LLC) | $125 |
| Registration of fictitious name | $70 |
| Annual report, for-profit LLC | $7 |
| Change of registered office | $5 |
| Reinstatement filed electronically | $35 |
$125Pennsylvania charges $125 to file a Certificate of Organization for a domestic LLC and $70 to register a fictitious name. — Pennsylvania Department of State, retrieved 2026-09-27
$7The Pennsylvania annual report fee is $7 for a for-profit LLC. — Pennsylvania Department of State, retrieved 2026-09-27
What the fees earn back per signing
Notarial fees alone will not repay the setup. Pennsylvania caps an acknowledgment at $5 for the first signer, and a remote or electronic act adds at most $20.
A loan package may carry several notarized pages, but the notarial fee on each is capped. The rest of what a signing pays is for your time, travel and document handling. Those clerical fees are not set by the Department, but they must be reasonable and itemized.
That is why the economics of this trade live in the service fee, not the stamp. See the fees and journal page for how the two must be split on a receipt.
Count the running costs as well. Printing a full loan package, driving to the borrower and shipping the documents back all come out of the service fee. So does your time waiting when a closing starts late. Track those costs for your first twenty signings before you settle on a minimum fee.
$5A Pennsylvania notary may charge at most $5 for an acknowledgment for the first named signer and $2 for each additional name on the same certificate. — Pennsylvania Department of State, retrieved 2026-09-27
A first-year state fee budget, line by line
Add up only what the state charges, and a first-year signing agent with an LLC and a brand name pays $302 in state fees, with one exam attempt.
That figure is $42 for the application, $65 for one exam, $125 for the Certificate of Organization and $70 for a fictitious name. The first annual report falls in the following calendar year, at $7.
Drop the LLC and brand name, and state fees fall to $107. Everything else in the budget, from the course to the bond premium, stamp, journal and E&O, is priced by private sellers. Get two quotes for each before you commit.
| Fee | Amount | Paid to |
|---|---|---|
| Notary application | $42 | Department of State |
| Notary exam, one attempt | $65 | Pearson VUE, for the Department |
| Certificate of Organization | $125 | Bureau of Corporations |
| Fictitious name registration | $70 | Bureau of Corporations |
| Total, first year | $302 | State-set fees only |
$125Pennsylvania's published fee schedule lists $125 for a domestic LLC Certificate of Organization, $70 for a fictitious name registration, and $7 for a for-profit annual report. — Pennsylvania Department of State, retrieved 2026-09-27
Filing fees you cannot get back
Business filing fees are nonrefundable, even when a filing is rejected. A clean first submission is cheaper than a fast one.
The same caution applies to expedited service. Same-day handling costs an extra $100 at the Bureau of Corporations, on top of the filing fee. For a signing agent who is not yet booked, the standard queue is usually fine. Check your chosen name first, so the $125 is not spent on a rejection.
$100Fees paid to Pennsylvania's Bureau of Corporations are nonrefundable for both accepted and rejected filings, and same-day expedited service costs an extra $100. — Pennsylvania Department of State, retrieved 2026-09-27
Questions
Is there a state fee to become a remote online notary?
No. The Department states that notifying it of remote notarization requires no additional fee or training. You will still pay whatever the approved technology vendor charges.
Do I pay the $42 again every four years?
Yes. Every reappointment is a new application with the $42 filing fee and a new course. The exam fee only returns if you let the commission lapse before applying.
Does an LLC lower the cost of the commission?
No. The commission and its fees are personal to you. An LLC adds its own filing and annual costs on top, in exchange for keeping business debts separate.