Maximum notary fees in Missouri
State-set maximums — notaries may always charge less, and many do.
| Notarial act | Maximum fee |
|---|
| Acknowledgment | $5.00 per signature |
| Jurat | $5.00 per signature |
| Oath / affirmation | Unverified — check with the state (current fee schedule lists acknowledgment, jurat, signature witnessing, and certified copy, but no separately itemized oath/affirmation fee) |
| Copy certification | $1.00 per page certified, minimum total charge $3.00 |
Informational reference only — not legal advice. Notary fee laws change, and states differ in how fees apply (per act, per signature, or per certificate). Last reviewed July 2026. Always confirm current rules with your state's commissioning authority before setting your fees.
Key rules at a glance
Fees set by
statute, RSMo sec 486.685 (current law; superseded former RSMo 486.350, repealed in 2020 by H.B. 1655, which had set $2/signature and $1/other-act caps)
Remote online notarization
Permitted — RON permitted under the Missouri Remote Online Notarization Act, RSMo secs 486.1100-486.1205 (effective 2020/2021); standard fee schedule in sec 486.685 applies, plus a separate technology/platform surcharge may be charged
Travel fees
Allowed if agreed to in advance and disclosed as separate from, and not mandated by, the notarial fee (RSMo 486.685); no statutory dollar cap under current law (a former $25 expedite-fee/federal-mileage cap existed only under the now-repealed sec 486.350)
Worth knowing: No fee may be charged to notarize an absentee ballot or absentee voter registration signature; overcharging is official misconduct. Fee schedule was substantially revised in 2020 (H.B. 1655), so older sources citing $2/signature are outdated.
How notary fees work in Missouri
Missouri sets the maximum a notary public may charge for each notarial act — the table above shows those caps. Charging above the maximum is a compliance violation, but there is no minimum: many notaries charge less, or waive fees for certain documents. What you may charge for ancillary services (travel, printing, scheduling) is governed separately — see the travel-fee rule above, and always disclose extra charges to the signer in advance.
If you work as a loan signing agent, note that the signing-service fee you receive for a loan package is compensation for the appointment as a whole (travel, printing, handling) — the notarial-act portion is still subject to the per-act caps shown here. Keeping those two amounts separate in your records matters, because in many situations they are treated differently for tax purposes. That split is exactly what a purpose-built record-keeping system handles for you.
Sources
This page is general information about Missouri notary fee rules, last reviewed July 2026. It is not legal, tax or accounting advice. Verify current requirements with the state's commissioning authority.