What: Notarize allows licensed notaries to work online on their own schedules, earning between $20 and $40 per hour.

Expected pay: $20 to $40 per hour

Husl$core: $$$$

Commissions & fees: NA

Where: Texas, Florida, Nevada and Virginia for freelance work. The site has a service that helps independent notaries go online in 14 states.

Requirements: Appropriate licenses and/or certifications; insurance; background check.

Notarize review:

Notarize is an online notary service that enlists freelancers to verify document signatures. Pay is determined both by the state you live in and the type of transaction. Real estate transactions, which usually involve volumes of documents, pay more than simpler transactions.

Although notaries are only able to work directly for Notarize in 4 states, the site also has a service called “notary sourced transactions” that helps independent notaries digitize their business.

The notary-sourced transaction service is a turnkey system that allows independent notaries to use the Notarize platform for online meetings and electronic seals and signatures. This service has been expanding rapidly and is now available in 14 states, including Arizona, Colorado, Kentucky, Michigan, Montana, New Jersey and New York.

Next year, Notarize plans to charge notaries for taking advantage of its online portal. However, until at least the end of 2022, the service is being offered to notaries for free.

Internal struggles

The site is clearly going through growing pains, which many employees complain about bitterly. However, it’s unclear that these pains impact the freelancers who can sign on to notarize documents through the platform.

Notably, too, there is no cost to sign up as a freelancer or for the notary-sourced transaction service. Thus, there’s little risk. Notaries are paid through Stripe, within days of completing a transaction.

Recommendations:

This site only accepts notaries from states that allow online notarization, which is a relative few. Notaries from all other states, including California, can market themselves through local contacts at banks, brokerage and mortgage firms and through neighborhood websites, such as Nextdoor.

What their workers say:

The bulk of reviews for Notarize are written by employees, who are upset by recent restructurings. The only reviews by freelance staff note the attractiveness of remote work and the reasonably high pay.