Notary Public Underwriters Blog

Your Notary Commission Works When You’re on the Clock, but Does It Work When You’re Not?

Details: Published: July 20, 2026

A long-established fact about America’s notaries public is that most obtained their commission at their employer’s request.

Traditionally and still today, the business sectors with the highest numbers of employee notaries include real estate, legal services, banking and finance, healthcare, and of course state, local and federal government.

All these business sectors have a common need: they regularly require the assurances that a properly performed notarial act provides:

identity verification of document signers;
no coercion of the present signer;
fraud deterrence; and
the legally binding execution (signing) of documents by the person known or proven through identity verification to be the named principal.

Additionally, there’s a particular benefit of being an employee notary that some notaries have put to good use: the notary commission is yours, even if it was obtained at the request of your employer (and even if your employer paid for it). As a general rule, any time that you are not on-the-clock for your employer, you are free to notarize for the public.

In fact, many enterprising employee notaries have earned extra income simply by advertising their availability to notarize for the general public during non-work hours. That’s always been a great way to help the public, cultivate a new income stream, and earn that money as your own boss.

Another key benefit of notarizing “after hours” (or off the clock) is the opportunity to review a wider variety of document types and the notarial certificate language they include. It is, after all, your responsibility to assure yourself that the language of the notarial certificate on the document presented for notarization is exactly like—or substantially complies with—the notarial certificate language specified in your commissioning state’s notary laws and/or administrative rules. Should you begin notarizing for the general public after (work) hours, you’ll no longer see only the familiar documents and forms that you encounter during your day job. And that will help sharpen your notarial certificate review skills.

Whether you choose to notarize only during your regular employment hours or after hours, always remember to keep your notary skills sharp, stay up to date on your commissioning state’s latest laws and administrative rules, and rely on Notary Public Underwriters as your trusted bond agency partner, notary training and supplies provider, and notarial practices resource.

Important: Be aware that most states have laws governing self-employment income reporting, and related requirements of having your own business whether it’s incorporated or a sole proprietorship. If you earn income by performing notarizations for the general public, you are solely responsible for knowing applicable self-employment and income-reporting requirements and complying with them. In most states, the Secretary of State manages business incorporations and other entity registrations, as well as mandatory reporting by businesses and sole proprietorships. Your state may have same or similar reporting requirements among its local-government entities, as well.

Notary Public Underwriters Blog

Your Notary Commission Works When You’re on the Clock, but Does It Work When You’re Not?

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