Updated October 2026 · 6 minute read
Signing services quote one flat fee, but working signing agents who deal directly with title and escrow price each package differently. We compared five published fee schedules from U.S. signing agents to show what each loan type pays in 2026, what the common add-ons are, and how to set your own schedule.
- Refinance: about $150–$250 when working direct.
- Purchase, buyer package: about $125–$250. Seller package: about $125–$200.
- HELOC: about $75–$200, usually at or below a refinance.
- Reverse mortgage: about $175–$350, the highest of any package.
- Signing services usually pay less: about $75–$125 per signing.
Fee schedule by loan type
| Loan package | Range in published schedules | Why it is priced this way |
|---|---|---|
| Refinance | $150–$250 | Full borrower package, often 100+ pages, one or two signers |
| Purchase (buyer) | $125–$250 | Long package and a fixed closing date, little room to reschedule |
| Seller package | $125–$200 | Shorter package, often with scan backs |
| HELOC | $75–$200 | Shorter than a refinance; some agents price it lower |
| Reverse mortgage | $175–$350 | Longest appointment and more explanation for the borrowers |
| Loan modification | $75–$125 | Small package, quick appointment |
| Second loan, same visit | $75–$100 | Charged on top of the first package |
| Loan application | $50–$150 | Few pages, short visit |
Ranges: lowest and highest figures for each package across five published signing agent fee schedules (California, Georgia, Texas and one unlisted state), listed below. These are direct client prices, not signing service pay.
What five real schedules charge
Here is what each agent publishes. Blank cells mean the schedule does not list that package.
| Package | Rockwall, TX1 | Palos Verdes, CA2 | Sacramento area, CA3 | Atlanta, GA4 | JJ Travis5 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Refinance | $150 | $175 | $200 | $150 | $150–$250 |
| Purchase (buyer) | $125 | $175 | $250 | $175 | $125–$200 |
| Seller | $125 | $150 | $125 | $150 | $125–$200 |
| HELOC | $200 | $150 | $125 | $150 | $75–$100 |
| Reverse mortgage | $175 | $350 | $195 | $200–$300 | |
| Loan modification | $125 | $75–$100 | |||
| Loan application | $150 | $125 | $75 | $50–$75 |
Sources: 1 Notary Needs (updated July 2026, travel charged separately); 2 Notary in a Heartbeat (base $150 within 30 miles; purchases, refinances and reverse mortgages add $25); 3 Platinum Notary (updated May 2024); 4 DocsToSign fee list posted on NotaryCafe; 5 JJ Travis Notary Services. Full links under Sources.
Two patterns stand out. Reverse mortgages are priced highest by every agent that lists them, and the spread between agents is wide, often $100 or more for the same package. Some agents include travel within a set radius (30 miles in the Palos Verdes schedule), while the Texas schedule charges travel separately by distance band.
Add-on fees
| Add-on | What agents charge |
|---|---|
| Scan backs | $25 per set (CA, GA and JJ Travis schedules) |
| Extra printed set | $50 per set (Palos Verdes, CA) |
| Each signer beyond two | $25 each (Palos Verdes, CA) |
| Rush (booked within 2 hours) | $25 (Rockwall, TX) |
| After hours, weekends, holidays | $25 (CA, evenings and Sunday) to $100 (TX, evenings, weekends and holidays) |
| Waiting time | $15 per 15 minutes after a 15-minute grace period (Palos Verdes, CA) |
| Late cancellation or no-show | 100% of the fee within 5 hours of the appointment (Palos Verdes, CA) |
| Travel | Included within 30 miles (CA) or charged by distance band from $75 up to 5 miles (TX) |
Notary fees for each stamp are set by state law and are usually small, so the money in a loan signing is in the package fee and these extras, not the notarizations.
Direct work vs signing services
The schedules above are what agents charge when a title company, escrow office, lender or borrower books them directly. Signing services, the middlemen that hand out many orders, usually pay agents about $75 to $125 per signing, according to the Loan Signing System pricing guide, and an agent on that NotaryCafe thread said loan packages with scan backs from signing services typically pay $115 to $125.
- Signing services: steady volume, lower fee, payment can take 30 days or more.
- Direct title and escrow: higher fee and faster payment, but you have to win and keep those clients.
Most agents do both: services to fill the calendar, and direct clients for the higher-paying work.
Build your own fee schedule
- Start from your costs. Printing, mileage, time at the table and the drop-off all come out of every fee.
- Set a minimum profit per hour and work backwards to a minimum fee for each package and distance band.
- Price by package, not one flat rate. Reverse mortgages and purchases take longer than a HELOC.
- Publish your add-ons (scan backs, extra signers, after hours, waiting time) so you are paid for the extra work.
- Write a cancellation policy and share it when you confirm.
- Review it once a year as gas and printing costs change.
Track every signing, fee and mile in one place
The Notary & Loan Signing Agent Tracker logs each signing by company and loan type, works out profit per hour after mileage and printing, flags late payers and totals your mileage for taxes. Excel and Google Sheets.
Questions
How much does a loan signing agent charge per signing?
Published fee schedules from working signing agents in 2026 show about $150 to $250 for a refinance, $125 to $250 for a buyer purchase package and $125 to $200 for a seller package when the agent works directly with title or escrow. Signing services usually pay less, about $75 to $125.
Why do reverse mortgages pay more?
Reverse mortgage packages are longer, the borrowers are often older and need more explanation, and appointments take longer. The schedules we reviewed price them at about $175 to $350, the highest of any loan type.
Do signing agents charge more for HELOCs?
Usually not. A HELOC package is shorter than a refinance, so most schedules price it at or below a refinance, from about $75 to $200.
What extra fees can a loan signing agent charge?
Common extras are scan backs (about $25 a set), printing an extra set (about $50), each signer beyond two (about $25), rush or after-hours appointments ($25 to $100), waiting time after a grace period, and travel beyond a set radius.
Is $75 a good fee for a loan signing?
It depends on the drive and the package. Many signing services pay around $75 to $125, but after printing, mileage and two to three hours of total time, a $75 order far from home can pay very little per hour. Run the numbers before you accept.
Related guides
Sources
- Notary Needs (Rockwall, TX): Price List, updated July 2026
- Notary in a Heartbeat (Palos Verdes, CA): Fee Schedule, accessed October 2026
- Platinum Notary (Sacramento area, CA): Loan Signing & General Notary Fees, updated May 2024
- NotaryCafe forum: What Are Your Fees (DocsToSign, Atlanta, GA)
- JJ Travis Notary Services: Loan Signing Agent, accessed October 2026
- Loan Signing System: How Much to Charge as a Loan Signing Agent
Tahir Abbas
Founder of Softotech Solutions. Tahir builds Excel and Google Sheets tools for small service businesses, including the free calculators on this site. Fees in this guide come from the published schedules listed above and are checked when the guide is updated.