IL Notary IL-Notary Maximum Allowable Fees and Fee Schedule Display 2 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: Under the Illinois Notary Public Act, what is the maximum fee a notary may charge for a single in-person notarial act?
- $1
- $5 (Correct answer)
- $10
- $25
Correct answer: $5
Illinois law caps the fee for each in-person notarial act at $5.
Question 2: A client asks an Illinois notary to notarize three separate documents at the same appointment. What is the maximum the notary may legally charge in total?
- $5 for the entire appointment
- $10 for the entire appointment
- $15 for the entire appointment (Correct answer)
- $25 for the entire appointment
Correct answer: $15 for the entire appointment
The $5 maximum applies per notarial act, so three acts may be charged at up to $5 each, totaling $15.
Question 3: Which Illinois statute establishes the maximum allowable fees for notarial acts?
- Illinois Business Corporation Act
- Illinois Notary Public Act (5 ILCS 312) (Correct answer)
- Illinois Administrative Procedure Act
- Illinois Consumer Fraud Act
Correct answer: Illinois Notary Public Act (5 ILCS 312)
Fee limits for Illinois notaries are set by the Illinois Notary Public Act, codified at 5 ILCS 312.
Question 4: An Illinois notary charges $8 for a single acknowledgment. This is:
- Permissible if the signer agrees in writing
- Permissible only for bilingual services
- A violation of the maximum fee provision (Correct answer)
- Permissible for notaries with more than 5 years of experience
Correct answer: A violation of the maximum fee provision
Charging more than $5 per notarial act violates the Illinois Notary Public Act's maximum fee provision regardless of signer consent.
Question 5: Which of the following notarial acts is subject to a higher maximum fee of $25 in Illinois?
- Acknowledgments performed for senior citizens
- Remote online notarizations (Correct answer)
- Notarizations performed outside of business hours
- Notarizations involving real estate documents
Correct answer: Remote online notarizations
Illinois allows a maximum fee of $25 per act for remote online notarizations (RON) due to the added technology costs.
Question 6: An Illinois notary performs a jurat for a signer. The notary may charge a maximum of:
- $1
- $5 (Correct answer)
- $15
- $25
Correct answer: $5
A jurat is a standard in-person notarial act, and the maximum fee per act is $5 under Illinois law.
Question 7: May an Illinois notary charge less than the statutory maximum fee?
- No, charging less is considered unlawful price manipulation
- Yes, a notary may charge any amount up to the statutory maximum or perform the act for free (Correct answer)
- Only if the Secretary of State grants a waiver
- Only for government employees
Correct answer: Yes, a notary may charge any amount up to the statutory maximum or perform the act for free
The statute sets a ceiling, not a floor; notaries are free to charge less or nothing at all.
IL Notary IL-Notary Maximum Allowable Fees and Fee Schedule Display 2
Under the Illinois Notary Public Act, what is the maximum fee a notary may charge for a single in-person notarial act?