By Mass law I'm allowed to notarize for friends/family, and in the record book I'm required to keep there are check boxes to indicate whether I know them personally (fine either way). If I don't know them I'm required to check their ID, and it doesn't hurt to record an ID check even if I do know them.
I'm allowed by law to charge up to $5 per notarization. I'd rather not do this -- it seems petty -- and so far I've never charged a fee, but I've also never broken my own plans last-minute to do it. I think I would avoid charging a Silliness Tax and simply decline last minute requests, because charging it and notarizing might send the message of "$5 is enough to buy me into canceling my dinner & movie date so I can go to your house or to Diesel and notarize the document that you've had 4 weeks to get notarized." No dice.
Usually it's not close friends who do this. They know better. It's acquaintances or friends-of-friends who got wind from someone else that I'm an NP.
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Date: 2010-05-11 04:00 pm (UTC)I'm allowed by law to charge up to $5 per notarization. I'd rather not do this -- it seems petty -- and so far I've never charged a fee, but I've also never broken my own plans last-minute to do it. I think I would avoid charging a Silliness Tax and simply decline last minute requests, because charging it and notarizing might send the message of "$5 is enough to buy me into canceling my dinner & movie date so I can go to your house or to Diesel and notarize the document that you've had 4 weeks to get notarized." No dice.
Usually it's not close friends who do this. They know better. It's acquaintances or friends-of-friends who got wind from someone else that I'm an NP.
Gawd, how I love this userpic. :-)