You already did the hard part — you're commissioned. Smoothquill routes signer requests near you: first to claim gets the job, you keep your rate, no lead fees, no bidding. Get verified now and you're in the founding cohort.
Three things make Smoothquill different from Snapdocs, Notary Cafe, or running your own ads. Read these before you sign up — and reach out if you have questions.
Every other platform sends the same alert to 20 notaries and rewards whoever taps first. We assign each booking to one nearby notary based on proximity, schedule, and rotation. You get a 5-minute window to accept. No frantic phone-checking.
You're paid through Stripe, directly to your bank — no invoicing, no Net-30, no waiting on a signing service's check run. No chasing signing services for 45 days. No 1099 surprises in January. Clear earnings dashboard.
A founder-run platform built by a commissioned notary who's done the work. Direct line for tough signings — bedside POAs, edge cases, customers who arrive without ID.
We're deliberate about who's on the platform — we verify every notary's commission ourselves before activation. If you're already commissioned, setup takes about an hour of your time, and we review within a couple of business days.
Create your account and tell signers who you are — service area, rates, radius, weekly availability, a photo, and a sentence about yourself. You set your own rates and keep 100% of them on mobile bookings.
Stripe Identity matches your government ID and a selfie in about 5 minutes. This is the same verification signers see as a trust badge on your profile.
You upload your current commission certificate (and bond, if your state requires one). We personally check it against your verified ID — this is the one step we do by hand, and it's how we keep the network real. Verify now and you lock into the founding cohort: 8% for life instead of 15%, first 10 notaries only.
Connect your bank through Stripe Connect (about 10 minutes). Once your commission is confirmed, you're activated and start receiving booking offers in your service area. Accept the ones that fit, decline the ones that don't — we never penalize declines.
Every "make money from home" pitch oversells. We won't. Here's what's accurate about joining Smoothquill right now — both what works and what doesn't.
The questions every applicant asks us in their first call. Here are honest answers.
1099 contract. You're an independent operator using Smoothquill to receive booking requests. You handle your own taxes, mileage, and self-employment compliance. We do not withhold taxes, provide W-2s, or offer employment benefits.
Totally fine. We don't require exclusivity. If you're building your own client base, our notary marketing guide covers what actually works.
It depends on demand in your area, your hours, and the job types you accept — and honestly, expect a gradual ramp while we build customer demand (see the honest expectations above).
For mobile general notary work: a car, smartphone, your stamp, journal, and government ID. For loan signings: add a dual-tray laser printer that can handle legal-size paper.
E&O insurance is optional but recommended — it covers you personally if a signing is ever challenged. Expect roughly $20–100/year depending on coverage, purchased directly from a provider (e.g. the NNA or a bonding agency).
Reviews are moderated. A review gets removed if the customer was abusive, didn't bring valid ID, or if you correctly refused to notarize — refusing when a signer isn't lucid is you doing the job right, and it won't count against you.
Honest answer: yes, it's marketing, but the offer is real. The first 10 notaries to verify lock in 8% for life instead of the standard 15%. We're doing this because (a) we genuinely need early collaborators to help shape the platform, and (b) early members do the heavy lifting of building demand. After 10 founding spots fill, the fee returns to 15% for everyone else.
Build the best mobile notary network in our launch market first, then expand state by state on a similar model. We're not chasing a VC exit. We want to build a sustainable, ethical platform that pays notaries fairly and serves customers well. If that takes 5 years, fine.