To become a loan signing agent in Tennessee, you earn a Tennessee notary public commission through your county, post a $10,000 surety bond, take the oath of office, then add the training, background check, errors and omissions insurance, and supplies that title companies and signing services require before they’ll send you closings. The notary commission is the legal foundation; the signing agent piece is what makes title companies actually hire you.
Tennessee’s path is a little more involved than some states because your county legislative body has to formally elect you as a notary at a public meeting. That one quirk shapes the timeline more than anything else.
Who Qualifies
Tennessee Code § 8-16-101 sets the baseline. You must be at least 18, and either a U.S. citizen or a lawful permanent resident. You also need to live in the county where you’re applying, or have your principal place of business there. That second option matters: you can actually reside out of state and still hold a Tennessee notary commission if your business operates from a Tennessee county.1Justia. Tennessee Code 8-16-101 – Election
You also have to certify, under penalty of perjury, that you’ve never been removed from a notary office for misconduct, never had a notary commission revoked or suspended in any state, and never been found by a court to have engaged in the unauthorized practice of law. The county legislative body evaluates your good moral character before voting.1Justia. Tennessee Code 8-16-101 – Election
Get Your $10,000 Surety Bond
Before you file anything with the county clerk, you need a $10,000 surety bond. The bond protects the public if you make a mistake or commit misconduct while notarizing. Bonding companies typically sell these for a small annual premium, often $50 to $100 depending on your credit.2Justia. Tennessee Code 8-16-104 – Surety Bond
The bond is the only insurance Tennessee requires. Errors and omissions insurance is optional under state law but effectively mandatory in practice. E&O covers your personal assets if a borrower or lender sues you over a notarization mistake. Title companies and signing services routinely require proof of coverage before assigning closings, and many want to see at least $25,000. Agents who handle a high volume often carry $100,000 or more. Annual premiums run a few hundred dollars and can be purchased from the same companies that sell surety bonds.
File With the County Clerk and Get Elected
Pick up the application form at your local county clerk’s office or download it from the clerk’s website. The name on your application must match your government ID exactly. A mismatch can delay processing or invalidate your commission later.
Submit the completed application with your surety bond to the county clerk. The statutory fee to certify your election to the Secretary of State is $7, though counties add their own surcharges that push the total higher.3Justia. Tennessee Code 8-21-701 – County Clerks – Specific Fees Authorized
Then comes the step that distinguishes Tennessee. Your county clerk presents your application to the county legislative body, often called the county commission, which must formally elect you at a scheduled public meeting. Many counties meet only monthly, so timing your filing around that calendar can shave weeks off the wait.1Justia. Tennessee Code 8-16-101 – Election
Take Your Oath and Receive Your Commission
After the county commission votes you in, the clerk certifies your election to the Tennessee Secretary of State. Once that notification processes, you return to the clerk’s office to take your oath of office. You swear to support the constitutions of Tennessee and the United States and to faithfully and impartially carry out your duties as a notary.4Justia. Tennessee Code 8-16-105 – Oath of Office
The clerk then issues your commission certificate. Your commission lasts four years from the date of issuance.
Buy Your Seal and Working Supplies
Tennessee law requires every notary to use an official seal prescribed by the Secretary of State. It can be a rubber stamp or an embosser and must include your name, the state of Tennessee, and the county where your commission was issued.5Justia. Tennessee Code 8-16-114 – Seal of Notary Public for the State of Tennessee Compliant seal stamps run roughly $15 to $40 from notary supply vendors.
For signing work specifically, you’ll also need:
- A notary journal. Tennessee doesn’t impose a blanket statutory journal requirement for traditional in-person notarizations, but title companies expect you to keep one, and it protects you if a notarization is ever challenged in court.
- A reliable printer that handles both legal and letter-size paper. Closing packages often run 100 pages or more.
- A supply of blue ink pens. Lenders almost always require blue ink for signatures.
- A way to transport large document packages to appointments.
Complete Signing Agent Training and a Background Check
A notary commission makes you a notary, not a loan signing agent. The signing agent credential is what gets you hired.
Loan signing courses teach you to walk a borrower through closing packages that include the Closing Disclosure, the promissory note, the deed of trust, and various federal compliance documents. The Closing Disclosure carries federal timing rules that, if misunderstood, can cause expensive delays at the signing table.6Consumer Financial Protection Bureau. Closing Disclosure Explainer
The National Notary Association offers a widely recognized certification that bundles training, an exam, and a background screening for around $199. That background check is the real gatekeeper. Title companies and signing services use it to screen contractors, and if you don’t pass, you won’t get assignments regardless of your commission. The mortgage industry generally expects signing agents to pass an annual background screening that meets industry compliance standards. Other organizations offer loan signing courses too, and some agents complete more than one program to stand out.
What You Can Charge and Earn
Tennessee doesn’t cap notary fees. The statute entitles notaries to charge “reasonable fees and compensation” for their services.7Tennessee Secretary of State. What Fee Can a Notary Charge for Their Services?
The notarization fee itself is a small slice of what signing agents actually earn. Most of your income comes from the full signing fee for handling the whole closing appointment, typically $75 to $200 per signing depending on the complexity of the package, the time of day, and travel distance. Signing services and title companies set these rates and pay you as an independent contractor, so nothing is withheld from your checks.
Add Remote Online Notarization
Tennessee authorizes remote online notarization, which lets you notarize for borrowers over a live video connection instead of meeting in person. Offering it expands your geographic reach without adding drive time.
Under Tennessee Code § 8-16-310, an online notarization requires two-way video and audio communication, and you must take reasonable steps to keep the connection secure from interception. To verify a signer’s identity remotely, you can rely on personal knowledge, or the signer must present a government-issued photo ID through the video feed, which then goes through credential analysis and identity proofing.8Justia. Tennessee Code 8-16-310 – Online Notarization Procedures
Every electronic notarial certificate for an online notarization must include a notation identifying it as such. Tennessee also requires storage of audio-video recordings from online notarizations, cross-referenced with your journal. Approved technology platforms handle credential analysis and identity proofing for you, but you remain responsible for compliance with state rules.
Plan for Self-Employment Taxes
Signing agents are independent contractors, and the IRS treats notary income with a quirk that catches new agents off guard. Fees you earn specifically for performing notarial acts go on Schedule C but are not subject to self-employment tax.9Internal Revenue Service. Publication 17 (2025), Your Federal Income Tax
Most of what a signing agent earns, though, isn’t technically a notarization fee. The bulk of a signing fee covers travel, document handling, and guiding the borrower through the package. That portion is subject to self-employment tax once your net earnings from those non-notarial services exceed $400 for the year. For most working signing agents, that means self-employment tax applies to the majority of their income. You can deduct half of your self-employment tax on Schedule 1.9Internal Revenue Service. Publication 17 (2025), Your Federal Income Tax
Common deductible business expenses include your surety bond premium, E&O insurance, notary supplies, mileage or vehicle costs, printing and shipping, and training or certification renewals. Setting aside 25 to 30 percent of each signing fee for taxes keeps most agents out of trouble at filing time, and you’ll likely need to make quarterly estimated tax payments to avoid an underpayment penalty.
Renewing Every Four Years
Tennessee commissions last four years, and renewal runs through the same sequence as the original: file with the county clerk, get elected by the county legislative body, take a new oath, and post a fresh surety bond.10Tennessee Secretary of State. How Do I Renew a Notary Commission? Because the county commission has to vote again, start the renewal well before your current commission expires. If it lapses, you can’t legally notarize until the new commission is issued, and the gap can cost you weeks of signing assignments.