Question
How do deposits work?
Some notaries ask a deposit when you book. It's held on your card, charged only if they accept, and taken off the total — refunded if you cancel 24 hours before, kept if later.
A notary may ask a deposit when you book a time through their page. Most don't. If one does, the request form says so on its last step — how much, and the terms — before you send anything.
How it goes:
You ask, and the deposit is held. After Send the request, a secure card page opens (Stripe's). The deposit is held on your card — nothing is charged yet. If you leave that page before finishing, your request's page shows Hold the … deposit to do it later.
The notary accepts, and it's charged. Only then is the held amount charged. It goes to the notary's own Stripe account; Hand & Seal never holds your money.
After the signing, it's taken off the total. The notary's invoice counts the deposit as paid. If the signing costs less than the deposit, the rest is given back to your card.
When it comes back:
- The notary declines, or doesn't answer in time — the hold is let go, and nothing is charged.
- The notary cancels — refunded in full.
- You cancel at least 24 hours before the signing (or before they've accepted) — refunded in full.
- You cancel while their price is waiting for your answer — refunded in full, however close the signing is. That's when your page asks you to agree to a total more than $10 above the estimate you were shown, or to a travel fee you hadn't agreed to, and you haven't said yes.
- The notary moved the time, and you cancel within 24 hours of that — refunded in full, however close the signing is.
When it's kept:
- You cancel less than 24 hours before the signing, once they've accepted — the deposit is kept by the notary, and your request's page says so. That includes a signing you asked for less than 24 hours ahead: once they've accepted it, cancelling keeps the deposit.
Before you cancel, the step that cancels says what becomes of your deposit — Your deposit:, above Cancel the signing.
Your request's page always says where the deposit stands — held, charged, taken off the total, let go, refunded or kept — and you're emailed when any of it comes back to you.
Good to know
- A deposit you paid the notary directly — in cash, by Zelle, or by card on their phone — isn't held by these rules: whether it's refunded is theirs to say, and your page says so.
- A refund goes back to the card you paid with. When it shows on your statement is up to your card's bank.
- The notary's own cancellation policy, if they have one, is on their page and shows again when you cancel.
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