What goes in a notary journal entry
A journal entry has one job: prove, years from now, exactly what you notarized and how you identified the signer. These are the fields that do it.
| Date and time | When the notarization happened — not when you filled in the entry. |
| Type of notarial act | Acknowledgment, jurat, oath or affirmation, signature witnessing, or copy certification. |
| Document description | The kind of document (deed, power of attorney, affidavit) and its date, if it has one. |
| Signer's name and address | As shown on their identification. |
| How the signer was identified | ID document (record the type and issuer — never the ID number), personal knowledge, or a credible witness. |
| Fee charged | Including any travel fee, itemized. Record $0 if you didn't charge. |
| Signer's signature | Most journal formats include a signature line for the signer. |
What must stay OUT of the journal
ID numbers, Social Security numbers, and financial account numbers. No state requires them, several prohibit them, and a stolen journal full of them is an identity-theft kit. Record "Driver's license, Texas DPS, expires 2028" — never the license number itself.
Mistakes: void, don't erase
A journal is a chronological record. If an entry goes wrong, mark it void with a reason and keep the number — erasing or deleting entries is what makes journals fall apart under scrutiny.
One entry per signer
Two signers on one deed = two entries. Each signer's identification stands on its own.
Keep your journal on the phone already in your pocket. Signet numbers every entry automatically, captures signer signatures on screen, totals your fees for tax season, and exports the whole record as CSV when a court or your state asks. Adapted to your state's rules. Coming to the App Store.