If the act is not performed, there is no charge

I charge for a notarial act that I perform. I do not charge for one that I do not perform. That is the rule for a cancellation, a missed appointment, and a meeting that ends before the certificate is completed.

A cancellation is not an official act. Government Code § 406.024 sets the fees a notary may charge for an act. It does not include a cancellation fee, a no-show fee, or a fee for the trip by itself. If you cancel, or you do not appear, and I do not notarize, there is no charge.

The same rule applies if I arrive, or if a remote session has started, and the act cannot be completed. That includes identification that is missing, expired, or not satisfactory. It includes a signer who is unwilling, or who appears to be under pressure. It includes a document that is incomplete. It includes a remote identity check that does not finish. In each of those cases, there is no charge, because no official act was performed.

Travel, time of day, a hospital or jail visit, waiting, and printing are real costs. They are still not billed unless the act is performed. They are separate lines on an invoice for a completed act. None of them is a substitute for the act.

There is no deposit that I keep if the appointment falls through. Nothing is collected before the act.

If the problem can be fixed, I will make a reasonable effort to set another time. We can often try again if an identification card was missing, a signer is still on the way, or a connection dropped. I cannot notarize around the problem.

Payment for a completed act is due when you receive the invoice. I release the notarized documents only after that payment is received. That is a different question from a cancellation. The documents exist only after the act has been performed.