Corrections vs. Backdating or Postdating for Notaries

Written by Ronnie Mickle

Edited & Updated: 07/2026

Understanding Corrections vs. Backdating and Postdating

Making corrections is a normal part of a notary's job. Backdating or postdating a notarial act, however, is never appropriate. Understanding the difference can help you avoid ethical mistakes, protect your commission, and comply with your state's notary laws.

Corrections

Corrections can be made to documents that already exist between the notary and signers. For example, if you forgot to stamp a document or misspelled a name, you can apply corrections to fix the mistake. You can also apply corrections if you need to obtain a signature or date at a later time, as long as the document was present and reviewed when the signer signed it initially.

Backdating

Backdating, or postdating, is creating a new document with a date in the past. This is unethical and can cost you your notary commission. There are no circumstances in which a notary should ever backdate a document.

Real Life Example

We recently received a call on the notary line here at Notary Stars where one of our members made a mistake on a Deed of Trust. She was more than willing to help fix it, but something wasn't quite right. When she received a copy of the document for correction, she realized that the Deed had actually changed. The vesting and signature line of the Deed of Trust had changed from John J. Star to John Joe Star. She also recognized that the document's barcode had been altered. It was twice the size of the bar code on the original documents. 

This was a tricky case, and our greatest minds came together to help the notary make the decision not to correct the new version of the document. We advised the notary obtaining the missing signature and date would be okay; however, if she executed the Notarial Certificate for a new document that would be backdating. We further advised her to let the Title Agency and Signing Agency she would only be able to apply corrections to the original Deed of Trust that appeared between her and the signers. That could have either been a fresh copy of the original as long as it was identical.

(REPRINT IS YOUR BEST OPTION IF YOU HAVEN'T DELETED THE DOCUMENTS YET).

Advice for notaries

If you are ever asked to backdate a document, politely decline. You can explain that backdating is unethical and can cost you your notary commission. If you are asked to correct a document, be sure to apply corrections only to existing documents.

Please note that some states do not authorize you to correct a notarized document -

California specifically states “There are no provisions in the law that allow for the correction of a completed notarial act. If a notary public discovers an error in a notarial act after completing the act, then the notary public should notarize the signature on the document again. All requirements for notarization are required for the new notarial act, including completing and attaching a new certificate containing the date of the new notarial act and completing a new journal entry”.

Florida notaries cannot correct a certificate once the notarization is completed. And some states allow for corrections but only after the original document has been returned to you so that corrections can be made to the original document. Be sure to check your state regulations first before making any error corrections.

Remember: Every state has its own notary laws regarding corrections to notarized documents and certificates. Before making any changes, always verify what is permitted in your state by reviewing your state's notary handbook, statutes, or official guidance. Taking a few extra minutes to confirm the correct procedure can help protect both your commission and your signer.

Written by Ronnie Mickle for Notary Stars

Originally Published: 03/20/2021

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