You are now Certified, (or decided you didn't need it for your purposes), and you are ready to get to work serving process:

Building your own profit margin: (even if you are already running your own company!)

As a GA process server, you will be a private agent. You may accept assignments from established process service agencies, as a contracted agent, or you may choose to work directly with plaintiffs in cases, who will pay your full fees directly.

Getting Started ...literally at the beginning:
A - read the goodies in the Library , and see if process serving makes sense to you
B - take the Pre-Certification Course to qualify for the state exam
C - register for the state Exam and pass with FLYING colors! ***A complicating factor in this legal support industry is that the exam to become Certified is only very loosely related to the actual job of serving process. We must learn the statutes relevant to certification and serving in order to pass the exam. But, all the additional information that you learn about earning money and actually finding assignments, and efficiently designing a business serving papers, just distracts from the stuff that is actually going to be on the exam. AND, some of the questions on the exam are not about how the industry actually operates within the laws as they are written, but are about how things would work if the Sheriffs actually approved us to serve via Certification, instead of still requiring us to get appointed for Georgia court cases.
1 - submit your complete application to a GA Sheriff for Certification (No worries! They WILL approve valid applications...they will also simply deny your Notification to serve in their county without a court order of appointment.)
2 - apply for Appointment  in the county courts of your choice

3- make yourself available (this means advertise!) and accept assignments! 

How much money can I make doing this?

Factors for your formula:

1) Process servers are independent agents and set their own fees, even if they are just deciding to work for the fees offered by another agency.  By going to a few Process Server or small (sole proprietor) Agency websites you can see that the average fee for one job is $65 (what I charge, and as listed on www.thepapersserved.com ,) up to about $95. The average for an agency to charge and pay their servers a portion of that based on their agreement, is about $125. Other good sources to research when considering your pricing are the Sheriff fees for service in the courts you want to be serving papers for. Most Sheriff service fees are $35-55 per defendant/address.

2) If I want to GROSS $1000/week, then that is only 16 assignments per week at the $65 rate.  ***You may choose to be an agent for an established process service agency, so your rate will be made by them. However, you will still be in control of the number of assignments you accept, and time management. Your work ethic and efficiency in that company's system, and their case intake, will determine how many assignments they offer you. If you are cultivating your own clients and direct assignments, then you have much more control over your case load.

4) 16 trips are easy to spread over five days (3 per day, with four on one day), and you can even work six or even seven days a week. So, you can easily average 20-30 assignments a week. 

5) If you keep your service area about 50 to 60 miles from your home or office base, then your time and fuel costs are minimal.

6) If you route your service attempts well, (residential serves are best on early mornings, late evenings, and weekends, and business serves are obviously best when the business is open), then you keep your number of trips per assignment low. The industry standard is three attempts to one address for one defendant/party per fee. Obviously, you want to gather enough information to route for services on the first attempt!

7) Serving process CAN be a job where you just accept assignments and get an agency check periodically. This can also be a business that you design and develop, based on your goals, skills and energy investments. But, either way, you will be the CEO of your company, responsible for the profit margin you create and manage.

How do I get assignments? 

By advertising your availability to national and local law firms, process service companies , insurance agencies, property management companies, county code enforcement agencies,  etc., and by having your name on as many court appointed process server lists as possible. Have a business card to give to potential clients, and a card to leave on doors. Many 'pro se' clients are people you served in another case, no kidding! My favorite Georgia process service agencies that always need servers are listed on Our Team. 

REMEMBER: You can serve many papers PRIOR to certification, and even without appointment...SO...you can actually start accepting assignment for those jobs TODAY! You just need to know which ones they are, and where to look for them.

Start with advertising your service AREA and have a smooth workflow for answering bid requests, getting appointed if it is a Georgia court case, and handling the papers. A GREAT place to start is EZ Knock, because this marketplace for service of process assignments requires no contract, and allows you to build long-term client relationships! Most servers initially sign agency contracts with large regional or national process service agencies. They will all ask you for your ORDERS of APPOINTMENT first, and then your service area. Understand that it is one of their volume assignment efficiencies to distribute work by "service address county" to servers with Orders of Appointment in courts of that county. This does not mean you cannot be appointed into cases in distant Georgia courts that need service in your service area, since many cases have defendants in multiple counties.

When I get the assignment, what do I do with all the documents and instructions?

There are several software providers that you can choose from for well structured databases designed for process servers, including ServeManager and MyPrivateEye . While ServeManager teams with ServeNow to provide both advertisement and software for your business, MyPrivateEye provides software that fully integrates the dynamics of an agency that covers both the private investigation and process service markets. Or, you can just build your own business database with folders and documents of your own creation and preference, which is what I did. There is no right or wrong, just efficient or inefficient! Remember that if someone else does it, you pay them to do it, either by taking a lesser fee for service, or by paying an invoice.

Who creates all those documents, and are there templates to use?

The service documents will be printed by you, unless they are mailed to you from your client, or picked up by you from your client.

You will need to create your own affidavits! Some of your clients will provide affidavits of service for you to sign, but those will have their company data on it, with only your signature as their contracted server. When your client is the Plaintiff, or their attorney, then you will want an affidavit that gives full reference to you and your company.

There are templates available from the courts, from NAPPS, from industry software providers like ServeNow and MyPrivateEye,  and in the Library on this site. Just remember that the format is flexible, though the data points are regulated.

Workflow is predictive of cashflow. You must control the volume of your assignments,  manage the paperwork (yes, actual paper...not just digital images!), allow time for the data entry, answer your business phone and emails, invest in dependable tools and maintain them, create a supply chain, build relationships with clients and vendors, advertise your skills, and be an honest bookkeeper. Write your workflow out and be flexible to adjust as you learn the industry and yourself in it! This applies to sole proprietors and agents equally. As an agent, you need to design a logical and reasonable workflow that includes emails, data entry, travel time and fuel costs to go pick up assignments AND return to sign affidavits, daily routing (actual mapping time), meals time and food costs, and service data entry. If you write a workflow for Superman, don't bitch when you remember you are a mere earthling. You have to allow REAL drivetimes in your routes, REALISTIC data entry and paperwork time, ACTUAL costs, and DO THE MATH for every job.

If you sign a contract to accept assignments from another process service agency, be sure you understand the contract and DO THE MATH. Yes, they will argue that VOLUME of assignments will allow you to make a lot of money, and that is true. They will also argue that they are keeping the greater portion of the service fee from the client/plaintiff because they procured the client, and they are doing the front-end data management, and provide you with "support". That is also true. However, you can work half the volume for the full service fee from your own clients, and get paid prior to hitting the road, by just answering your own phone and emails, and printing and scanning the documents for an hour or two each day. And, you are not forced to choose one OR the OTHER! You can do BOTH! It won't take you long to wean yourself off the agency's $15-$40/serve fees, since you will find there are plenty of clients looking for servers they can talk directly to, as opposed to talking to a clerk at a desk. REALLY...only other agencies like talking to agency staff! Paralegals, attorneys, property owners, and pro se clients all much prefer talking directly to the process server for their cases. Details and special requests are always lost in the grapevine!

What Georgia Courts do I want to get ANNUALLY appointed in?  

At least the ones surrounding your home county, to start with. REMEMBER: Even if you only want to actually serve papers in one or two counties, it pays to be appointed in ALL courts that offer annual appointments, because those cases may have Defendants to be served in your service area counties! In other words, if  it is a Georgia case and you are not appointed in the case or court, but the defendant being served lives even NEXT DOOR TO YOU, then someone else has to serve it and make that money! Proximity and service location are not criteria for accepting a job unless you are appointed in the case or court.

***Authority to serve comes from the court the case is filed in, NOT the county sheriff the service address is in.

EVERY YEAR, in about September, you will need to go to the webpage for the Courts you want to be appointed in, annually or permanently, and find their instructions for application . They do change procedures and requirements frequently, so get in the habit of checking yourself, and not relying on clients or clubs to find out for you. 

I have found it easiest to go ahead and gather copies of my drivers license, GA JC/AOC exam certificate, AcademyGPPS pre-cert and continuing ed certificates, business insurance or bond coverage document, background check report, and attorney endorsements, and keep them in one folder. Then as I complete the simple name, address, education, and business history data on each court's application, I just dip into that folder to complete it, and pop it in the mail to the clerk . NO NEED TO PERSONALLY DELIVER these applications, as the clerks can't review them the day you bring it anyway . Just scan a copy of each application package and the USPS Priority Mail receipt you mail it with, and save these in a folder for each court with a copy of any payment that was necessary. Keep these in annual folders for each court, each year. The Courts do NOT make available any items submitted in these application packages in following years, so don't call them and ask them for copies of last year's package! 

How do I set my fees? 

Some charge flat fees, others bill for time and mileage, printing, notary, and every little thing. I bill flat fees for comprehensive service, and offer several products. Review mine at www.ThePapersServed.com . It is YOUR business, but remember, every itemization takes time to count and categorize, record and acknowledge, which is time off the road where you actually make your money.

What is my Service Area?

I figure 50 miles is about an hour one way in normal traffic, so I put my service area as any address within fifty miles of my home address. If you work for an agency, they will be calculating your fee based on a service area with their office in the center. The best tool for capturing an actual map of your service area is to use MapDevelopers. Go to the Map Tools button, and then use the Draw A Circle tool. It will give you a map showing your service area, and you can enlarge it to show cities and even streets. It also gives you a link to copy so you can share it with any of your clients!

What services do I want to offer? 

Process service, mobile notary, court courier, stakeouts, demand letter posting, code enforcement letters, etc. If you have the time or extra hands to offer document filing into your clients' cases, then you need to create an account with each of the online filing systems in Georgia. The accounts are free, so no worries there : Odyssey E-File,   PeachCourt,    nCourt, Iron Data  

Are you already a Private Investigator looking to make more money and offer your clients more one-stop-shop options?

Litigation is by far the most common purpose for hiring private investigators... to collect evidence and serve process. Why not be able to do both? You make yourself a dual-professional and favored agent by offering your sponsoring PI Agency two profitable skills. Private investigators also require continuing education, and the education provider we prefer is TFP Company . 

Do I need to advertise?  

YES - NAPPS (National Association of Professional Process Servers) and ServeNow , are the very best, and you should be on their sites at the very least! There are also many other national listing sites for process servers, and most charge a reasonable one time membership fee, though others bill monthly. Advertising is crucial, because folks are not born knowing how to find a process server, or even taught when or why they would need one. Local advertising is a different animal than national exposure, though, so determine the cost of each, and how each would benefit your particular niche in the industry.

Who pays me?  

The Plaintiff or Petitioner, or their counsel or agent, or the agency you sign with. 

Does the Deputy get paid before or after he routes the job? The Deputy is on SALARY, but he does not even get the assignment until the court filing and service fees are paid to the court by the Plaintiff! 

If you hit the road before being paid for the job, then you are working as both a process server and a debt collector, because you will have to collect payment after the service is complete. The first time you get burned, you will remember this warning.

How do I collect payment?

It is imperative to have two ways for payments to be made:

1) a mailing address to receive checks and money orders 

2) a website where clients can make credit card/debit card/electronic check payments. 

Some law firms and small businesses may still want to mail you a check, though most of your clients, both business and individuals, will want to pay electronically. You will NOT NEED a point-of-sale card-reader, but you may want to pay for the ability to take card payments over the phone, in addition to the online payment processing. I don't take payments over the phone, only online or cash.

I use STAX . This credit card processor accepts all debit and credit cards, and ACH for check payments online.

Do I need a website?

YES...this is an absolute MUST if you want your own clients. I use IONOS for my website, The PapersServed, as well as this one, which allows me to create and maintain them myself for less than $50 per year.  I do the work with their software tools, but with fantastic customer service for the technicalities. Lawgical also offers industry specific website creation tools and support.