Knowledge-based authentication, sometimes referred to as KBA, is a quiz of questions generated from the signer's personal information to help verify identity before meeting with a notary. KBA is often used with credential analysis for even more security.
The knowledge-based authentication quiz is required under state notarial law and/or regulation as part of the remote online notarization session when alternative identification methods are unavailable.
If a signer is locked out of the KBA quiz, they must wait the entire waiting period; exceptions are not possible.
What you need
You'll be asked to provide your:
- Name
- Address
- Date of birth
- The last 4 digits of your Social Security number*
The system then generates questions based on the information from your credit history and other data records. You generally need about 6 months of credit history to successfully generate questions.
If you do not have a valid U.S. Social Security number, you may receive an error message.
For those who need to verify their identity and/or notarize documents, you may be required to complete knowledge-based authentication. To help you complete KBA, the Proof platform can accept either a U.S. Social Security number or an individual tax identification number.
The identifier used must be tied to sufficient records to generate identity verification questions, such as credit history, vehicle registration, etc.
*Proof does not use the last 4 digits of your Social Security number for anything other than generating the knowledge-based authentication questions.
What to expect
Proof uses secure third-party data sources to generate knowledge-based authentication questions.
Questions presented during the quiz:
- Will vary for each person.
- May be about the signer or their history and may include property, vehicle, phone numbers, and several other categories.
- May be about others with a shared property interest.
You have 2 minutes to answer 4 out of 5 challenge questions correctly to verify your identity.
If you don't pass the quiz
If you do not pass the first time, you can attempt the quiz one more time right away. If you don't pass on the second attempt, you receive a notification confirming the time you can try again (see example below). If the quiz is failed a third time, you are locked out for 48 hours from the time of the 1st attempt.
The table below summarizes the timeline of attempts available on the knowledge-based authentication quiz.
| If you fail the quiz on the… | You can retake the quiz… |
| First attempt | Immediately |
| Second attempt (first retake) | After 24 hours have passed from the first attempt |
| Third attempt (second retake) | After 48 hours from the first attempt |
⚠️ You cannot attempt knowledge-based authentication more than 3 times in 48 hours on the Proof platform. Any subsequent attempt outside of the original 48-hour window restarts the timer.
We understand the wait may be frustrating, but this law is in place for your protection and security. If your signing was scheduled, please contact the person who sent you the transaction and let them know.
Troubleshooting
If you have trouble with the knowledge-based authentication quiz, try the following tips:
- Check your name, date of birth, address, and Social Security number for errors.
- Please make sure you are using your full legal name.
- If you recently changed your name, try your former name.
- If you're traveling or recently moved, try using your former U.S. address.
Occasionally, someone with a valid Social Security number lacks enough public records to generate the minimum number of required verification questions (e.g., credit history, property records, vehicle registrations, etc.).
Sometimes this happens if:
- There is not enough personal data to generate the minimum number of required questions.
- All available knowledge-based questions were asked.