Free Power of Attorney (POA) Forms

A Power of Attorney (POA) is a legal form that allows you (known as the Principal) to appoint another person -known as the Agent or Attorney-in-Fact- to make decisions on your behalf.

There are also Durable Power of Attorneys to appoint a person to control your finances.

Medical Powers of Attorney, and Advanced Health Care Directives allow you to name a trusted person to oversee your medical care and make healthcare decisions for you if you are unable to do so. 

Power of Attorneys can be modified to allow you to flexibly delegate responsibilities to another person in your absence or incapacity.

Some of these financial responsibilities include:

• Signing contracts

• Buying and selling stocks and bonds

• Managing your real estate investments

• Collecting pensions from the government or military

• Managing commercial transactions

• Making financial gifts to family members and employees

Alternatively, POAs can be used to create contingencies for when you reach advanced age or become incapacitated.

There are many different types of Power of Attorney that an individual can take out. This depends on what you, as the Principal, wish to delegate to your appointed agent. 

In all cases, Power of Attorney forms allow individuals to carefully plan for their future healthcare or financial needs. They enable the Principal to have peace of mind that all their affairs will be managed responsibly if they are unable to give their agreement in person. The most common POAs are listed below. 

Durable (Financial) Power of Attorney

A Durable (Financial) Power of Attorney, permits your appointed Agent to make legal and business decisions for you if you become disabled, incapacitated, or unable to handle these matters on your own. 

Some of these business and legal duties could be carried out for any of the following:

• Handling bank accounts

• Selling property

• Settling claims

• Managing assets

• Signing checks 

• Filing taxes 

• Conducting business

• Executing financial transactions

• Operating business interests

• Purchasing life insurance 

• Hiring professional assistance

• Making gifts

A Durable Financial Power of Attorney also gives an agent power to carry out any financial tasks you wish to be completed. This can include some or all of these duties:

• Managing real estate holdings

• Collecting government payments and benefits

• Buying and selling stocks and bonds

• Signing contracts

• Opening bank accounts

While  “nondurable” powers of attorney are automatically terminated if the individual who made them loses mental capacity, a Durable Power of Attorney remains effective until it is legally revoked or the principal dies. 

This is why the process of conservatorship is so important. You need to make sure you select the correct agent. 

Do you need tips on how to choose an agent? There are plenty of documents available on our website. 

The trusted person you name will be legally allowed to take care of important matters on your behalf, similar to those included in a Power of Attorney, such as paying your bills or managing your investments.

Medical Power of Attorney 

Medical POAs allow your Agent to make healthcare decisions for you if you are incapacitated or unconscious. This allows your wishes regarding your treatment to be respected even if you cannot give your consent due to an accident, injury, or illness.

The person you name to take care of these decisions on your behalf is known as your healthcare agent or proxy. These decisions could include the following: 

• Surgery

• End-of-life care

• Medical treatment options 

• Medication

• Personal care management

Power of Attorney Revocation

A Power of Attorney Revocation is a form that legally nullifies the powers the principal granted to the agent in a POA. The party that will begin this process is typically the principal. 

The Power of Attorney will be immediately annulled once the principal signs this legal revocation document. 

Some reasons for revoking a Power of Attorney include, but are not limited to: 

• Divorce

• The agent no longer wants to carry out their duties

• The agent passes away

• The agent is not acting in the principal’s best interest

Certain states permit a revocation of power to be carried out verbally. However, the majority of states require this process to be made official with the use of a Power of Attorney Revocation document. 

It may also be necessary to have the document notarized for it to be considered valid in some states. 

Springing Power of Attorney

A Springing Power of Attorney gives an agent the power to make financial or medical decisions on your behalf, such as those entrusted by durable and general POAs. However, a Springing POA only comes into effect when certain conditions are met. 

Although this type of document can entrust the same responsibilities given by other POAs, it is conditional, and it remains inactive until the Principal becomes incapacitated. 

Special Power of Attorney

A Special Power of Attorney allows you to appoint an individual to manage a one-off transaction or financial action. With a Special POA, your Attorney-in-Fact will only be able to only manage specific affairs for you for a limited duration. 

Creating a Power of Attorney is a fairly simple process if all parties are in agreement and of sound mind. In many cases, it’s as easy as creating a form and having it signed and notarized (depending on your state’s laws).

When writing a POA, simply follow these steps:

1. Consider the responsibilities you want to delegate: Think very carefully about what your assets are and what will be necessary for your Agent to do.

2. Decide who will be your Agent(s): This should be someone you trust and who you can confidently grant this authority to manage your finances or affairs. You can choose more than one Agent if you wish.

3. Choose what powers the Agent(s) will have: You can either grant them control over all your affairs or pick and choose the exact powers you want them to have.

4. Specify when these powers will begin and end in the future: Normally, Power of Attorney starts as soon as you sign the document, but you can also specify a future date or triggering event for when your Agent can act for you if you wish.

5. Stipulate if you are appointing any Successor Agents: These individuals will be able to take over if one or more Agents cannot serve for any reason.

6. Both you and the Agent(s) should sign the document: The signing of the document may need to be officially witnessed, or you may need to visit a notary public or state official before signing to ensure the final document is valid. These requirements vary from state-to-state.

7. Notarize the signing: To do this, you need to visit a notary public in the state where your document is to take effect. Be aware, however, not every state requires you to perform this step. 

8. Store the document somewhere safe for further use: Your Agent will need to present the completed and signed form whenever they perform one of their appointed duties.

When completed, signed, and notarized, the Agent will then be able to approve transactions, sell a property and handle your assets in your place.

In order to do so, they will need to present the approved form when signing a contract on your behalf and must name both you, the Principal, and themselves as Attorney-in-Fact on the form.

The Power of Attorney form is a legal document that can be acquired either online, from your bank or healthcare provider, or from an Attorney-at-Law, although this option can incur costs. 

The type of Power of Attorney form you choose and where you get it ultimately depends on what your necessities are and how and why you wish to appoint a Power of Attorney. 

LawDistrict allows you to create a Power of Attorney online for free and for a variety of purposes. All you need to do is answer a few questions to design a bespoke POA that can respond to your specific needs.

The generic example below shows what a completed Power of Attorney form normally looks like. This document can’t be used across all states and in all circumstances, however using LawDistrict’s template creation tools, you can build a form that is specific to your necessities.

There are similar legal documents that can further help you choose someone to make decisions regarding your property, health, and finances on your behalf.

Certain documents also exist to give you more control when it comes to creating your POA document. 

These documents include: 

• Medical Power of Attorney

• Power of Attorney Revocation

• Advance Directive

• Durable Power of Attorney 

Revise these legal forms to give yourself further control of your finances, property, and health.