Start a Connecticut Power of Attorney (POA) form now to appoint a trusted individual to manage your estate, act for you professionally, or make medical decisions on your behalf.
Last Update April 26th, 2023
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- Types of Power of Attorney in Connecticut
- How to Get a Power of Attorney in Connecticut
- Connecticut Power of Attorney Requirements
- Connecticut Power of Attorney Sample
- FAQs About Connecticut Power of Attorney Forms
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Types of Power of Attorney in Connecticut
There’s more than one type of Power of Attorney in Connecticut and selecting the correct variant can be critical. Each kind offers different types of powers to an Attorney-in-Fact (also known as an Agent). Therefore, you must create the right class of document, in order for your POA to work as intended.
There are many types of POA that can be used in CT to appoint an Agent to make decisions and to manage essential financial and/or medical responsibilities for a principal.
The most common variants available in Connecticut include the following examples:
Durable: Durable Power of Attorney documents are invaluable tools for individuals planning how their estate will be managed in their old age, or in the event of sudden illness or disability. They allow the Agent to act for the Principal even if they become incapacitated.
Limited: A Limited Power of Attorney allows a Principal to grant time-limited powers to an Agent. This is usually to allow the Agent to complete a one-off task such as signing a contract.
Medical: Medical Power of Attorney is a durable form of POA that allows a Principal to appoint a person to make medical decisions for them if they become incapacitated
Real Estate: Real Estate POAs are specially tailored documents that let Principals grant powers to an Agent for the purposes of managing real estate.
DMV: A DMV POA is a kind of Vehicle Power of Attorney that gives an Agent the authority to transfer ownership of a car or motorbike belonging to the Principal and to manage other issues related to cars and other motor vehicles.
Springing: A springing Power of Attorney is a legal instrument that allows you to appoint and give authority to an Agent when certain criteria are met and specific events occur. These will normally become active when the Principal becomes incapacitated and unable to act for themselves.
Minor Child Power of Attorney: This variety of Power of Attorney allows a Principal to appoint an Agent to take on their legal parental rights for a limited period of time. This could be for work reasons, deployment in the military, or due to an illness.
Tax: A Tax Power of Attorney form enables you to grant authority to an agent to represent you before Connecticut’s tax office.
How to Get a Power of Attorney in Connecticut
A Connecticut Power of Attorney can be filled-in fully online with our step-by-step form completion survey. All you need to do is answer the questions and add in your own information to create a fully complete POA tailored to your necessities.
Alternatively, the task of creating a POA can be left to a lawyer. However, this is usually a more time-consuming and costly process.
Also, some pre-prepared forms for Vehicle POAs can be obtained directly from a Connecticut DMV site. However, it is recommended to seek the help of an attorney in order to fill the document properly.
Connecticut Power of Attorney Requirements
In order to make sure your POA is fully valid upon completion and signing, you must make sure that you follow the right steps to prepare your CT Power of Attorney document before successfully putting it into action.
In 2015, Connecticut adopted the Universal Power of Attorney Act (UPOAA). Public Act No. 15-240 (§ 1-350 (2015))allows you to use your Power of Attorney in other states that have also adopted the UPOAA. Make sure the wording on your document also follows the guidelines of the act.
To do this you will need to meet the following criteria:
Make sure all the details on the form are correct such as names, addresses, dates, and the powers that are to be granted.
The completed form should be signed by both the Agent and Principal.
It is essential that the signing of the document is viewed by 2 witnesses who must also sign the form.
Some POAs must also be acknowledged before a notary public.
In addition to these steps, it is crucial that all the signing parties are legally able to enter into this agreement. This means that they must:
Be over 18 years of age.
Be mentally competent enough to enter into a contractual agreement.
Understand the powers that are being granted.
Lastly, the Agent must be a legal adult or a financial institution with trust powers, a registered place of business within the state and that has the authority to carry out trust business in Connecticut. They should also be someone that the Principal has full confidence in.
Read more about CT Power of Attorneys in the General Statutes of Connecticut.
Connecticut Power of Attorney Sample
Before starting your own CT Power of Attorney, it can help to look over an example document to understand how your final draft will look and what it will say. Simply view our POA sample now to get a feel for how these documents are written and appear once completed.
FAQs About Connecticut Power of Attorney Forms
It is important to have a good understanding of what CT Power of Attorney forms can do before filling in your own. Read through our FAQs below to get a better idea of the key information needed as well as any other special considerations.
What Are Some Uses of a Power of Attorney?
A CT Power of Attorney can be useful in many situations. First and foremost, it allows you to plan for circumstances where you are unable to adequately manage your own affairs. This may be a situation where you’d like to delegate your decision-making capacity in either healthcare or financial affairs to a trusted professional or friend.
These responsibilities include:
Managing your financial affairs
Making medical decisions for you if you are incapacitated
Handling activities for you such as buying or selling property
How to Sign as a Power of Attorney?
Once a Connecticut Power of Attorney is signed and notarized, it can be used by the Agent to carry out duties for the Principal. In order to prove they have the authority to act for the Principal, the Attorney-in-Fact must bring the signed copy of the agreement to the place where they will sign a document on the appointing individual’s behalf.
The Agent must then sign their name on the signature line for the signee and must print their own name next to the name of the Principle on the form. They must also indicate that they are signing on behalf of the Principle as their Power of Attorney.
What is the Difference Between a General and a Durable Power of Attorney?
The big difference between a General Power of Attorney and a Durable Power of Attorney is when the powers can and cannot be used. When you create your Connecticut POA as a General POA, its powers can only be used by the agent until they are withdrawn or the Principal becomes incapacitated.
Durable POAs on the other hand can continue to be used after the Principal is incapacitated. This makes them much better documents for estate planning in later life or to provide for medical necessities.