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Download power of attorney form in Microsoft Word format.
Grant Permissions to Your Loved Ones with a Free Power of Attorney Form
Do you need to grant either temporary or permanent power of attorney to another individual? There are many ways you can do this, but perhaps the most affordable method is to use a free power of attorney form. Although the name may sound intimidating, granting power of attorney is really a very simple process, and usually requires no legal assistance whatsoever. With a free power of attorney form you can grant all the same permissions and rights as you could do with one drafted by an attorney-at-law, saving you money and time in this very important process. In this article we will explain what power of attorney means, and introduce you to the different types of free forms you can use to get started.
Free Power of Attorney Form: About Power of Attorney
According to a very popular legal dictionary, power of attorney is defined in this way:
“Power of attorney is an instrument containing an authorization for one to act as the agent of the principal that terminates upon revocation by the principal or death of the principal or the agent.”
What this legal “mumbo-jumbo” is really saying is that power of attorney is a tool through which one individual (the principal) can grant limited or extensive permissions to another individual (the agent) for handling the principal’s affairs and/or decisions until the principal dies. There are power of attorney documents that limit an agent’s responsibilities to tasks such as banking and financial affairs, as well as documents that grant the agent permission to make medical decisions. Some are more general than that, affording the agent extensive permissions and responsibilities, and there is even a type that will remain in effect even after the principal becomes mentally incompetent or incapacitated.
While there are rare instances in which a person would grant power of attorney to another when they are traveling, and thus unable to see to their financial responsibilities, most power of attorney documents are drafted when a person becomes too ill or frail to conduct their own affairs. By using this document, the principal can assure that these affairs will be handled by someone they trust, rather than by an agent of the state.
Free Power of Attorney Form: The Different Types
• Health Care Power of Attorney. This type of free power of attorney form gives the agent permission to make decisions only as it relates to health care. This includes consenting to medical treatment and procedures, and even making decisions regarding life support.
• Financial Power of Attorney. With this limited power of attorney the agent would typically take care of all matters financial, and nothing else. This includes banking, real estate transactions, taxes, operating a business and all other financial decisions.
• General Power of Attorney. This form typically grants an agent extensive power to conduct both the financial affairs and make medical decisions as they relate to the principal. Only those privileges that are omitted from the agreement will be disallowed under this type of agreement.
• Durable Power of Attorney. When durable power of attorney is granted it can apply to any of the limited or general powers of attorney. This provision states that the power of attorney will remain in effect even after the principal has been declared incompetent by a doctor. This is an important clause, because without it, the agreement would cease to be valid when the principal is no longer able to make their own decisions.
With a free power of attorney form you can construct your agreement any way you wish—limited or general—as long as that agreement adheres to the legal requirements put forth by your state or region.