A general power of attorney form is drafted by someone to give the authority to act on his or her behalf to someone else. The PRINCIPAL, or person signing the general power of attorney form, gives the ATTORNEY-IN-FACT, or the person receiving general power of attorney, the power to act as their agent and make decisions for them.
General power of attorney grants the attorney-in-fact broad powers over the principal’s welfare, both financially and physically. The attorney-in-fact will be able to make all of the financial, medical, health care, legal and business decisions normally made by the principal.
Create a General Power of Attorney
With a general power of attorney, you give a trusted agent the ability to take care of all of your affairs in case you are not able to do so. Your agent will be able to sign legal documents, pay your bills, have access to bank accounts, choose health care needs, pretty much anything that has to do with your well-being.
A general POA will remain in effect until the principal can no longer think for themselves. Your general power of attorney automatically terminates if you become mentally disabled. You will need a durable power of attorney if you want your POA to remain in effect through incapacitation.
How to Fill Out a General Power of Attorney Form
When filling out a general power of attorney form, you will start by entering the full legal name and address of the PRINCIPAL, or person giving general power of attorney. Next, you will enter the full legal name and address of the ATTORNEY-IN-FACT, or person receiving general power of attorney.
Then, the general power of attorney form should be dated, the state and county information input and the witnesses will need to sign the document. The PRINCIPAL will then sign and date the general power of attorney form in the presence of a notary public.
Finally, your notary public will sign and seal the form to execute your general power of attorney. Once signed and sealed by the notary, your general POA is legal and valid in all fifty states. Make sure to keep your original document in a safe place where your family can find it and give a copy to your agent.
State Identified General Power of Attorney Forms
Get started on a free general power of attorney form in minutes online. Choose your state identified general POA form from our database below:
- Alabama General POA Form
- Alaska General POA Form
- Arizona General POA Form
- Arkansas General POA Form
- California General POA Form
- Colorado General POA Form
- Connecticut General POA Form
- Delaware General POA Form
- Florida General POA Form
- Georgia General POA Form
- Hawaii General POA Form
- Idaho General POA Form
- Illinois General POA Form
- Indiana General POA Form
- Iowa General POA Form
- Kansas General POA Form
- Kentucky General POA Form
- Louisiana General POA Form
- Maine General POA Form
- Maryland General POA Form
- Massachusetts General POA Form
- Michigan General POA Form
- Minnesota General POA Form
- Mississippi General POA Form
- Missouri General POA Form
- Montana General POA Form
- Nebraska General POA Form
- Nevada General POA Form
- New Hampshire General POA Form
- New Jersey General POA Form
- New Mexico General POA Form
- New York General POA Form
- North Carolina General POA Form
- North Dakota General POA Form
- Ohio General POA Form
- Oklahoma General POA Form
- Oregon General POA Form
- Pennsylvania General POA Form
- Rhode Island General POA Form
- South Carolina General POA Form
- South Dakota General POA Form
- Tennessee General POA Form
- Texas General POA Form
- Utah General POA Form
- Vermont General POA Form
- Virginia General POA Form
- Washington General POA Form
- West Virginia General POA Form
- Wisconsin General POA Form
- Wyoming General POA Form
Sample General Power of Attorney Form
Our sample general power of attorney form has all of the basic information needed for the principal to give power of attorney to his or her agent. You can cut and paste this general POA form to a word document or PDF and change it to fit your needs. Feel free to add any information to the form that you deem necessary.
GENERAL POWER OF ATTORNEY SAMPLE
LET IT BE KNOWN, that______________________________________has made and appointed, and by these presents does make and appoint_______________________________________________ true and lawful attorney for him/her and in his/her name, place and stead, giving and granting to said attorney, general, full and unlimited power and authority to do and perform all and every act and thing whatsoever requisite necessary to be done in and about the premises as fully, to all intents and purposes, as could be done if personally present, with full power of substitution and revocation, hereby ratifying and confirming all that said attorney shall lawfully do or cause to be done by virtue hereof.
IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I have hereunto set my hand and seal this _______ day of _______________________, 19____.
Signed, sealed and delivered in the presence of:
______________________________
Witness
______________________________
Witness
State of _____________________
County of ____________________
The foregoing instrument was acknowledged by me this ______ day of _____________, 19 ____ by:_______________________________ who is/are personally known by me or who has/have produced:
___________________________ as identification and who did not take an oath.
________________________________ SEAL
Notary Public
State of:
My Commission Expires:__________
Do I Need a Lawyer to Create a General Power of Attorney?
No, you don’t need to hire a lawyer just to create a general power of attorney form. You can create a general power of attorney for free with ease. Just download and print a general POA form online and complete the document yourself.
However, if you have specific issues that you do not know how to address – and many people do – a generic general power of attorney form may not be good enough. If you are unsure of what you are doing, we highly suggest you consult a licensed attorney before you draft and execute a general power of attorney form.
