Free California Durable Power of Attorney Form

The California durable power of attorney form is a legal form used when the creator of the form wants to assign somebody else to act on their behalf. The particular kind of power of attorney form that we discuss here relates specifically to financial matters. It means that the durable power of attorney form would not extend its legal power to other decisions, such as health-related decisions or any affairs that the creator has not defined explicitly.

When a power of attorney form is termed “durable,” as opposed to a general power of attorney, for example, it means that the form retains its power, or even specifically comes into effect, when the creator is incapacitated. A general power of attorney form usually terminates upon death or incapacitation, and this is why you may prefer filling out a durable power of attorney form instead.

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One More Term

There is another term that you need to know before signing a durable power of attorney form. The person you appoint to act on your behalf in your power of attorney form would be called an “agent” or “attorney-in-fact” in the document.

There are different reasons why somebody may want to sign a durable power of attorney form and assign an agent. Having a durable power of attorney is especially useful in case you become incapacitated because then the family does not need to go through a court process to take care of your financial matters for you. Make sure that you name someone you deeply trust as your agent, preferably someone who is a beneficiary in your will.

Before you proceed to create your power of attorney, you need to decide what specific matters you want it to cover, when a power of attorney is applied, and who will be your attorney-in-fact. Remember that you need to make sure that a notary public confirms the signing of the power of attorney form or that at least two witnesses are present at the moment of signing, and they have acknowledged it.

A power of attorney in California usually lasts six years. When you want to extend the duration of your power of attorney, you will need to submit the form again.

California Signing Requirements and Laws

According to the California Probate Code (Division 4.5, Part 2, Chapter 4), there are several requirements that a valid power of attorney form needs to meet. These are the following:

  • A power of attorney needs to include the date of its execution.
  • The “principal” (the person who delegates the power to act on their behalf) has signed the form, or somebody else has done it on their behalf in their presence and in their direction.
  • A power of attorney needs to be acknowledged by a notary public or signed by at least two witnesses.

It needs to be clarified that any of the witnesses cannot be the attorney-in-fact, and they should be adults. Another detail to pay attention to is how you fill out the form if you want to create a durable power of attorney form so that your attorney-in-fact can act on your behalf in relation to financial matters in case you have become incapacitated. You will need to state explicitly in the form that a power of attorney will not be affected by your incapacity. You could also specifically request that a power of attorney come into power when you become incapacitated. This should be reflected in the written form in the document as well. If you do not state explicitly that a power of attorney applies only when you become incapacitated, the form will take effect immediately.

Categories

Always think in advance what kind of powers you want to delegate to your attorney-in-fact. These are just some of the examples of the categories of transactions that they can take care of for you:

  • Real property
  • Personal property
  • Stock
  • Banking
  • Insurance
  • Benefits from different sources
  • Tax matters

California Durable Power of Attorney Form Details

Document Name California Durable Power of Attorney Form
Other Names California Financial Durable Power of Attorney, CA DPOA
Relevant Laws California Probate Code, Division 4.5
Signing Requirements Notary Public OR Two Witnesses
Avg. Time to Fill Out 10 minutes
# of Fillable Fields 37
Available Formats Adobe PDF

Popular Local Durable POA Forms

DPOA docs are among the most commonly used ones within the USA. Here are some of the most requested durable power of attorney papers.

Steps to Complete the Form

To complete the form easily and fast, use our form building software. You will need to go through the following steps:

1. Read the form

Before you start signing the form, read the notice, and make sure that you understand what powers the form will grant to your attorney-in-fact.

2. State your name and address

Put your name and address in the appropriate space in the form.

Part for inserting name and address of California durable power of attorney form

3. State who your agent will be

Name the person who will be your attorney-in-fact. Put their name and address in the form. The form allows you to have more than one person as your agent.

Agent appointment section of dpoa template for California

4. Initial the lines that refer to specific powers you want to delegate

Carefully read how to initial the appropriate lines. You may just initial one line if you want to delegate all of the powers or initial what specific powers you are willing to delegate. Think it through in advance.

Specific powers part of a California durable power of attorney document

5. Leave additional instructions

You can write down special instructions if needed.

Additional instructions part of California dpoa form

6. Indicate how a power of attorney will be applied if you have two agents

In case you are delegating the powers to more than one person, indicate how they should act.

7. Sign the form

Sign the form and put in the date.

Information about case with two agents of a durable power of attorney template for California

8. Let the notary public or your witnesses sign the form

Depending on who is going to confirm that you have signed the form, give the form to them to fill out.

Signing part of a form of durable poa for California

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Published: Aug 2, 2022