Updated:
This free California general power of attorney form is a financial power of attorney. You, the principal, name an agent, also called an attorney-in-fact, to handle the money matters you choose. The form below has five pages and 41 fillable fields and does not authorize health-care decisions. Fill it out online, or see all California power of attorney forms and our power of attorney guide.
Build Your Document
Answer a few simple questions to make your document in minutes
Save and Print
Save progress and finish on any device, download and print anytime
Sign and Use
Your valid, lawyer-approved document is ready
The form is titled California Financial Power of Attorney. It lets your agent act for you in any lawful way on the subjects you initial. The notice at the top of page 1 says the powers are broad and do not include every power the law allows. It also says you may revoke the document later.
The form lists these powers, each on its own line to initial:
To grant every power, initial only line (N), which covers all of the powers listed above. To withhold a power, leave its line blank.
Pages 2 and 3 also print three special instructions. They cover medical claims and reimbursements, retirement and savings accounts, and digital assets such as email and social-network accounts. They are already part of the form, so there is nothing to fill in there.
Page 4 adds a few pre-printed paragraphs. If you name more than one agent, the form says decisions are made by a majority of the agents. It also says any third party who receives a copy may act under it, and that all prior general powers of attorney you executed are revoked.
The form does not authorize anyone to make medical or other health-care decisions for you. For that, use a California medical power of attorney. Our California durable power of attorney form is a separate document. Under Cal. Prob. Code 4124, a general power of attorney becomes durable when it contains language stating that it is not affected by the subsequent incapacity of the principal, or similar words showing the intent that the authority continues notwithstanding incapacity.[4] For vehicle matters, see the California motor vehicle power of attorney form.
Choose an agent you trust to handle your money carefully. Talk to that person first, and think about their experience with financial matters. People often use a general financial power of attorney when they cannot manage their money matters themselves, for example during a long trip. Our pages on the general power of attorney and the durable power of attorney explain the other types.
The table below summarizes the key details of this California general power of attorney form.
| Document Name | California General Power of Attorney Form |
| Other Name | California Financial Power of Attorney |
| Relevant Laws | California Probate Code, Division 4.5 |
| Where to Record | County Recorder’s Office of the county where the property is located, if a real property transaction needs a recorded copy |
| Pages | 5 |
| Avg. Time to Fill Out | 10 minutes |
| # of Fillable Fields | 41 |
| Available Formats | Adobe PDF |
California powers of attorney are governed by the Probate Code. Probate Code section 4120 provides that a natural person having the capacity to contract may execute a power of attorney.[5] Probate Code section 4121 sets the signing rules for a California power of attorney. Three requirements matter most, and the third one gives you a choice between two ways to finish the signing. Read them before you sign, because the form on this page follows the same order.
California law sets these requirements:
In plain words, you may sign before a notary public instead of signing before witnesses, and the witness route calls for at least two witnesses.[1]
The form on this page takes the notary route. Page 4 holds the principal’s signature and the date, and page 5 holds the acknowledgment that the notary completes. The form has no witness lines. If you are unsure whether your situation calls for witnesses, ask a California lawyer.
A California power of attorney ends in several ways, and Probate Code sections 4151 and 4152 set them out. The principal can revoke it, and it also ends on events such as the death of the principal or of the agent. The form on this page also lets you choose an ending on page 3.
A principal may revoke a power of attorney by following the terms of the power of attorney itself. A principal may also revoke by a writing, and the power of attorney itself cannot limit that method.[2]
Revocation does not bind everyone at once. A termination or suspension is not effective as to an agent or other person who, without actual knowledge or notice of it, acts in good faith under the power of attorney. An attorney-in-fact or third person who has no notice of the revocation is protected from liability as provided in Chapter 5, which starts at Section 4300.[2]
Section 4152 lists the events that end the agent’s authority. They include:
Someone with no notice of an event that terminates the power of attorney or the authority of an attorney-in-fact is protected. An attorney-in-fact or third person in that position is protected from liability as provided in Chapter 5, which starts at Section 4300.[3]
Page 3 of the form lets you pick the ending that fits you. You initial one line, and the steps below explain each choice.
Fill in the form from top to bottom. It has five pages, and the steps below follow its order: your names, the powers, the dates, a successor, your signature and the notary’s acknowledgment. Use the form builder above to type your answers online, or download the PDF and write them by hand.
The screenshots under each step show the FormsPal California general power of attorney template filled with sample entries in blue, so you can see where each answer goes. The names, addresses, dates and amounts are examples only.
After you fill in the form, a few steps make it ready to use. Sign it before a notary, give copies to the people who will rely on it, and ask about recording it if it is used in a real property deal. Follow the steps in this order:
A few small errors cause most trouble with a signed form. Check this list before you meet the notary:
These answers cover signing and ending a California power of attorney. Each answer cites the California Probate Code, and the numbered sources are listed at the end of the page. Check the current law before you rely on any of it.
Not always. The document must be either acknowledged before a notary public or signed by at least two witnesses who satisfy the requirements of section 4122.[1] The form on this page has a notary acknowledgment on page 5 and no witness lines.
Yes. The document must contain the date of its execution.[1] On this form, you fill in the day, month and year on the Signed this line at the bottom of page 4.
Yes, in one case. Another adult may sign in your name, in your presence and at your direction.[1] The other option is that you sign it yourself.
Yes. The agent’s authority terminates on the death of the principal, except as to specific authority permitted by statute to be exercised after the principal’s death.[3] The form on this page has no line about death, so this rule comes from the law and not from a choice you make on the form.
A principal may revoke a power of attorney by following its own terms, and may also revoke by a writing.[2] Page 3 of the form lets you choose how the power of attorney ends. You initial one of these lines:
For more, see our guide to revoking a power of attorney.
The agent’s authority terminates on the death, removal or resignation of the attorney-in-fact. It also terminates on the attorney-in-fact’s incapacity, except that a temporary incapacity only suspends that authority while it lasts.[3] To plan for that, name a successor on page 4 of the form. The Successor Attorney-in-Fact paragraph covers an agent who is unable or unwilling to serve.
A person who acts in good faith without actual knowledge or notice of a termination or suspension is not bound by it.[2] An attorney-in-fact or third person who has no notice is protected from liability as provided in Chapter 5, which starts at Section 4300.[3] This is why a list of everyone who holds a copy is worth keeping.
General information, not legal or tax advice.
Unless noted otherwise, the sources below are from the California Probate Code, published by the California Legislative Information.
