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A limited power of attorney (LPOA) is a document granting named powers. Your agent, also called an attorney-in-fact, acts for you only on the tasks, dates or purpose you list. Use the free form below to list the powers you grant and when they end.
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A limited power of attorney (LPOA) is a legal document that lets another person act for you only for the matters, period or purpose you name. Anything you do not list stays with you. You are the principal, and your agent is also called your attorney-in-fact.
Many limited powers of attorney cover one task or one period of time. Say you are traveling abroad and need someone to manage your finances while you are gone. A limited power of attorney lets that person act for you until you return.
When you return, you can revoke the power in writing and tell your agent. Or you can set an end date, and the power ends on its own on the date you choose.
Some states set formalities for the revocation. In South Carolina, unless the power of attorney provides otherwise, a revocation must be executed in accordance with Sections 62-8-105 and 62-8-106, the state's rules for executing a power of attorney (S.C. Code Ann. § 62-8-110). In Indiana, except as the power of attorney states otherwise, it may be revoked only by a written instrument that identifies the power revoked and is signed by you (Ind. Code § 30-5-10-1(a)).
In many states, a power of attorney can also start at a future date or when a future event happens. This is called a springing power of attorney. If you use one, say in the document who decides that the event has happened.
In many states, a power of attorney that is not durable ends if you become incapacitated. Whether yours keeps working depends on its wording and your state's law, so say in the document whether it should continue.
A limited power of attorney can give all or only some of the powers that other powers of attorney can grant. Examples include:
What your agent can actually do depends on the document's wording and on your state's law.
Medical decisions need a separate health care document, such as a health care power of attorney and a living will. The limited power of attorney on this page does not cover them.
A general power of attorney covers many tasks at once, while a limited power of attorney covers only the tasks, dates or purpose you list.
Pick the limited form when you can name the task. A general form fits when you want help with many tasks and are unable to list them all.
Looking for a blank power of attorney form of another type? Our power of attorney forms page lists the other types we offer.
Use a limited power of attorney when a general power of attorney would give your agent more authority than you want. It also fits a task or a period of time with a clear end. Because you write the powers into the form, there is little room for anyone to read in powers you never meant to grant.
Here are a few common situations where it can help to appoint an agent with limited powers:
If your agent will sell real estate for you, the power is usually recorded with the county where the property is. It must also meet that state's rules for the deed.
If you might become incapacitated, for example during a hospital stay or an illness, say in the document whether the power continues, because the default differs by state. In many states, for example Virginia, a power of attorney is durable unless it expressly provides that it is terminated by the incapacity of the principal (Va. Code Ann. § 64.2-1602). In Texas and California, a power needs durability wording to continue (Tex. Est. Code § 751.0021, Cal. Prob. Code § 4124). If you want a power built to keep working then, use the durable POA form instead.
If you want someone to care for your child while you are away, use a child power of attorney instead.
It is also your job to keep the document up to date. Do it when your personal details change or when you want to change the powers you grant.
You can have several limited powers of attorney active at the same time. Each can grant different authority, as long as the powers do not contradict one another. That means several different people can act for you.
| Document Name | Limited Power of Attorney Form |
| Other Names | Special Power of Attorney, Temporary Power of Attorney |
| Avg. Time to Fill Out | 9 minutes |
| # of Fillable Fields | 34 |
| Available Formats | Adobe PDF; Microsoft Word |
To get a limited power of attorney, you pick an agent, choose the powers, fill out the form, sign it and keep copies with the people who will rely on it. If you already have a lawyer, they can draft one suited to your purpose. Otherwise, you can use the limited power of attorney form we provide and customize it yourself with our document builder.
Step 1: Select Your Agent
Choose someone you trust who will be available when the task comes up and who understands it. Name a successor agent in case your first choice is unable to serve. Check your state's page in the State-specific Forms list for any rule on who may serve as an agent.
Step 2: Choose the Powers You're Granting
Next, choose the powers you want to grant. These are often one-time or short-term powers, and you can customize them as exactly as you like.
Keep those powers in mind when you pick your agent, so the person is a good match for your purpose.
Step 3: Fill Out the Limited Power of Attorney Form
Once you have chosen the powers and your attorney-in-fact, fill out the form completely. If your form uses initials, initial every power you grant and none you do not.
Read the form again to be sure it grants no power you do not want to grant.
Step 4: Sign It by Your State's Rules
The last step is to sign the form by your state's rules. The rules differ from state to state:
Check your state's page in the State-specific Forms list for its rules. Even where a notary is optional, banks and county recorders generally want a notarized power of attorney.
Sign every signature line your form includes. Check the form for any line your agent must sign too.
Step 5: Keep the Form Available
Keep copies of your limited power of attorney with you and with your agent.
A power used for real estate is usually recorded with the county. Ask the county recorder what it requires.
The form asks who you and your agent are, which powers you grant, when they start and end, whether you name a successor agent, and for your signature. Fill out each part before you sign. The signing formalities depend on your state, so check them first.
Step 1: Fill Out Personal Information
Fill out your personal information as the principal, including your name and address, as well as your agent's information. The form asks for names and addresses, and you can add other contact details too. Use full legal names.
Step 2: Choose Agent Powers and Authority
Choose the powers you want to grant your agent. Also decide when and how your agent may act on your behalf. You can grant as many powers as you like. Examples include:
Step 3: Fill Out Special Instructions
This section lets you add special instructions or limits on your agent's authority.
Example of a power written into this section: "My agent may sign the papers needed to sell my 2016 Honda Civic and may receive the sale price for me. This power ends on June 30, 2027."
If you leave the end date blank, your agent keeps the powers you list until the power ends another way. In many states, it still ends when you die or when its purpose is accomplished. A power that is not durable also ends if you become incapacitated. If you set an end date, the document becomes ineffective automatically at the end of that period.
Step 4: Choose a Replacement Attorney-in-fact (optional)
A replacement attorney-in-fact, or backup agent, keeps your power of attorney working if your first agent cannot serve. In many states, the power ends when the agent dies, becomes incapacitated or resigns, unless the document names another agent. A named backup closes that gap. It also helps if your first agent cannot be reached in time.
Step 5: Sign the Form and Share Copies
Once your details are ready, sign the form the way your state requires. The rules depend on your state and, in some states, on what the power covers. In New Hampshire, a general power of attorney or a power to convey real estate must be acknowledged before a notary public or another individual authorized by law to take acknowledgments, while any other power of attorney needs only the principal's signature (N.H. Rev. Stat. Ann. § 564-E:105). Check your state's page in the State-specific Forms list.
After signing, share copies:
Each place sets its own signing formalities for a power of attorney, and the Texas, California and Pennsylvania rules below show how far they differ, each with the section that sets it.
| State | Signing rule | Source |
|---|---|---|
| California | The power of attorney is dated and signed, then either acknowledged before a notary public or signed by at least two qualified witnesses. | Cal. Prob. Code § 4121 |
| Pennsylvania | The principal's signature is acknowledged before a notary public, who cannot be the agent, and witnessed by two individuals aged 18 or older. | 20 Pa.C.S. § 5601(b)(3)(ii) |
| Texas | Only for a durable power of attorney: signed by the adult principal, or by another adult at the principal's direction in the principal's conscious presence, and acknowledged before a notary or another officer who can take acknowledgments. | Tex. Est. Code § 751.0021 |
In Pennsylvania, your agent has no authority to act under the power of attorney unless the agent has first signed an acknowledgment and attached it to the power of attorney (20 Pa.C.S. § 5601).
In Texas, a power of attorney is durable only if it says the agent's authority continues despite your later disability or incapacity, for example with the words "This power of attorney is not affected by subsequent disability or incapacity of the principal" (Tex. Est. Code § 751.0021).
When a Texas durable power of attorney is used for a real property transaction with an instrument to be recorded, such as a deed of conveyance or a deed of trust, the power must be recorded with the county clerk where the property is located no later than the 30th day after that instrument is filed for recording (Tex. Est. Code § 751.151).
Check your state's page in the State-specific Forms list for its rules.
To end a limited power of attorney, fill in its end date when you know when the power should expire, or use a POA revocation form whenever you are ready to withdraw it.
Depending on the state, a limited power of attorney ends when:
When you revoke it, tell your agent and every person or business that relied on it. Do this in writing and collect any copies. In many states, a person who acts in good faith without knowing the power ended is protected. If you recorded the power, record the revocation the same way.
These answers cover the questions people ask most about ending, replacing and starting a limited power of attorney. Rules differ by state, so check your state page or ask a lawyer about your case.
Yes, both names describe a power of attorney limited to the matters, period or purpose you name. The form details table above lists special power of attorney and temporary power of attorney as other names for this form.
Only if the form grants banking powers. An agent with a limited power of attorney acts only on the accounts and tasks you list, so name the bank and what the agent may do there. Give a copy to any bank or business that will deal with your agent.
Yes, transferring the title of a vehicle is one of the tasks you can list in this form. If the vehicle is the only task, the vehicle power of attorney is built for it.
Depending on the state, it ends when:
In many states, a spouse-agent's authority also ends when a divorce or legal separation is filed.
In many states, no. A new power of attorney does not cancel an earlier one unless the new document says so. If you mean to replace a power, revoke the old one in writing and say so in the new document.
In many states, it takes effect when you sign it, unless it names a later date or event. A power that starts on a future event is called a springing power of attorney. If you use one, say in the document who decides that the event has happened.
In many states, a person who acts in good faith without knowing the power ended is protected. So tell your agent and everyone holding a copy, in writing. If you recorded the power, record the revocation too.
General information, not legal or tax advice.
