A Pennsylvania limited power of attorney is a written document in which you, the principal, name an agent (also called an attorney-in-fact) to act for you on specific tasks only. Use this free Pennsylvania limited power of attorney form to list those tasks and name your agent. It is narrower than a general power of attorney. In Pennsylvania the principal's signature must be acknowledged before a notary public.[1]
Create a personalized Pennsylvania Limited Power of Attorney Form online now!
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
Download the Pennsylvania Limited Power of Attorney:PDForWord (.docx)orOpenDocument (.odt)
Pennsylvania Limited Power of Attorney Requirements
A Pennsylvania power of attorney must be dated and signed by the principal, and the signature must be acknowledged before a notary public. It must also begin with a notice in capital letters that the principal signs.[1] Chapter 56 of Title 20 of the Pennsylvania Consolidated Statutes sets these rules. The sections below take them one at a time.
Section 5601 of the 20 Pa.C.S. sets four requirements for the document itself:
Date. The power of attorney must be dated.
Signature. The principal signs by signature or mark. If the principal is unable to sign but specifically directs another individual to sign, that individual may sign on the principal's behalf and at the principal's direction.
Notice. The document begins with the statutory notice in capital letters, and the principal signs that notice.
Acknowledgment. The signature must be acknowledged before a notary public or other individual authorized by law to take acknowledgments.[1]
The notice rule does not reach every kind of power of attorney. The statute exempts commercial-transaction powers, powers coupled with an interest, stock transfer powers, entity governing documents and warrants of attorney.[1]
Section 5601 puts the acknowledgment rule this way:
For a power of attorney executed on or after the effective date of this paragraph, the signature or mark of the principal, or the signature of another individual signing a power of attorney on behalf of and at the direction of the principal, shall be: acknowledged before a notary public or other individual authorized by law to take acknowledgments.
The FormsPal template follows this order. The notice and its signature line are on page 1, and the notary acknowledgment is on page 4.
Pennsylvania Limited Power of Attorney Form Details
How to Fill Out the Pennsylvania Limited Power of Attorney Form
To fill out this form, work through it in order, starting with the notice on page 1. You name the principal and the agent, list the tasks, and set the dates. The form is available as a PDF download and as an online builder through the buttons above, and you can also fill in the downloaded PDF with our online PDF editor.
The screenshots under each step show the FormsPal Pennsylvania limited 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.
Sign the notice (page 1). Read the capitalized notice at the top of page 1. Then sign on the (PRINCIPAL) line and write the date on the (DATE) line beside it.Step 1: sample entries, not a real document.
Name the principal and the agent (page 2). In the appointment paragraph, enter your name and address, then the agent's name and address, in the blanks marked (name), (address) and (agent's name).Step 2: sample entries, not a real document.
Describe the limited purpose(s) (page 2). On the lines under limited purpose(s), write each task the agent may handle. Keep every purpose narrow, because the form limits the agent's powers to these purposes. The Special Instructions paragraph below the lines repeats that limit and has nothing to fill in.Step 3: sample entries, not a real document.
Choose the effective date (page 2). Initial one line only. Pick either effective immediately or effective on a date. If you pick a date, fill in the day and the year.Step 4: sample entries, not a real document.
Choose how it ends (page 2). Under Termination Date, initial one option in total. The first option, at the bottom of page 2, ends the power of attorney when you have signed a written revocation. The other options continue at the top of page 3.Step 5: sample entries, not a real document.
Finish the termination options and name a successor (page 3). To end the power of attorney on a date, initial that line and write the date and year. To end it when you are determined to be incapacitated, as the form defines it, initial that line instead. Then, under Successor Attorney-in-Fact, enter the agent's name and the alternate agent's name and address.Step 6: sample entries, not a real document.
Date and sign the form (page 3). Fill in the day, month and year on the Signed this line. Then sign above (signature) and print your name below it. Do this with the notary, since the acknowledgment follows on page 4.Step 7: sample entries, not a real document.
Fill in the notary acknowledgment (page 4). Page 4 opens with State of Pennsylvania and a County line. Enter the county, the date, the name and title of the officer, and your name as the person who appeared. Complete this block with the notary.Step 8: sample entries, not a real document.
Notary signature and seal (page 4). The notary or other officer signs the Signature line and places the seal. This line is the officer's, not yours.Step 9: sample entries, not a real document.
Witness lines (page 5). Page 5 has two witness blocks. Each witness signs and prints a name, address and date in a separate block.Step 10: sample entries, not a real document.
Agent acknowledgment: name (page 5). In the agent's paragraph, the agent writes their own name in the blank after I.Step 11: sample entries, not a real document.
Agent acknowledgment: signature and date (page 5). The agent signs on the (Agent) line and writes the date, after reading the paragraph.Step 12: sample entries, not a real document.
Successor agent acknowledgment: name (page 6). On page 6, the successor agent writes their own name in the blank after I.Step 13: sample entries, not a real document.
Successor agent acknowledgment: signature and date (page 6). The successor agent signs on the (Agent) line and writes the date.Step 14: sample entries, not a real document.
Name each task on its own purpose line and be specific about what it covers, such as one account, one piece of property or one transaction. A short, specific list is easier for your agent and for anyone who relies on the document to follow.
How to Sign and Use the Pennsylvania Limited Power of Attorney
To put a Pennsylvania limited power of attorney in place, print the completed form and sign it before a notary public, who completes the notary acknowledgment on page 4.[1] Then share copies with the people who will rely on it. The notary acknowledgment is required, and the steps below cover what to do before, during and after the signing.
Read the form first. Read the notice on page 1 and the whole form so you know which powers you are giving. If anything is unclear, ask a lawyer of your own choosing.
Arrange the signing. Bring a notary public to the signing. The witness rules are in the questions below, so check them before you set the date.
Sign and date. Sign and date the form where it asks. Then complete the notary acknowledgment together with the notary.
Pass the form to your agent. The agent completes the agent acknowledgment on page 5. The questions below explain what the statute says about it.
Share copies. Give copies of the signed form to your agent, any successor agent, and the banks, offices or people who ask for proof of the agent's authority. Page 3 of the form says that any third party who receives a copy may act under it.
Keep the original safe. Store it where you and your agent can find it.
Tell people if it ends. If you later end the power of attorney, tell your agent and every person who relies on it. The next section explains how it can end.
Need a different document? These are the other types of power of attorney in Pennsylvania on FormsPal:
When a Pennsylvania Limited Power of Attorney Ends
A Pennsylvania limited power of attorney terminates when the principal dies.[2] The law protects people who act in good faith before they learn of the death. This section also covers the principal's incapacity and a divorce filing between the principal and a spouse who is named as agent.
Death of the Principal
Section 5605 of the 20 Pa.C.S. covers a written power of attorney, durable or otherwise. The principal's death does not revoke or terminate the agency as to an agent or other person who meets both of these conditions:
The person acts in good faith under the power.
The person has no actual knowledge of the principal's death.[2]
Incapacity of the Principal
Incapacity does not always end the agent's authority. Suppose the power of attorney is not durable. The principal's disability or incapacity then does not revoke or terminate it as to a person who acts in good faith under it. That protection requires that the person has no actual knowledge of the disability or incapacity.[2]
The FormsPal template also lets you choose to end the power of attorney when you are determined to be incapacitated, as the form defines it. That is an option you initial on page 3, so initial it only if you want it.
Divorce When a Spouse Is the Agent
Suppose a principal names a spouse as agent, and then either spouse files an action in divorce. The designation of the spouse as agent is revoked as of the time the action was filed. The exception is a power of attorney that shows the designation was meant to survive such an event.[2]
Frequently Asked Questions
These answers cover who may notarize the document, when witnesses are needed, and what an agent signs before acting. Each answer comes from the Pennsylvania statute named in the Sources section at the end of this page.
Can my agent be the notary for a Pennsylvania limited power of attorney?
No. The notary public or other individual authorized by law to take acknowledgments may not be the agent designated in the power of attorney.[1]
When does a Pennsylvania limited power of attorney need witnesses?
The principal's signature or mark, or the signature of another individual signing on behalf of and at the direction of the principal, must be witnessed by two individuals, each of whom is 18 years of age or older.[1] The FormsPal template has two witness blocks on page 5.
Who cannot act as a witness?
A witness may not be any of these people:
The individual who signed the power of attorney on behalf of and at the direction of the principal.
The agent designated in the power of attorney.
The notary public or other person authorized by law to take acknowledgments before whom the power of attorney is acknowledged.[1]
What must an agent sign before acting under a Pennsylvania limited power of attorney?
An agent has no authority to act as agent under the power of attorney unless the agent has first executed and affixed to the power of attorney an acknowledgment.[1] The FormsPal template includes an agent acknowledgment on page 5 and a successor agent acknowledgment on page 6.
General information, not legal or tax advice.
Create a personalized Pennsylvania Limited Power of Attorney Form online now!
Sources
Unless noted otherwise, the sources below are from the 20 Pa.C.S.
Mara has been practicing estate planning and trust law in California since 2003, taking pride in helping clients of all backgrounds and asset profiles form a complete and customized estate plan. Her specialties are: estate planning, wills and trusts, trust and probate administration.
