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A Wisconsin limited power of attorney lets an agent handle named tasks. Under Wis. Stat. § 244.05, the principal signs it, or an individual 18 years of age or older signs the principal's name at the principal's express direction and in the principal's physical presence. The form serves principals needing one job done, especially while out of state.
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A limited power of attorney in Wisconsin gives an agent authority over specific tasks that the principal writes on the form, and nothing beyond them. The same document is also called a Wisconsin special power of attorney. The principal is the person granting authority, and the agent, also called the attorney-in-fact, is the person acting for them.
The purpose lines set the scope. Naming each task in plain words keeps the agent's role narrow and easy for a bank, buyer or title company to read. Typical tasks include:
| Document name | Wisconsin Limited Power of Attorney Form |
| Other name | Wisconsin Special Power of Attorney |
| Governing law | Uniform Power of Attorney for Finances and Property Act (Wisconsin) |
| Parties | Principal, agent, alternate agent |
A limited power of attorney differs from a general one in the breadth of authority: it covers the tasks on its purpose lines, while a general power of attorney covers a broad range of matters. The limited form fits one job or a short list of jobs.
Wisconsin also publishes a statutory form power of attorney for finances and property in Wis. Stat. § 244.61. On that form, the agent has powers only regarding the subjects initialed on the form, such as real property, banks and other financial institutions, or taxes. A principal who wants wide financial authority uses that form or a general power of attorney instead of a limited one. More options sit on our Wisconsin power of attorney forms page.
A limited power of attorney for finances and property does not replace the two Wisconsin documents built for health care and for children.
The form holds seven parts: the principal, the agent, the limited purposes, the effective date, the termination date, the alternate agent and the signature with its acknowledgment. Each part answers one question a third party asks before relying on the agent.
The purpose lines are the heart of the document: they name each task the agent may handle. A printed special instructions sentence follows the lines. Vague wording, such as "handle my affairs", turns a limited grant into an unclear one.
A power of attorney is effective when executed unless the principal provides in it that it becomes effective at a future date or upon a future event or contingency (Wis. Stat. § 244.09(1)). The form's effective date option records that choice: immediate effect, or a written start date.
The termination options set when the agent's authority stops: on a signed written revocation, on a written date, or on the principal's incapacity. The incapacity option matters, because a power of attorney under chapter 244 is durable unless it expressly provides that it is terminated by the incapacity of the principal (Wis. Stat. § 244.04). A power of attorney terminates on the principal's incapacity only if the document so provides (Wis. Stat. § 244.10).
The alternate agent keeps the document working if the first agent cannot act. Under Wis. Stat. § 244.10, a power of attorney terminates when the agent dies, becomes incapacitated or resigns, if the power of attorney does not provide for another agent to act. Naming an alternate agent avoids that gap.
The form fills out in eight steps, one part of the form at a time, in the order the pages print them.
The screenshots under each step show the FormsPal Wisconsin 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.
Principal and agent
Enter the principal's full name and current address. Then enter the name and address of the person appointed as agent (attorney-in-fact).
Limited purposes and special instructions
Write each task for the agent on the purpose lines, such as selling one property or managing one account. The special instructions sentence below the lines is already printed on the form.
Effective date
Initial one option. Choose immediate effect, or write in the date the power of attorney starts.
Termination date
Initial one option. The first option ends the power of attorney when the principal signs a written revocation. The date and incapacity options continue on page 2.
Remaining termination options and successor agent
Initial the date option or the incapacity option if you chose one, and write in any date. Then enter the agent's name, the alternate agent's name and the alternate agent's address.
Date and sign
Write the day, month and year, sign on the signature line and print the principal's name below it.
Acknowledgment
Fill in the county, the date, the officer's name and title, and the principal's name in the acknowledgment on page 3.
Officer signature and seal
Leave the signature line at the bottom of page 3 blank for the officer who takes the acknowledgment.
Write the names of the principal and the agent exactly as they appear on their photo IDs, and use the same spelling everywhere in the document.
Common mistakes: Writing vague purpose lines, skipping the initials on an option, or spelling a name differently on each page.
The document is executed by the principal's signature, or by an individual 18 years of age or older who signs the principal's name at the principal's express direction and in the principal's physical presence, as Wis. Stat. § 244.05 provides. The signature is presumed genuine if the principal makes an acknowledgment before a notarial officer authorized under ch. 140 to take acknowledgments (Wis. Stat. § 244.05).
Wisconsin offers a remote route: the signature is also presumed genuine if the signing is witnessed by 2 witnesses via simultaneous remote appearance by 2-way, real-time audiovisual communication technology, when all of these conditions hold (Wis. Stat. § 244.05):
A limited power of attorney ends on the first termination event that occurs, and Wis. Stat. § 244.10 lists those events. For a limited form, the most common one is that the task is finished. The power of attorney terminates when:
The agent's authority ends on its own when an action is filed for the dissolution or annulment of the agent's marriage to the principal or their legal separation, unless the power of attorney otherwise provides (Wis. Stat. § 244.10). The same rule applies when the domestic partnership of the principal and agent under ch. 770 is terminated, unless the power of attorney otherwise provides (Wis. Stat. § 244.10).
Termination of an agent's authority or of a power of attorney is not effective as to the agent or another person that, without actual knowledge of the termination, acts in good faith under the power of attorney (Wis. Stat. § 244.10). A principal who revokes the document tells the agent and every bank or office that holds a copy.
The agent accepts the appointment by acting under it: except as otherwise provided in the power of attorney, a person accepts appointment as an agent by exercising authority or performing duties as an agent, or by any other conduct indicating acceptance (Wis. Stat. § 244.13). The agent works only on the tasks the purpose lines name.
A third party may ask the agent to confirm the power of attorney is still in force. Wis. Stat. § 244.62 provides an optional agent's certification form for that, signed by the agent under penalty of perjury and acknowledged before a notary.
Notarization gives the signature legal weight: under Wis. Stat. § 244.05, the signature is presumed genuine if the principal acknowledges the power of attorney before a notarial officer. The form's acknowledgment on page 3 is built for that step.
Witnesses appear in Wis. Stat. § 244.05 for a remote signing: 2 witnesses by real-time audiovisual technology, if a Wisconsin attorney supervises and the other conditions of that section are met. A health care power of attorney is different, since Wis. Stat. § 155.10 has it signed in the presence of 2 witnesses who meet the requirements of that section.
Yes, unless the document says otherwise: a power of attorney under chapter 244 is durable unless it expressly provides that it is terminated by the incapacity of the principal (Wis. Stat. § 244.04). The form's incapacity option is the place to say so.
Revocation by the principal terminates the power of attorney under Wis. Stat. § 244.10, and the form's first termination option uses a signed written revocation. Notice matters, because the termination is not effective as to a person who acts in good faith without actual knowledge of it (Wis. Stat. § 244.10).
No, not by itself: the execution of a power of attorney does not revoke one previously executed unless the new power of attorney provides that the previous one, or all others, are revoked (Wis. Stat. § 244.10).
No. A limited power of attorney under chapter 244 deals with finances and property, and health care decisions belong in a power of attorney for health care instrument under Wis. Stat. § 155.10.
General information, not legal or tax advice.
