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Michigan Power of Attorney

A Michigan Power of Attorney (PoA) is a legal document that grants a selected person the authority to handle legal matters on your behalf, such as buying or selling real estate, signing contracts, and accessing your bank account(s).

The individual giving control is known as the "principal," while the individuals or organizations gaining authority are called the "agents" or "attorneys-in-fact. Designed for Michigan residents, our Power of Attorney is made for use in Washtenaw County, Kent County, Genesee County, and in every other part of the state. All Michigan Power of Attorney forms from Rocket Lawyer can be completely personalized for your specific circumstances. Making this essential document will provide proof to financial institutions and other parties that your representative can sign documents or take other actions for you.

It is fast and simple to grant or receive the authority you need using a free Michigan Power of Attorney template from Rocket Lawyer:

1. Make the PoA - Answer a few general questions and we will do the rest
2. Send or share - Discuss the document with your agent(s) or ask a lawyer
3. Sign it - Required or not, notarization and witnesses are recommended

This solution will often be notably less expensive than finding and working with your average law firm. If needed, you may start a PoA on behalf of your spouse, an elderly parent, or another family member, and then have them sign it after you've drafted it. Please note that for a PoA form to be valid, the principal must be mentally competent when they sign. If the principal has already been declared incompetent, a court-appointed conservatorship could be required. When dealing with such a scenario, it would be best to work with an attorney.

If you are over 18 years old, you should have a Power of Attorney. Even though it is tough to acknowledge, there might come a time when you aren't able to make legal decisions on your own. There may even be times when you're merely not available. Here are a few common situations where power of attorney would be helpful:

• You currently live in a residential care facility and need help managing financial affairs
• You intend to travel or live out of state temporarily or permanently
• You wish to give someone the ability to manage certain financial or legal issues in your absence or if you are not well
• You are aging or dealing with ongoing health issues or limited mobility

Regardless of whether your Michigan Power of Attorney has been produced in response to an unexpected issue or as part of a long-term plan, witnesses and/or notarization can often help to protect your agent if their privileges are disputed by a third party.

There are multiple ways to classify Power of Attorney documents. They are primarily dependent on what powers are being given, when they will come into effect, and how long they will be valid. Frequently, you'll see them separated into these four buckets:

• General Power of Attorney - Would grant broad authority over your affairs
• Special Power of Attorney - Would grant a limited scope of powers over selected affairs
• Durable Power of Attorney - Would remain in effect even when you become mentally incompetent or incapacitated
• Springing Power of Attorney - Would be activated based on certain events or criteria

When generating your free Michigan Power of Attorney, you may opt to have the agent's authority begin upon signing, on a desired day, or only when you're not capable. The Power of Attorney may expire upon your death or on a particular date.

Michigan Power of Attorney forms are usually simple to make, but you or your agent(s) could have questions. Getting a second opinion on the document could take longer than you expect if you try to do it by yourself. Another approach would be through the Rocket Lawyer On Call^® network. Rocket Lawyer Premium members can ask for feedback from an experienced lawyer or ask additional questions. As always, you can live confidently with Rocket Lawyer by your side.

The cost of hiring a legal provider to make a Power of Attorney can total between $200 and $500, based on your location. Rocket Lawyer is not your average Power of Attorney template website. With our service, anyone under a Rocket Lawyer membership can take advantage of up to a 40% discount when hiring an attorney from our network.

With a membership, you will be able to make edits, save it as a Word or PDF document, and/or print it out. To make your Power of Attorney truly legal, you must sign it. Be sure to send a final copy of the fully signed document to your agent(s) and financial institutions.

The guidelines governing PoA forms will vary in each state; however, in Michigan, if the agent is tasked with handling affairs related to minor children or to real estate, then the document requires notarization or the signatures of two witnesses. The same is true for powers that are intended to persist even if the principal is incapacitated. If your agent(s) will have the authority to engage in real estate transactions, the Power of Attorney will need to be acknowledged by a notary and filed or recorded with the county. Finally, as a basic standard, your witness(es) will need to not be under the age of 18, and no witness should also be named as your Power of Attorney agent.

See Michigan Power of Attorney law: 386-1998-V-5