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Missouri Power of Attorney

A Missouri Power of Attorney (PoA) is a legal document that gives a selected individual the authority to handle legal matters on your behalf, such as signing contracts, buying or selling property, accessing accounts.

The individual giving permission is called the "principal," while the individual or organization obtaining authority is known as the "agent." Suitable for Missouri residents, our Power of Attorney is made for use in Jefferson County, St. Louis County, Clay County, and in all other parts of the state. All Missouri Power of Attorney forms from Rocket Lawyer can be fully customized to address your particular situation. Making this official document provides confirmation to financial institutions and other parties that your selected representative(s) can act in your interest when you are not present or able.

It's fast and simple to give or receive the support you need using a free Missouri Power of Attorney template from Rocket Lawyer:

1. Make the PoA - Answer a few basic questions and we will do the rest
2. Send and share - Look over it with your agent or seek legal help
3. Sign and make it legal - Required or not, notarization/witnesses are a best practice

This solution, in many cases, would be much less time-consuming than hiring and working with a conventional attorney. If necessary, you can start a PoA on behalf of an elderly parent, a spouse, or another family member, and then have them sign when ready. Please remember that for a Power of Attorney to be accepted as valid, the principal must be mentally competent at the time of signing. If the principal is already incapacitated and unable to make their own decisions, a conservatorship might be required. When dealing with such a situation, it's a good idea to speak with an attorney.

Every person over 18 should have a Power of Attorney. While it's challenging to acknowledge, a time may come when you are no longer able to make your own legal decisions. There may even be times when you're merely unavailable. Here are a few common situations where power of attorney would be useful:

• You have plans to move out of your home and into a residential care facility
• You are preparing to travel or move abroad temporarily or permanently
• You would like to give a trusted person power to take legal actions or make decisions on your behalf if you become legally incompetent or incapacitated
• You are aging or have limited mobility or declining health

Whether this Missouri Power of Attorney is being prepared as part of a forward-looking plan or produced in response to an urgent issue, witnesses and notarization are highly recommended as a best practice for protecting your agent if their authority is doubted.

Power of Attorney documents can be classified in multiple ways. They are largely based on what powers are being given, when they will come into effect, and how long they will remain in effect. Often, you will see them organized into four groups:

• Springing Power of Attorney - Is activated based on certain guidelines
• Durable Power of Attorney - Remains valid even when you become incapacitated
• Special Power of Attorney - Grants limited authority over specific matters
• General Power of Attorney - Grants a broad scope of powers over your affairs

When generating your free Missouri Power of Attorney with Rocket Lawyer, you can elect to have the agent's authority start upon signing, on a desired date, or only at the point when you're no longer capable. Your Power of Attorney may end upon your death or on a particular date.

Missouri Power of Attorney forms are normally straightforward, but you or your agent(s) could have legal questions. Finding a legal professional to proofread your Missouri Power of Attorney might be time-intensive and fairly costly. A more cost-effective alternative is to request help from attorney services at Rocket Lawyer. By signing up for a Premium membership, you can get your documents reviewed or send any questions. As always, you can rest assured that Rocket Lawyer will be here to support you.

The cost of hiring a law firm to write a Power of Attorney can add up to anywhere from $200 to $500. When you use Rocket Lawyer, you are not just filling out a Power of Attorney template. In case you ever require support from a lawyer, your membership offers up to a 40% discount when you hire an attorney.

Alongside your Power of Attorney, there is a series of instructions that you'll need to follow to finalize the document. With a membership, you can edit it, download it as a Word document or PDF file, print it, or sign it. Finally, take care to provide a final copy of your fully signed document to your agent(s), financial institutions, and other impacted parties.

The specific requirements governing PoA forms vary by state; however, in Missouri, if the agent will have real estate or child-related responsibilities, or if you would like the agent's authority to remain in effect if/when you are incapacitated, then notarization will be required. Two witnesses are required in order to grant real estate powers and recommended for all other situations. If your agent(s) will manage real estate transactions, the Power of Attorney must be signed before a notary public and filed or recorded with the county. Finally, as a basic rule, your witness(es) should not be under the age of 18, and no witness should also be named as your agent.

See Missouri Power of Attorney law: § 404.703