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New Jersey Power of Attorney

A New Jersey Power of Attorney (PoA) is a legal document that grants a trusted individual permission to handle legal and financial affairs for you, such as signing contracts, buying or selling property, accessing your bank account.

The individual granting permission is called the "principal," and the individual or organization receiving powers is known as the "agent." Suitable for New Jersey residents, our Power of Attorney is made for use in Essex County, Bergen County, Middlesex County, and in every other county or municipality throughout the state. All New Jersey Power of Attorney forms from Rocket Lawyer can be modified for your particular scenario. Creating this official document provides verification to financial institutions and other parties that your representative can sign documents or take other actions for you when you are not present or able.

It's fast and easy to give or receive the support you may need with a free New Jersey Power of Attorney template from Rocket Lawyer:

1. Make the PoA - Provide a few details and we will do the rest
2. Send or share - Review it with your agent(s) or ask a legal question
3. Sign it - Mandatory or not, witnesses/notarization are a best practice

This method, in many cases, will end up being notably less expensive than hiring and working with a traditional provider. If needed, you may start this PoA on behalf of your spouse or another family member, and then have that person sign it after you've drafted it. Keep in mind that for a PoA form to be accepted as legally valid, the principal must be mentally competent when they sign. If the principal has already been declared incompetent, a conservatorship generally will be necessary. In this scenario, it's a good idea to talk to an attorney.

Anyone who is over 18 should have a Power of Attorney. Though it can be difficult to think about, a day might come when you aren't able to make your own legal decisions. There may even be times when you're simply out of pocket. Common circumstances in which a PoA would be useful include:

• You would like to authorize a trusted person to take legal actions or make decisions on your behalf in the event that you are absent or incapacitated
• You currently live in a residential care facility and need help managing financial affairs
• You are aging or have limited mobility or declining health
• You live abroad or out of state

Regardless of whether your New Jersey Power of Attorney has been created as a result of an emergency or as part of a forward-looking plan, notarization and witnesses can often help to protect your agent if their privileges and authority are doubted.

PoA documents can be classified in several different ways. They are mainly dependent on what powers will be given, when they will come into effect, and how long they will remain valid. Often, you'll find them separated into four groups:

• Durable Power of Attorney - Would remain in effect even if you become incapacitated
• Springing Power of Attorney - Would come into effect based on certain criteria
• General Power of Attorney - Would grant broad authority over your affairs
• Special Power of Attorney - Would grant limited powers over selected matters

When creating your free New Jersey Power of Attorney, you may opt to have the agent's authority begin immediately, on a selected day, or only when you're not capable. The Power of Attorney may expire either on a particular date or when you pass away.

New Jersey Power of Attorney forms are generally easy to make, but you or your agent(s) might still need advice. Hiring a legal professional to check your New Jersey Power of Attorney may be expensive. An easier and more cost-effective way to get a second pair of eyes on your document would be through the Rocket Lawyer On Call^® network. When you become a Premium member, you can get your document looked at by an experienced attorney. As always, Rocket Lawyer is here to help.

The fees associated with hiring and working with a lawyer to draft a Power of Attorney might range between $200 and $500. Rocket Lawyer isn't a run-of-the-mill Power of Attorney template website. With our service, anyone under a Premium membership can take advantage of up to a 40% discount when hiring an On Call attorney.

Alongside each Power of Attorney form, there's a checklist of next steps you can take after your document is completed. Feel free to try any of the following actions with your PoA: making edits, downloading it in PDF format or as a Word document, printing it, or signing it. Finally, you should send a final copy of your fully signed document to your agent(s) and financial institutions.

The specific guidelines and restrictions vary by state; however, in New Jersey, your document will typically need to be notarized. One witness is required if you intend to give an agent authority related to real estate and two witnesses are required when you grant authority over a child. If your agent will handle real estate transactions, the Power of Attorney will need to be acknowledged by a notary and recorded with the county. Finally, as a basic principle, witnesses will need to not be under 18 years old, and none of them should simultaneously be your Power of Attorney agent.

See New Jersey Power of Attorney law: Chapter 46:2B