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Washington Power of Attorney

A Washington Power of Attorney (PoA) is a legal document that gives a trusted individual the authority to handle legal matters on your behalf, such as accessing your bank account, selling real estate, and signing contracts.

The person giving control is called the "principal," while the individuals or entities receiving powers are called the "agents." Suitable for residents of Washington, this Power of Attorney is made for use in Clark County, Snohomish County, Spokane County, and in all other counties across the state. All Washington Power of Attorney forms from Rocket Lawyer can be tailored to address your particular circumstances. Creating this official legal document will provide proof to financial institutions and other parties that your chosen agent is legally allowed to act in your interest.

It is fast and easy to give or receive the support you need with a free Washington Power of Attorney template from Rocket Lawyer:

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

This solution, in many cases, will be much more affordable and convenient than hiring your average provider. If needed, you can fill out this PoA on behalf of your spouse or another relative, and then help that person sign after you've drafted it. Please remember that for this document to be valid, the principal must be mentally competent when they sign. In the event that the principal is already incapacitated and unable to make their own decisions, a court-appointed conservatorship could be necessary. When facing such a scenario, it would be important for you to speak to a lawyer.

Every person over 18 years old should have a Power of Attorney. Even though it may be challenging to acknowledge, a day might come when you are not able to manage your day-to-day affairs on your own. There will even be times when you're simply not available. Here are some common circumstances in which a PoA might be helpful:

• You live in a residential care facility and need help managing financial affairs
• You have plans to travel or move out of state temporarily or permanently
• You would like to authorize someone to take legal actions on your behalf if you are legally incompetent or absent
• You are getting older or have limited mobility or declining health

Whether this Washington Power of Attorney is being made as a result of an unexpected emergency or as part of a long-term plan, witnesses and/or notarization can help to protect your agent if their power and authority are challenged.

There are several ways to classify Power of Attorney documents. They are mainly based on when the powers will come into effect, how long they will remain in effect, and what they provide authority over. Often, you'll find them defined in the four buckets below:

• Durable Power of Attorney - Would remain in effect even if you become mentally incompetent or otherwise incapacitated
• Springing Power of Attorney - Would be activated based on certain guidelines
• General Power of Attorney - Would grant broad authority over your affairs
• Special Power of Attorney - Would grant limited powers over specific matters

When making your free Washington Power of Attorney with Rocket Lawyer, you may opt to have the authority begin on a selected date, immediately upon signing, or only when you are not capable. Your Power of Attorney may expire upon your death or on a particular date.

Washington Power of Attorney forms are normally easy to make, but you or your agent may still have questions. Seeking out a lawyer to comment on your Washington Power of Attorney might be relatively time-intensive. An easier and more cost-effective route would be through attorney services at Rocket Lawyer. By becoming a Premium member, you can get your documents reviewed or ask any legal questions. As always, you can rest assured that Rocket Lawyer will be by your side.

The cost of meeting and hiring a legal provider to make a Power of Attorney could be anywhere between two hundred and five hundred dollars. Rocket Lawyer can offer much more protection than most other Power of Attorney template providers that you might encounter elsewhere. As a Rocket Lawyer member, you can get up to a 40% discount when hiring an attorney from our On Call network.

With a membership, you can make edits, download it as a Word document or PDF file, and/or print it. When you are ready to complete your Power of Attorney, it should be signed. Take care to send a copy of your fully signed document to your agent(s), financial institutions, and other impacted parties.

The specific rules and restrictions will vary by state; however, in Washington, your document will need to be signed by a notary public or two witnesses. If your agent(s) will have the ability to manage real estate transactions, the Power of Attorney must be signed by a notary and recorded or filed with the county. As a basic principle, your witness(es) must be 18 years old or older, and no witness should also be your Power of Attorney agent.

See Washington Power of Attorney law: RCW 11.125