This means the power of attorney is effective the day you sign it, but that power continues even if you become incapacitated.
A power of attorney is a powerful contract in which you give another person or persons (not necessarily, and most often not, an attorney) the authority to make legal and financial decisions for you. The person you give the power of attorney to is called your “agent.” Under New York law, any mentally competent person may create a power of attorney. You can also name a “successor agent” who can step in if your first choice agent is unavailable for any reason.
Having a power of attorney in place is important for every adult because if you become incapacitated, you need someone you trust making financial and legal decisions for you. Without a power of attorney, no one can handle your affairs without going to court to be named your guardian and you will have no say as to who that person is. Making important legal plans before incapacity gives you control over who will manage your affairs if you are ever unable to do so for any reason.
In sum, a power of attorney, especially one where gifting power is granted, is an extremely powerful document which can help you and your family enormously in the event of your incapacity, but could also potentially be abused to take your money and assets from you. Changes may occur in this area of law.
A New York durable statutory power of attorney allows a person to hand over powers to their finances to someone else and remains valid during their lifetime. The person giving power (“principal”) can choose to give limited or broad powers to their selected individual (“agent”). The term “durable” is in reference to the form remaining valid ...
“Power of attorney” means a written document, other than a document referred to in section Gen. Oblig. Law § 1501C of this title, by which a principal with capacity designates an agent to act on his or her behalf and includes both a statutory short form power of attorney and a non-statutory power of attorney (Gen.
Make a durable POA in New York so someone can help you with your financial matters if you ever become incapacitated.
You can make several different types of POAs.
For your POA to be valid in New York, it must meet certain requirements.
New York offers a statutory form (a form drafted by the state legislature) with blanks that you can fill out to create your POA. However, statutory forms are often full of legalese, and it's not always apparent how to fill them out.
Legally speaking, you can name any competent adult to serve as your agent. But you'll want to take into account certain practical considerations, such as the person's trustworthiness and geographical location. For more on choosing agents, see What Is a Power of Attorney.
In New York, unless you've explicitly stated otherwise in the document, your durable financial power of attorney takes effect as soon as you've signed it before witnesses and a notary public.
Any power of attorney automatically ends at your death. It also ends if:
(a) Termination of an agent’s authority or of the power of attorney is not effective as to any third party who has not received actual notice of the termination and acts in good faith under the power of attorney. Any action so taken, unless otherwise invalid or unenforceable, shall bind the principal and the principal’s successors in interest. A financial institution is deemed to have actual notice after it has had a reasonable opportunity to act on a written notice of the revocation or termination following receipt of the same at its office where an account is located.
Where a power of attorney has been recorded pursuant to section two hundred ninety-four of the real property law, the principal shall also record the revocation in the office in which the power of attorney is recorded pursuant to section three hundred twenty-six of the real property law, provided the revocation complies with section three hundred seven of the state technology law.
A durable power of attorney that becomes effective at a future time when a certain event occurs. Generally, this event will be when the principal becomes incapacitated and cannot make decisions about property matters. The principal may also specify any other event that will make the power of attorney effective.
No, a third party may not be held legally responsible for claims related to the agent’s use of the power of attorney unless the third party knew or should have known that the power was no longer in effect.
If you become incapacitated and have not appointed an agent, a court may appoint a guardian to make any necessary decisions about your property, and you will have no control over the selection of the guardian.
An agent should be a person whom you trust and believe will handle your property and affairs in your best interest. When you appoint an agent, a legal relationship is created between you, as the principal, and your agent. Your agent has a duty to act in your benefit and best interests in all transactions made under the power of attorney.
The alternate agent (s) should be someone you trust to handle your property and/or financial affairs. By naming an alternate agent, the principal guarantees that if the agent dies or is unable or unwilling to act, the alternate agent can act on the principal’s behalf.
Banks are required by law to honor a power of attorney. Unfortunately, some banks insist on using their own forms, which give the agent authority only over that bank’s accounts. A principal should advise her banks that she has signed a power of attorney in order to verify that it will be honored.
By contrast, the health care proxy allows a designated agent to make medical treatment decisions on behalf of the principal. The health care proxy is always springing, which means that it only goes into effect if the principal becomes mentally incapacitated and is unable to make decisions about medical treatment.