Acting as an attorney under a Continuing Power of Attorney for Property (PoA) for an incapable person or as the Executor of an Estate, can involve considerable time and effort. In recognition of the time spent and the care taken to manage an incapable person’s property, or to administer an Estate, Ontario laws provide that compensation (or an allowance) may be payable.
One way of addressing double compensation is to include specific instructions in your Will and/or Power of Attorney. Designating someone as your attorney under PoA or as your Executor is not an easy task, just as it is not an easy task to act as an attorney or Executor. Taking extra care in planning your Will and Powers ...
1992, c. 30 (“S.D.A.”), a guardian of property or an attorney under a PoA may take compensation annually, monthly or quarterly in accordance with a prescribed fee scale.
While compensation may be available to attorneys under Power of Attorney and Executors, it is by no means guaranteed. The work done by an attorney or an Executor has to warrant compensation, and the quantum of compensation, if any, can change accordingly.
It is important to note, however, that being an attorney under PoA or an Executor does not guarantee compensation. In the 2013 case, Aber Estate, 2013 ONSC 6363, Justice Carole Brown confirmed that the Court, in considering compensation, must be satisfied that compensating the guardian of property or the attorney under PoA based on the prescribed fee schedule would be fair and reasonable. This is the same governing principle that exists in determining an Executor’s compensation.
Furthermore, the fee scale is subject to any specific instructions with respect to compensation that may be contained in the PoA document itself. An Executor for an Estate may also receive compensation. Unlike the compensation for attorneys under POA, there is no prescribed fee scale set out in the legislation.
Unlike the compensation for attorneys under POA, there is no prescribed fee scale set out in the legislation. Instead, section 61 of the Trustee Act, R.S.O. 1990, c. T.23, simply states that “ [a] Trustee, guardian or personal representative is entitled to such fair and reasonable allowance for the care, pains and trouble, ...
An ongoing list of all compensation taken by the attorney or guardian, if any, including the amount, date and method of calculation; A list of the assets and value of each, used to calculate the attorney’s or guardian’s care and management fee.
An attorney for property must act in the best interest of the incapable person and keep proper records.
The Office of the Children’s Lawyer. A judgment creditor of the grantor or incapable person. Any other person, with leave of the court. In reference to number 6, case law that states such leave shall be granted sparingly, with some evidence of misconduct ( Groh v Steele 2017 ONSC 3625).
30 (SDA) provides: “A guardian of property or attorney under a continuing power of attorney may take annual compensation from the property in accordance with the prescribed fee scale .” [emphasis added]
A passing of accounts is where an attorney for property would present their accounts in the presentation of formal accounts to the court and ask for the court to approve their accounting. It is like a court audit of your accounts. It is brought by way of application.
In Rodney and Ian Hull’s book, Macdonell, Sheard and Hull on Probate Practice, they state that the court can only deprive the executor of compensation for exceptional misconduct. If the neglects are not dishonest the executor cannot be deprived; however, the amount of compensation received might be influenced.
Therefore, an attorney for property does not need to pass their accounts to take compensation, unlike an estate trustee.
A power of attorney is nothing more than a special kind of legal document that grants someone else the legal authority to act on your behalf. A power of attorney is not a job, a position or a career. Rather, it describes the relationship between two people. Some powers of attorney include payments or salaries, while others do not. Talk to a lawyer in your state if you need legal advice about how powers of attorney work and your state's requirements.
The attorney-in-fact's powers are determined by the type of power of attorney you grant, and can be very broad or very limited. Once you grant person power of attorney, that person becomes your attorney-in-fact, but that does not mean the person is a lawyer. The title "attorney-in-fact," "agent," or "power of attorney" only means ...
Self-Payments. While some agents receive a salary or payment from the principal in consideration for performing the duties of a power of attorney, all agents are limited in what they can do with the principal's property. If, for example, you grant your agent the right to handle your finances, the agent cannot use your money for his own financial ...
Whether an attorney-in-fact receives compensation is entirely up to the principal. If, for example, you grant your child health care power of attorney in case you get ill and want someone to interact with your physicians for you, no payments or salary are usually involved. On the other hand, if you appoint your attorney to look after your affairs by granting her power of attorney over your finances, the attorney probably won't do so unless you pay her a salary.
Most Agents will charge on an hourly basis, but there are occasions where they will charge on a flat fee amount on a monthly basis. I most commonly see hourly rates for family members acting as Agent in the $20.00 to $40.00 range.
Typically, a son or daughter will be the person acting as Agent under a power of attorney document on behalf of their parents. Before setting a fee structure, an Agent should know that there are two groups that could bring payment complaints. They are: The children and beneficiaries of the incapacitated person.
If the incapacitated person ultimately needs long term care and a Medicaid application becomes necessary, the PA DHS reviewing agent might question if the POA is truly being “paid” or if this is actually a “gift” that would render the applicant ineligible for Medicaid.
Overall, a hard working Agent deserves payment. They have day-to-day decisions, worries and obligations that others cannot understand unless they have been in that position. Others might think the Agent just drops by a couple of times a week to check on the incapacitated person. In reality, there can be endless hours of dealing with the care facility, the doctors and staff, financial institutions, bill payments and the general ups and downs of the health and mental state of the incapacitated person. This can be an exhausting a thankless job that can limit a person’s ability to work and care for their own family. Monetary payment may be necessary to allow someone to properly perform the necessary jobs under the POA. In the end, other family members should be thankful that someone has taken on the responsibility of handling the incapacitated person’s affairs.
Power of Attorney works by allowing someone to make important decisions on your behalf, should you become incapacitated or medically unable to do so. The purpose of officially nominating a POA is to ensure that someone can act on your behalf in a timely manner should they ever need to. Without a POA, your family will typically have to go to court to appoint a guardian to handle these duties.
A Power of Attorney, often referred to as the Agent, has the right to make important life decisions on behalf of the person who nominated them, referred to as the Principal. Here are just some of the power of attorney duties:
After all, this allows someone to make medical, financial, and other important life decisions on your behalf in the event you are unable to do so. It is important to choose someone you trust for the role, and for them to accept the responsibility.
A Power of Attorney can transfer money to themselves if it is outlined in the original agreement or when the POA is acting in the Principal’s best interest. Unfortunately, situations do happen where a POA takes advantage of their legal rights by transferring funds beyond what is specified to themselves. In these cases, POA can be revoked and legal action can be taken by the Principal or a family member.
The POA cannot be officially nominated unless the Principal is of sound body and mind.
The POA cannot distribute inheritances or transfer assets after the death of the Principal.
The POA cannot act outside of the Principal’s best interest.