If you gave someone specific authorization to act on your behalf in a special power of attorney form and you no longer want that person to have those powers, you must remove them. The procedure is known as revocation. To withdraw a power of attorney, you must write and sign a new document stating that you do not want your agent to act on your behalf any more.

A revocation of power of attorney is a written confirmation that a principal or the person who appointed power in a Power of Attorney no longer wants or needs their attorney-in-fact who is the person who was appointed power in a power of attorney, this can be sometimes called an agent or donor to act on their behalf. 

An attorney-in-fact can continue to lawfully function for the principle until their privileges are officially withdrawn. To revoke a Power of Attorney, the principal can either create a Revocation of Power of Attorney document or create a new Power of Attorney that specifies the old Power of Attorney is revoked.

So long as the principal is competent and the attorney-in-fact is notified, a principal can revoke a Power of Attorney at any time, even if the Power of Attorney has an expiration date. The revocation should also be communicated to third parties (such as a bank or the Land Titles Office).

Furthermore, if the Power of Attorney was registered (that is, submitted with a specific body such as the Land Titles Office), the revocation must be recorded as well. Because circumstances and relationships change over time, it’s a good idea to revisit your financial and healthcare powers of attorney every few years to ensure that your estate planning remains current. In the following circumstances, you should consider revoking your present power of attorney and executing a new one.

21+ Sample Revocation of Power of Attorney

What Is a Revocation of Power of Attorney?

A person can use the power of attorney revocation form to cancel a previously scheduled appointment. The form cancels and terminates the rights of the agents mentioned in the original power of attorney document once it is signed by the principal. Agents, as well as any other individuals, organizations, or agencies that should be notified, should receive notice of the revocation via certified letter. 

A power of attorney (POA) is a legal document that authorizes one person to act on behalf of another (the agent or attorney-in-fact) (the principal). The agent can make legal decisions about the principal’s property, finances, or medical care with extensive or limited legal authority. In the event of a principle’s illness or infirmity, or when the principal is unable to sign relevant legal documents for financial transactions, a power of attorney is routinely employed. 

Revocation of Power of Attorney Forms are legally binding documents that allow a Principal to terminate a Power of Attorney (POA) agreement. Any decision-making authority the Agent has under the terms of the Power of Attorney will be nullified once the document is properly executed. This is because when the Power of Attorney is terminated, the Agent’s legal authority to act on behalf of the Principal is revoked as well. As a result, the revocation essentially terminates the legal relationship between the Principal and the Agent that the Power Of Attorney established.

Reasons For Revoking Your Power of Attorney: 

A Principal may want a Power of Attorney to expire for a variety of reasons. A Principal may seek to terminate a POA for a variety of reasons. 

The Power of Attorney is no longer required: Perhaps the principal can now act on their own, or the Power of Attorney was designed for a specific reason that has already been fulfilled. In both cases, the Power of Attorney is no longer necessary and should be revoked to prevent the attorney-in-fact from making future decisions. The principal’s attorney-in-fact is unfit to represent him: If the attorney-in-fact is found to be untrustworthy or careless, the principal may opt to withdraw the Power of Attorney and appoint someone to operate on their behalf.  The attorney-in-fact is unable to act any longer: If the attorney-in-fact relocates to another nation, it may not be viable or possible for them to continue operating on behalf of the principle. If your attorney-in-fact dies or if you’ve named your spouse as your attorney-in-fact and you divorce, you’ll need to select a new person to handle your affairs. However, in other places, such as Alabama, if your spouse is your attorney-in-fact and you divorce, your Power of Attorney is automatically withdrawn. Return from being deployed overseas as military personnel: if you are returning from being deployed overseas you will be needing to revoke their power of attorney. Your agent is not acting in good faith or is breaching their fiduciary duty: If you can sense that your agent is acting unusually and or is breaching their fiduciary duty, you can revoke your power of attorney with this reason as you have every right to doubt your agent.  If you have a bad experience with your Agent:There may be instances wherein you will have disagreements with your agent to the point where you no longer trust them or to an instance that you are no longer willing to work with them, you can revoke your power of attorney for this. The Principal has reconsidered their opinion: The Principal has decided that the Power Of Attorney is no longer necessary and desires to terminate it. The Principal wants to make a change to the Power Of Attorney: One or more terms of the Power of Attorney are to be changed by the Principal. They must first revoke the old Power Of Attorney and then form a new one in order to do so. The Agent is no longer able to fulfill the contract’s entire duration: There could be a variety of reasons why the Agent is unable to accomplish their responsibilities. They might not have the time, skills, or motivation, for example. Alternatively, their circumstances may no longer allow them to operate as the Principal’s Agent. In any instance, the Principal may revoke the POA for one or more of these reasons. 

How To Create a Revocation Power of Attorney? 

Only the principal has the authority to terminate a power of attorney appointment. Otherwise, if the family believes the agent is abusing their authority, the family court in the county where the appointment was made will have to intervene to have the agent’s authority terminated. The Principal is within their rights to use a Revocation of Power of Attorney form to revoke a Power of Attorney as long as they follow all applicable state regulations. The four (4) steps below will walk you through how to use this form:

1. Obtain a Revocation of Power of Attorney form that is state-compliant.

The Principal must first locate a Revocation of Power of Attorney form that complies with the regulations of their state. Finding a state-specific form rather than a generic one is the best approach to go about it. A resident of Maryland, for example, should look for a Maryland Revocation of POA form, whereas a resident of Wyoming should look for a Wyoming Revocation of POA form. The Principal is welcome to utilize the state-specific forms provided in the list above, or they can obtain the form from a lawyer.

2. Fill in any blanks on the form.

After then, the Principal must work their way through the full form, filling in any blank fields as needed, until it is complete. The Principal will only need to fill out a few fields on most forms, such as their name, the name of their Agent, the name of the state in which they reside, and the date of execution.

3. Take care of any signature needs.

Any signing requirements mentioned in their state’s Power of Attorney legislation must be addressed by the Principal. The benefit of using a state-specific form from the list above is that each state’s form is specifically created to meet these signature requirements. That is, if the signature of a Notary Public and/or a witness is required, the contents of the form will account for it.

4. Notify the Agent and hand over a copy of the form.

The POA is technically regarded to be cancelled after the Revocation of POA form has been completed. In practice, however, the Agent must be notified of the revocation; otherwise, they will be unaware that they are no longer authorized to operate on behalf of the Principal. The Principal may notify the Agent of their intent to withdraw the POA either before or after the Revocation of POA is created. The Principal should notify them as soon as possible if they want to do so afterward. Prolonging this step may result in the Agent continuing to perform their POA duties despite being entirely unaware that the POA has been cancelled. Whether the Principal informs the Agent before or after the execution, it is vital that they provide a completed copy of the Revocation of POA form to the Agent at this time.

FAQs:

Is it necessary for me to explain why I terminated my Power of Attorney?

You are not required to provide an explanation. A principal is simply required to notify their attorney-in-fact of the revocation; they are not required to explain why the attorney-in-powers fact’s were revoked.

Is it possible for a Power of Attorney to be irrevocable?

Powers of Attorney that are irrevocable are uncommon. A Power of Attorney can, however, be “binding,” meaning that the principal’s authority to withdraw it is limited. This is normally accomplished by incorporating a specific sentence into the text. In most cases, a Power of Attorney can be revoked at any time as long as the principal is mentally competent, even if the document specifies a different end date.

Why is it necessary to withdraw a Power of Attorney in writing?

It’s critical to have legal documents in writing as proof of their existence and terms, and a Revocation of Power of Attorney is no exception. Furthermore, third parties (such as a bank or an insurance company) typically require documentation that a Power of Attorney has been revoked, and may enable the attorney-in-fact to continue acting until the revocation is written down.

Why is it necessary to notify an attorney-in-fact of revocation?

The principal’s directions must be followed by the attorney-in-fact. This means that if their powers are removed, they are no longer allowed to act. Furthermore, they may be held accountable for any damages that may arise as a result of their actions. It is critical to notify your attorney-in-fact that the Power of Attorney has been withdrawn and their powers have been removed.

The burden of creating a revocation of power of attorney may be hard or annoying, but by the end of the day it is very important that you file this power of attorney to avoid any problems in the future. Are you looking for templates that you can use for revoking your power of attorney? Then you came to the right place, download now our Revocation of Power of Attorney templates!