September 24, 2020

If you intend to appoint another person to serve as your attorney in fact or agent for health care, it can be confusing to determine what they should be paid. In most cases the people who are appointed in these roles are family members or friends and serve as your health care power of attorney without being expected to be paid for their services.

This is true of legal and financial matters handled under durable powers of attorney as well. In certain situations, however, you might appoint a different person in the role of power of attorney, such as an accountant or a lawyer, in which case those professionals would charge for their time.

This is because these professionals would be hesitant to take on the time consuming responsibilities of a personal nature so you might be able to agree on an hourly rate or even something that seems less like employment, such as making a donation to their favorite charity if your friend or family member is interested in serving as your POA agent.

If you are serving as a power of attorney for someone else, make sure you have a conversation first about whether you will be paid for this role or not. It’s critical to understand this especially if the person that is creating the POA has a long list of tasks you’ll need to manage in the event they become incapacitated.

For more questions about who should be considered as an ideal attorney in fact or power of attorney agent, sit down with your estate planning lawyer to discuss your current documentation and to ensure it aligns with your needs.  At our NJ power of attorney client meetings, we help our clients understand what is involved in crafting this document and in choosing someone to serve as your attorney in fact.