Pennsylvania Power of Attorney Form Requirements

Pennsylvania does not publish a single "official" power of attorney form. What it publishes — at 20 Pa.C.S. § 5601(c) and § 5601(d) — are two blocks of statutory language that must appear in any valid POA: the Notice to the principal and the Acknowledgment by the agent. Leave either out, or paraphrase them, and your document will be rejected.

The Notice block

The Notice is a plain-English warning to the principal about what they are giving up. It must appear at the beginning of the POA, in capital letters, and the principal must sign it separately from the rest of the document. The language is fixed by statute — copy it verbatim, not from a template that "updated" it.

The Acknowledgment block

Before an agent can act under a Pennsylvania POA, they must sign the statutory Acknowledgment confirming they understand their fiduciary duties: to act in the principal's best interest, keep records, and avoid conflicts. Banks routinely demand to see a signed Acknowledgment before honoring the POA.

Execution formalities

• Principal signs in front of two adult witnesses and a notary
• Witnesses cannot be the agent, the notary, or someone signing for the principal
• The notary's acknowledgment must reference Pennsylvania law

Why generic online forms fail

Most national POA templates were drafted to a "lowest common denominator" — they include neither the PA Notice nor the PA Acknowledgment, and their witness rules don't match Chapter 56. Pennsylvania banks have well-developed compliance protocols and will refuse them. For background on the 2014 overhaul, see our Pennsylvania power of attorney 2025 guide.