Alaska Power of Attorney

An Alaska power of attorney names an agent to handle your money and property while you are alive. The statutory form works by checkmark: your agent gets only the lettered powers you mark Yes, you sign in front of a notary, and you decide whether the power survives your incapacity. The form does not make that choice for you.

This guide follows the Alaska statutory form power of attorney that the Alaska Court System points adults to from its Powers of Attorney self-help page. The form and its directions sit in a booklet the Court System hosts, written by Alaska Legal Services Corporation and dated January 2017. The booklet says it "reflects changes in the law that became effective in January 2017," and the form cites AS 13.26.600, 13.26.625 to 13.26.640, and 13.26.655 to 13.26.695. Every rule below comes from that form, its directions, or a Court System page or court form, read on September 28, 2026. We did not quote the Alaska Statutes themselves, so where a rule lives only in the statute, this page says so rather than guessing.

One boundary matters before anything else. A power of attorney is a lifetime tool. Once someone has died, the estate moves into the Superior Court's probate process, covered in the Alaska probate guide.

The Short Answers

Here is the Alaska form in one table, with the part of the form or the page each answer comes from.

Durability Is a Choice You Mark

Some states make a power of attorney durable automatically. The Alaska statutory form does not work that way. It asks you to decide, in three short sections the form groups under the heading "Durable Power of Attorney Options."

Section 5 sets the start date. You mark one line:

• "This document shall become effective upon the date of my signature."
• "This document shall become effective upon the date of my incapacity and shall not otherwise be affected by my incapacity."

Section 6 applies only if the power starts when you sign. You then mark one of two lines:

• "This document shall not be affected by my subsequent incapacity."
• "This document shall be revoked by my subsequent incapacity."

The first line makes the power durable. The booklet explains it plainly: "A durable power of attorney remains effective in the event you become incapacitated."

Section 7 lets you add an end date. You write in the month, day, and year the power stops. The form warns that if you want a durable power, you should not limit its term. The directions say the same thing: skip Section 7 if you want the power to be durable or to start only on disability.

Here is the practical takeaway. If you want an agent who can still pay your bills after a stroke or a dementia diagnosis, mark the first line in Section 6 and leave Section 7 blank. What Alaska law does with a power that says nothing at all about incapacity is set by statute, which this page could not quote. The form is built so you never leave that question open.

Springing Powers and the Incapacity Affidavit

The second line in Section 5 creates what the booklet calls "a 'springing' power of attorney." Your agent has no authority until you become incapacitated.

Section 9 of the form adds one requirement for that kind of power: "the incapacity of the principal is established by an affidavit, as required by law." The form does not name who signs the affidavit. That detail sits in the statute, so ask the lawyer or the bank that will rely on the document what affidavit they expect before you choose this option.

Next, weigh the tradeoff. A springing power keeps an agent from acting early. It also adds a paperwork step at the moment your family is under the most pressure. A power that starts on signing and is marked durable avoids that step, so choose it only if you trust the agent to wait until you need help.

Signing: A Notary, No Witnesses

The booklet's directions are short: "The Power of Attorney must be signed in front of a notary and sealed by him or her."

The signature block matches. It closes with "In Witness Whereof, I have hereunto signed my name," the principal's signature line, and an acknowledgment for the notary headed "State of Alaska" with a blank for the judicial district. The notary fills in the place and date and signs as "officer or notary." There are no lines for witnesses.

Someone else can sign for you, with two conditions printed on the form:

1. The person signing at your request "may not be a person who is appointed an agent in the power of attorney."
2. A second signature line and a second notary acknowledgment must be completed, showing that person's name, printed name, and form of identification.

The form also has an optional translation clause. A translator can certify that they translated the form from English into another language to the best of their ability.

After signing, the directions say to give the original to your agent, give copies to the people who will need them, and keep a copy yourself.

Naming One Agent or Two

Section 1 names your agent, with room for a second agent. The booklet stresses trust: your agent "may sell your house or withdraw money from your accounts," and "there will be no oversight of your agent by a judge regarding the decisions he or she makes."

If you name two agents, Section 2 requires a choice. You mark either:

• "Each agent may exercise the powers conferred separately, without the consent of any other agent," or
• "All agents shall exercise the powers conferred jointly, with the consent of all other agents."

The booklet steers people away from joint agents when one lives outside Alaska, because both would have to sign all the paperwork for a house sale. Its advice is that appointing only one agent is simpler.

An alternate agent goes in optional Section 10. If your agent "is unable or unwilling to serve or continue to serve," the alternate serves "with the same powers." Name one. The booklet lists the reasons an agent drops out: a move out of state, death, or becoming unable to do the job.

The Fourteen Lettered Powers

Section 3 is the heart of the form. It lists the categories below, each with a Yes box. The form states the rule directly: "If you do not mark a box opposite a category, your agent or agents will not have the power in that category."

Section 1 of the form says each category is "defined in AS 13.26.665." The booklet points readers to that section, or to an attorney, for what each letter covers. Two categories stand out against other states' forms: (J), personal relationships and affairs, and (M), voter registration and absentee ballot requests.

Let's break down how people use this table. A broad financial power marks (A) through (N). A narrow power, say for selling one truck while you work on the North Slope, skips the letters and writes the task into (O), then adds an end date in Section 7.

Eight Acts That Need Their Own Mark

Marking every category still leaves out eight acts. Section 4, "Grant of Specific Authority," says your agent "WILL NOT have the power to do any of the following acts UNLESS you MARK the box opposite that category":

1. Create, amend, revoke, or terminate an inter vivos trust
2. Make a gift, subject to the limitations of AS 13.26.665(q) and any special instructions in the power of attorney
3. Create or change a beneficiary designation
4. Revoke a transfer on death deed made under AS 13.48
5. Create or change rights of survivorship
6. Delegate authority granted under the power of attorney
7. Waive the principal's right to be a beneficiary of a joint and survivor annuity, including a survivor benefit under a retirement plan
8. Exercise fiduciary powers that the principal has the authority to delegate

Each of these can move property away from the people your will or trust names. That is why the form makes you opt in. Item 4 ties directly to Alaska's deed law: if you signed a transfer on death deed, your agent cannot undo it unless you mark that box. The gift limits in AS 13.26.665(q) are referenced on the form but not printed there, so read them with an attorney before you grant gifting power.

What Banks and Other Third Parties Must Do

Section 9, "Notice to Third Parties," needs no action from you. It tells the people your agent deals with where they stand.

• Reliance is protected. A third party who relies on the reasonable representations of an agent about a power granted by a properly executed statutory form power of attorney "does not incur any liability" to you or your heirs for letting the agent act.
• Refusal carries risk. A third party who fails to honor a properly executed statutory form power of attorney "may be liable to the principal, the agent, the principal's heirs, assigns, or estate for civil penalty, plus damages, costs, and fees."

The form states no deadline for a bank to accept the document and no list of acceptable reasons to refuse. If a bank balks, the words "properly executed statutory form" matter. Using the form as written, notarized, is the surest way to fall inside that protection.

Health Care Is a Separate Document

The Alaska power of attorney form does not cover medical decisions. The booklet says so twice, and Section 12 of the form only asks you to mark whether you have signed "a separate declaration under AS 13.52 known as an 'Alaska Advance Health Care Directive.'"

The booklet recommends completing both documents. For the health care side, see the Alaska advance health care directive guide, because the health care agent is a different document with its own signing rules.

How to Revoke It

The Court System puts the rule in one line on its Alternatives to Conservatorship page: "The person who has granted the power of attorney may revoke it at any time. The court is not involved." The booklet adds that you must be mentally competent to do so.

There are four routes.

1. Sign a new power of attorney. Section 8 of the form: "Unless otherwise provided in this document, you may revoke all the powers granted in this power of attorney by completing a subsequent power of attorney." You can also cancel one specific power by completing a special power of attorney that names it. So before you sign a second power of attorney, decide whether the first one should keep working, and say so in the new document.
2. Destroy the original, then complete a new power if you want a different agent.
3. Sign a Notice of Revocation, which the booklet describes as "a brief notarized statement revoking the old Power of Attorney." Send it to the agent by first class mail, return receipt requested, and give it to everyone who received the old power. If the old power was used for real estate, the booklet suggests recording the notice with a state Recorder's Office. Alaska's Recorder's Office serves 34 recording districts.
4. Ask a court to cancel it in a financial-abuse case. Court form PG-850 explains that in a petition for an order of protection from financial abuse (form PG-800), "You can ask the judge to cancel or change any power of attorney that currently exists." The form says there is no charge for filing that petition, and it cites AS 13.26.450 to .455.

What ends a power automatically, beyond your own election in Section 6 and an end date in Section 7, is set by statute. This page could not quote those termination rules, so do not assume that divorce or another event cancels an agent's authority. Revoke in writing if you want it ended.

Power of Attorney or Conservatorship

The Alaska Court System lists a power of attorney first among the alternatives to conservatorship for adults, alongside a supported decision-making agreement, a representative payee, a financial order of protection, and a court order for a single transaction. Three points from its pages decide whether a power of attorney will work:

• You need capacity to sign one. "The person granting the power of attorney must have capacity to make that decision and there is no court oversight." If that moment has passed, a family has to look at guardianship and conservatorship planning instead.
• A guardianship outranks it. The Court System's adult guardianship page says "A guardianship generally takes priority over a power of attorney."
• Social Security needs a payee. "Guardians and conservators and a Power of Attorney cannot manage Social Security funds without also becoming a representative payee." An agent who will handle Social Security benefits has to apply to the Social Security Administration separately.

Section 11 of the form lets you nominate the person you want considered if a court ever appoints a guardian or conservator for you. The booklet notes you may name the same person as your agent.

A Power of Attorney for a Child

Parents use a different document. Court form PG-701, "Power of Attorney Over a Minor by Parent or Guardian," delegates parental powers under AS 13.26.020 and 13.26.066.

• A non-military parent's delegation lasts no more than one year.
• A military parent under AS 13.26.066(d) can delegate for up to one year or the term of active duty plus 30 days, whichever is longer.
• The parent can revoke it at any time.
• It cannot include consent to the child's marriage or adoption, an abortion, or the termination of parental rights.
• The parent signs before a notary, and the person accepting the powers signs a notarized acceptance.

The Court System's page says you do not file this form in court. You give it to the person caring for the child and keep a copy.

Digital Accounts and Real Estate

Online banking, email, and cloud storage raise their own access questions. See digital accounts under a POA for how Alaska handles an agent's access.

For land, category (A) covers real estate transactions. Whether a power used to sell Alaska property must itself be recorded is a statute question this page could not quote. Ask the title company handling the sale early, since it will set the paperwork it needs.

Where the Power of Attorney Fits

A power of attorney covers your lifetime. A will, a trust, and beneficiary designations cover what happens after. See the other planning documents for how the pieces fit, and the Alaska revocable living trust guide if you want a successor trustee to manage property without a court case.

When to Talk With an Alaska Attorney

The booklet notes that the law allows you to fill out this form on your own. Talk with an attorney when:

• You plan to mark any of the eight Section 4 acts, especially gifts or trust changes
• You want a springing power and need to know who signs the incapacity affidavit
• You own a business, land in several recording districts, or property outside Alaska
• You are planning for long-term care costs or benefits eligibility
• An agent, a bank, or a family member already disputes a document

The booklet names two starting points: the Alaska Bar Association's Lawyer Referral Service, and Alaska Legal Services Corporation, which may be able to help people who cannot afford an attorney or are 60 or older.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is an Alaska power of attorney durable?

Only if you choose that. On the Alaska statutory form, a power that takes effect when you sign asks you to mark one of two lines in Section 6: the document shall not be affected by your later incapacity, or it shall be revoked by your later incapacity. Mark the first line for a durable power, and leave the Section 7 end date blank. A springing power, which starts on your incapacity, is written to continue through it.

Does an Alaska power of attorney have to be notarized?

Yes, on the statutory form. The directions in the booklet the Alaska Court System links say the power of attorney must be signed in front of a notary and sealed by the notary. The form ends with an acknowledgment block for an officer or notary and has no witness lines.

Can someone else sign an Alaska power of attorney for me?

Yes, if you ask them to, with two limits printed on the form. The person signing for you may not be someone you appoint as an agent in that power of attorney, and a separate signature line and notary acknowledgment for that person must also be filled in, with the signer's printed name and form of identification.

If I name two agents in Alaska, can one act alone?

That depends on the box you mark. Section 2 of the Alaska form requires you to choose: each agent may act separately without the other's consent, or all agents must act jointly with the consent of the others. The booklet warns that joint agents both have to sign every paper, which gets hard when one lives outside Alaska.

Which powers need their own checkmark on the Alaska form?

Two sets. First, each of the lettered categories (A) through (N) in Section 3 is granted only if you mark Yes beside it. Second, Section 4 lists eight acts your agent cannot do unless you mark them, including making a gift, creating or changing a beneficiary designation, creating or changing rights of survivorship, changing a living trust, and revoking a transfer on death deed made under AS 13.48.

How do I revoke an Alaska power of attorney?

You may revoke it at any time while you are mentally competent, and the court is not involved. The form says a later power of attorney revokes the earlier one unless the document provides otherwise. The booklet also suggests destroying the original or signing a short notarized Notice of Revocation, sending it to the agent by first class mail with return receipt requested, and recording it with a state Recorder's Office if the old power was used for real estate.

Does an Alaska power of attorney cover health care decisions?

No. The Alaska statutory form power of attorney does not cover health care decisions. Alaska handles those in a separate Alaska Advance Health Care Directive under AS 13.52, and Section 12 of the power of attorney form only records whether you have signed one.

Related Guides

• Alaska estate planning covers the full document set and how the pieces fit together.
• Alaska advance health care directive covers the health care agent, a different document from this one.
• Alaska guardianship planning covers an alternative to conservatorship and what happens when there is no power of attorney.
• Alaska digital assets covers online accounts during life and after death.
• Alaska transfer on death deed covers the deed your agent cannot revoke without a Section 4 mark.
• Alaska probate guide covers what the Superior Court does after a death.

Sources:

• Title: Power of Attorney (booklet and Alaska statutory form power of attorney). Publisher: Alaska Legal Services Corporation, hosted by the Alaska Court System. Publication Date: January 2017. URL: https://courts.alaska.gov/shc/family/docs/poa-booklet.pdf
• Title: Powers of Attorney. Publisher: Alaska Court System, Self-Help Services. Publication Date: Not listed. URL: https://courts.alaska.gov/shc/family/poa.htm
• Title: Alternatives to Conservatorship for Adults. Publisher: Alaska Court System, Self-Help Services. Publication Date: Not listed. URL: https://courts.alaska.gov/shc/guardian-conservator/conservatorship-alt.htm
• Title: Adult Guardianship - Background Information. Publisher: Alaska Court System, Self-Help Services. Publication Date: Not listed. URL: https://courts.alaska.gov/shc/guardian-conservator/guardianship.htm
• Title: Power of Attorney Over a Minor by Parent or Guardian, form PG-701 (AS 13.26.020 and 13.26.066). Publisher: Alaska Court System. Publication Date: October 2018 (form revision 10/18). URL: https://public.courts.alaska.gov/web/forms/docs/pg-701.pdf
• Title: How to Get an Order of Protection From Financial Abuse, form PG-850 (AS 13.26.450-.455). Publisher: Alaska Court System. Publication Date: February 2017 (form revision 2/17). URL: https://public.courts.alaska.gov/web/forms/docs/pg-850.pdf
• Title: Recording District List. Publisher: Alaska Department of Natural Resources, Recorder's Office. Publication Date: Not listed. URL: https://dnr.alaska.gov/ssd/recoff/distlist

It is not legal advice.