Power of Attorney & Advance Directives
Durable POA, healthcare POA, advance directives, HIPAA release — Five Wishes, Stanford Letter Project, state-specific free forms.
The "if I'm alive but can't decide" set: financial POA, healthcare POA, advance directive (living will), HIPAA release. Most are available as free state-specific forms from your state attorney general or hospital system; Five Wishes is the most-used standardized advance directive. For the will set see Wills & Online Will Services; for end-of-life wishes / values see End-of-Life Wishes; for the broader index see Estate, Will & End-of-Life Planning.
Free state-specific forms (★ start here)
- ★ ★ State Attorney General / Department of Aging websites — free; every US state publishes its statutory healthcare-directive form. These are the legally cleanest option because they are written to match state law exactly. Search "[state] advance directive form".
- ★ State Bar Association — free; many publish a packet with healthcare POA + financial POA + advance directive together.
- ★ Hospital systems — free; most major systems give patients the form on admission; downloadable from their patient-resources page.
- ★ CaringInfo (NHPCO) — free; one-stop directory of all state-specific advance-directive forms.
Standardized (cross-state) forms
- ★ Five Wishes — paid (~$5 print, free digital in some states); the most-used standardized advance directive in the US; legally valid in 42+ states; covers medical wishes plus personal / spiritual / family wishes. Translated into 30+ languages.
- ★ Stanford Letter Project Letter — free; a values-flavored advance-directive letter; complements (doesn't replace) the legal form.
- Honoring Choices Pacific Northwest — free; PNW-region-flavored.
- PREPARE for Your Care — free; UCSF interactive walkthrough.
- Hello Death — free; Australia-flavored.
Online services (paid bundle)
- Trust & Will — paid; bundles healthcare POA / financial POA / advance directive with the will / trust.
- LegalZoom, Quicken WillMaker, Rocket Lawyer — paid; same.
- Cake — free + paid; end-of-life-flavored; advance-directive forms by state.
The four documents you should have
- ★ Durable Financial Power of Attorney — names someone to manage your money / pay bills / handle accounts if you can't. Durable = stays in effect during incapacity.
- ★ Healthcare Power of Attorney (Healthcare Proxy) — names someone to make medical decisions when you can't.
- ★ Advance Directive / Living Will — your wishes about life support, DNR, ventilation, feeding tubes, organ donation. State-specific forms typically combine this with the healthcare POA.
- ★ HIPAA Release — explicitly authorizes named people to receive your medical info from providers. Without this, even your healthcare proxy may be stonewalled.
POLST / MOLST (the in-hospital version)
- POLST / MOLST — free; a doctor-signed medical order for end-of-life treatment in advanced illness. Different from an advance directive — it's an order EMS / ER will follow on the spot. Filled out with your doctor when you're seriously ill.
Storage + sharing
- ★ Give signed copies to: your healthcare proxy, your financial POA, your primary doctor, your hospital (request to add to chart), and one extra trusted person.
- ★ Scan and store in Self-Hosted Vital Docs (Paperless-ngx) and your password manager's secure-attachment area (see Self-Hosted Passwords).
- MyDirectives — free digital advance-directive registry; integrates with hospital EHRs in many states.
- DocuBank, US Living Will Registry — paid registries.
- A wallet card that says "I have an advance directive at [X]" goes a long way.
Witnessing / notarization
- State-dependent — some states require notary; many require two witnesses; some forbid witnesses who are also beneficiaries / providers. Read your state form's instructions.
- Get it right — an unwitnessed POA is paper.
License / pricing
- State AG / hospital / bar / CaringInfo / Stanford Letter / PREPARE / Hello Death: free.
- Five Wishes: paid (~$5) or free in some states.
- Trust & Will, LegalZoom, Quicken WillMaker, Rocket Lawyer: paid bundles.
- Cake: free + paid.
- MyDirectives: free; DocuBank, US Living Will Registry: paid.
Pick this if…
- Default free path: state AG form (or CaringInfo to find it) + a notarized financial POA.
- Want one polished standardized form: Five Wishes.
- Already buying Trust & Will / Quicken WillMaker: the bundled directives are fine.
- Want a values + wishes letter alongside the legal form: Stanford Letter Project.
- Hospital-stage seriously ill: add a POLST / MOLST with your doctor.