How we research our guides

Every state page on Power of Attorney Map comes from a data file written from official sources: the state's statutes, its courts and self-help pages, its state agencies and the forms they publish. A second reviewer then checks the file against those sources and we record the date. Today 41 states are published; a state appears automatically once its file has been fact-checked, and until then its row says "not covered yet" and links to the court's self-help page and LawHelp.org.

What we show and what we leave out

We show a fact only when we found it in an official source. If a fact could not be confirmed, we leave it out instead of guessing. We show the law (statute, rule or form) on its own line under each section. We do not show opinions about whom to choose as an agent or which powers to give.

National rules

Rules that come from federal law, such as how the Social Security Administration and the VA handle someone who manages another person's benefits, come from one national file, also checked against official sources. They appear in the "Federal rules everywhere" box.

The tools

The signing checklist lists the signing steps in your state's law. It does not check whether your document is valid. The revocation letter and the health care directive notice are built from the state's revocation rule. They run in your browser, and only your name, your phone or email, your state and the document type are saved when you download (see the privacy policy).

Spanish

Spanish pages are translations of the checked English data. The letters themselves stay in English, because they go to English-speaking offices, with a Spanish explanation beside them. If a Spanish text is missing, the Spanish page is not built.

Mistakes

Laws change. If you find a mistake, email hello@robinclaim.com with the page and the official source, and we will check it.