Iowa Power of Attorney Laws: Durable, Medical & Financial POA (2026)

May 31, 202613 min read

Iowa Power of Attorney Laws: Durable, Medical, and Financial POA (2026)

Iowa adopted the Uniform Power of Attorney Act in 2014, giving the state one of the most comprehensive POA frameworks in the country. Under Iowa Code chapter 633B, a power of attorney is durable by default, meaning it survives the principal's incapacity unless the document explicitly says otherwise. A separate statute, chapter 144B, governs health care decisions and requires its own document with different signing rules.

For the full 50-state overview, see our national Power of Attorney guide.

What a Power of Attorney Does in Iowa

A power of attorney (POA) is a written document in which a principal grants authority to an agent (also called an attorney in fact) to act on the principal's behalf. Under Iowa Code section 633B.102, the term covers any writing that grants such authority, whether or not it uses the words "power of attorney."

The principal can limit the agent's authority to a single transaction, a defined category of property, or a fixed period of time. Alternatively, the principal can grant broad authority over all financial matters. A general grant of authority covering "all acts a principal could do" gives the agent the authority described in Iowa Code sections 633B.204 through 633B.216, which includes real property, bank accounts, stocks and bonds, insurance, retirement plans, taxes, and more.

One critical Iowa rule: a financial POA created under chapter 633B does not authorize health care decisions. The statutory form itself states this plainly. For medical authority, a separate health care POA under chapter 144B is required.

Durable Power of Attorney in Iowa

Iowa Code section 633B.104 establishes the default durability rule:

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"A power of attorney created under this chapter is durable unless the power of attorney expressly provides that it is terminated by the incapacity of the principal."

This means principals do not need to add any special "durable" language. Unless the document affirmatively says incapacity will terminate it, the POA survives. This default was a deliberate policy choice when Iowa enacted the Iowa Uniform Power of Attorney Act through 2014 Acts, ch 1078.

A POA is also effective immediately upon execution unless the document provides that it becomes effective at a future date or upon a stated event, such as a physician's written determination of incapacity (a "springing" POA). Section 633B.109 governs when springing POAs activate, including how incapacity is determined if the document does not designate someone to make that call.

How to Create a Valid Iowa Power of Attorney

Signing requirements

Iowa Code section 633B.105 sets the execution rules for a financial POA:

The principal must sign the document, or another individual may sign in the principal's conscious presence at the principal's direction. That proxy signer cannot be a prospective agent named in the document.
The document must be acknowledged before a notary public or other officer authorized by law to take acknowledgments. The agent named in the POA may not serve as the notary.
An acknowledged signature is presumed genuine under section 633B.105.

No witnesses are required for a financial POA under chapter 633B: notarization alone satisfies the execution requirement. Iowa Code section 633B.106 confirms that a POA executed in Iowa on or after July 1, 2014, is valid if it complies with section 633B.105.

The statutory form

Iowa Code section 633B.301 provides a statutory POA form. Principals may use this form or any document that substantially complies with chapter 633B. The statutory form lists 13 categories of authority that the principal initials to grant, plus an optional "Grant of Specific Authority" section for the hot powers described below.

Agent acceptance

Under section 633B.113, an agent accepts appointment by exercising authority, performing duties, or by any other conduct indicating acceptance. Acceptance is not required before the document is signed: the agent's first act under the POA constitutes acceptance.

What an Iowa Agent Can and Cannot Do

General financial authority

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When granted broad authority, an Iowa agent may manage real property, personal property, bank accounts, stocks and bonds, insurance, retirement plans, taxes, business interests, litigation, and personal and family maintenance on behalf of the principal. The agent acts as a fiduciary.

Hot powers: express grant required

Iowa Code section 633B.201 lists nine categories of authority that an agent may exercise only if the power of attorney expressly grants them:

Create, amend, revoke, or terminate an inter vivos trust
Make a gift
Create or change rights of survivorship
Create or change a beneficiary designation
Delegate the agent's authority to another person
Waive the principal's right to be a beneficiary of a joint and survivor annuity
Exercise fiduciary powers the principal has authority to delegate
Disclaim property, including a power of appointment
Exercise all rights and powers granted to an agent under Iowa Code chapter 638

The statutory form contains a separate "Grant of Specific Authority" section with checkboxes for each of these powers. A general grant of authority: even one covering "all acts a principal could do": does not authorize hot powers without that express language.

An agent who is not the principal's ancestor, spouse, or descendant may not use the principal's property to benefit the agent or someone to whom the agent owes legal support obligations, absent express authorization.

Agent duties

Section 633B.114 imposes mandatory duties that apply regardless of what the POA says:

Act in accordance with the principal's reasonable expectations to the extent known, and otherwise in the principal's best interest.
Act in good faith and only within the scope of authority granted.
Act loyally for the principal's benefit and avoid conflicts of interest.
Act with the care, competence, and diligence ordinarily exercised by agents in similar circumstances.
Keep a record of all receipts, disbursements, and transactions made on behalf of the principal.
Cooperate with any person authorized to make health care decisions for the principal.
Attempt to preserve the principal's estate plan to the extent known and consistent with the principal's best interest.

An agent who violates chapter 633B is liable to the principal or successors for the amount needed to restore the value of the principal's property and to reimburse attorney fees incurred (section 633B.117).

Third-party acceptance

Under Iowa Code section 633B.119, a person who in good faith accepts an acknowledged POA may rely on it without further investigation. Section 633B.120 requires a third party to either accept a properly acknowledged POA or request a certification, translation, or legal opinion within seven business days of presentation. Wrongful refusal exposes the third party to a court order compelling acceptance and liability for the principal's damages and attorney fees.

Durable Power of Attorney for Health Care in Iowa

Health care authority requires a completely separate document governed by Iowa Code chapter 144B, not chapter 633B. The financial POA explicitly does not authorize health care decisions.

Who qualifies as a health care agent

The health care agent (called "attorney in fact" under chapter 144B) must be an adult. The following people are ineligible to serve under section 144B.4:

A health care provider currently attending the principal on the date of execution
An employee of such a health care provider (unless related to the principal within the third degree of consanguinity)

Execution requirements for health care POA

Section 144B.3 requires the document to:

Explicitly authorize the attorney in fact to make health care decisions
Bear the date of execution
Be witnessed or acknowledged by one of two methods:
- Signed by at least two witnesses who, in each other's presence and the principal's presence, witnessed the principal's signature; or
- Acknowledged before a notarial officer under Iowa Code chapter 9B

Witness disqualifications: The attending health care provider, employees of that provider, the designated attorney in fact, and anyone under 18 may not serve as witnesses (section 144B.3(2)). At least one witness must be a person who is not a relative of the principal by blood, marriage, or adoption within the third degree of consanguinity.

These witness requirements are stricter than the financial POA: which requires only notarization: so principals creating both documents need to plan ahead.

What the health care agent may decide

The health care attorney in fact may consent to, refuse, or withdraw consent to any health care, including decisions about life-sustaining treatment. Authority activates only when the attending physician or physician assistant determines the principal is unable to make health care decisions (section 144B.1). The principal can object at any time: if the principal objects to withholding or withdrawing care, the principal is presumed capable of making the decision.

The attorney in fact has priority over any other person, including a court-appointed guardian, to make health care decisions (section 144B.6).

The attorney in fact also has the right to review the principal's medical records and authorize their disclosure (section 144B.7).

Revocation of a health care POA

Under section 144B.8, a principal may revoke a health care POA at any time, in any manner, without regard to mental or physical condition. Revocation may be oral or written, to the attorney in fact or to a health care provider actively treating the principal. A later valid health care POA automatically revokes a prior one unless stated otherwise. Divorce automatically revokes a health care POA naming the former spouse (section 144B.12).

Revoking or Ending an Iowa Power of Attorney

Financial POA revocation and termination

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Under Iowa Code section 633B.110, a financial POA terminates when any of the following occurs:

The principal dies
The principal revokes the POA
The POA provides that it terminates on a stated date or event
The purpose of the POA is fully accomplished
The principal becomes incapacitated, if the POA is not durable
The agent dies, becomes incapacitated, or resigns, and no successor agent is named
An action is filed for dissolution, annulment, or legal separation of the agent's marriage to the principal, unless the POA provides otherwise (section 633B.110(2)(c))

Termination is not effective against a person who, without actual knowledge of the termination, acts in good faith under the POA (section 633B.110(4)). This protects banks and other third parties who continue relying on a POA before learning it has ended.

Iowa Code section 633B.110(6) adds a notable rule: executing a new general or plenary POA revokes all prior general or plenary POAs previously executed in Iowa by the same principal, though it does not revoke limited POAs covering specific transactions still in progress.

How to revoke

Iowa law does not require a specific revocation form or procedure. A principal may revoke orally or in writing. As a practical matter, written revocation delivered to the agent and to any institutions holding the original (such as a bank or title company) is the most effective approach. If the POA was recorded with a county recorder for real estate transactions, a written revocation should also be recorded.

More Iowa Laws

Disclaimer: This article is for general informational purposes and does not constitute legal advice. Iowa power of attorney documents involve significant legal consequences. Consult a licensed Iowa attorney before drafting or signing any POA.

Statutes cited reflect their in-force version as of May 31, 2026.

Sources and References

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