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I am personal administrative assistant. Do I need to be a Power of Attorney to do online bill paying for my clients?

Sole Proprietorship 10 views 3 answers
I am starting a sole proprietor business as a personal administrative assistant. I will have professional liability insurance with E&O. One of my duties is to assist my clients with paying bills. With old school clients who use checks, they will simply sign the checks. But with online bill paying it is more complicated. I am concerned if I do that for them I may be entering the role of Power of Attorney. Is it legal for me to do the online bill paying with out their supervision? If so, would having them sit next to me supervising me be legitimate? What are some other alternative solutions? Some clients may be ill and unable to sit & observe or their POA may live somewhere else. Could I have them or POA sign off on a bill pay report? Don't know what to do?

Attorney Answers

3
Edna Straus ·
If your clients are unimpaired, there needs to be a CLEAR agreement stating what you are authorized to do. If these will be high asset individuals, I would suggest a bond. I also suggest you have a business plan and have your contracts prepared by a business attorney.
0 upvotes
Nicholas Spirtos ·
You could probably do the online bill paying without a power of attorney as long as they authorize you to do that. You would be wise to get their written authorization just to protect yourself. What works for you specifically is something that you should discuss in person with an attorney.
0 upvotes
Richard Price ·
You can get a limited financial power of attorney from your clients. It would state what your powers are and what limits are set on those powers. Alternatively, you can get a letter of authorization allowing you to access and view their accounts, submit electronic payments, reconcile bank statements, print checks for their signature, etc. I think that a client would probably be more comfortable signing an authorization letter.
0 upvotes

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