Pennsylvania Essential Estate Documents Kit (5 Templates)

Pennsylvania Essential Estate Documents Kit (4 Templates)

The core Pennsylvania incapacity and planning documents without a living trust: the statutory combined health care power of attorney and living will, a HIPAA release, final memorial plans, and a durable power of attorney.

What's included

• Simple Last Will and Testament — Pennsylvania (Word + PDF)

Start Here cover with contents and a signing-requirements chart

Health Care Power of Attorney and Living Will (13 pages): the combined advance health care directive example form in 20 Pa.C.S. § 5471, “Durable Health Care Power of Attorney and Health Care Treatment Instructions (Living Will),” reproduced verbatim, with its health care agent appointment, treatment instructions, anatomical gift choices and optional notarization block.

HIPAA Authorization / Release (10 pages): lets the people named receive protected health information from doctors, hospitals and health plans. Built on the federal core elements (45 C.F.R. § 164.508), with an optional written consent for HIV-related information containing the elements of 35 P.S. § 7607(c), and a revocation form.

Final Memorial Plans (8 pages): written wishes for burial, cremation or other disposition, services and costs, plus an optional written designation of the person to determine final disposition, prepared as the kind of written expression of intent that 20 Pa.C.S. § 305 recognizes. Pennsylvania has no statutory form for this designation.

Durable Power of Attorney (11 pages): a financial power of attorney under 20 Pa.C.S. chapter 56, beginning with the statutory Notice of § 5601(c) in capital letters, reproduced verbatim, and ending with the Agent's Acknowledgment of § 5601(d), reproduced verbatim for the agent and two successor agents. Powers are granted by initialing the statutory phrases of § 5602(a); powers that need an express grant under § 5601.4 (gifts, trusts, beneficiary designations and more) are listed separately, with optional sample wording.

Each document starts on its own page with plain-English completion notes, followed by the blank form. Where Pennsylvania law supplies a form, the statutory wording is reproduced verbatim.

Signing requirements (Pennsylvania)

Health Care Power of Attorney and Living Will: dated and signed in front of two witnesses aged 18 or older; a person who signs on the maker's behalf may not be a witness (20 Pa.C.S. §§ 5442, 5452). Notarization is optional.

HIPAA Authorization / Release: signature and date only; no witnesses or notary are required. The optional HIV-related information consent has its own signature and date.

Final Memorial Plans: no statutory formalities; the template uses two adult witnesses and an optional notary acknowledgment for the designation, and a signature for the wishes.

Durable Power of Attorney: dated; the principal signs the Notice and signs the document before a notary who is not the agent and two witnesses aged 18 or older who are not the agent, the notary or a person signing for the principal (20 Pa.C.S. § 5601(b)(3)). Each agent signs the Agent's Acknowledgment before acting (§ 5601(d)).

File formats

Editable Word (.docx) and print-ready PDF (US Letter) for every document, delivered as a ZIP digital download. Nothing is shipped.

Legal research last verified September 29, 2026.

This is a fill-in template, not legal advice. Laws change; check your state's current requirements before signing.

Licensed to the original purchaser for personal use only; not for resale or redistribution.

Some content in this template was drafted with the help of AI tools and reviewed before listing.

NEW: Now includes a Pennsylvania Simple Last Will and Testament with step-by-step signing instructions, making 5 templates in all (Word + PDF).