Help & support
A Power of Attorney is a legal document that lets the account holder appoint someone, as an attorney, to make decisions on their behalf. These decisions may be about money, property, or other financial or legal matters and may be subject to restrictions. The appointed person will have the same authority as the account holder – they can access CommBank accounts, open and close accounts, and make transactions.
Before you allow someone to manage your banking, you might want to seek legal advice from a specialist like a lawyer or solicitor.
Giving someone access to your accounts can increase your exposure to the risk of financial abuse and fraud, so it’s important to choose someone you trust and review your account access regularly. For more on financial abuse and the signs to look out for, as well as who to contact if you feel you’ve been a victim of financial abuse, read through the FAQs or view the guides found in Tools & Support.
You can view who has authority over your accounts at any time in NetBank. Select Settings, then Account Authorities.
A General Power of Attorney may be useful if you wish to put in place a temporary formal arrangement for a specific purpose, such as:
A General Power of Attorney ceases if the account holder loses decision making capacity.
An Enduring Power of Attorney can be used to put a lasting formal arrangement in place, including:
The account holder can choose an Enduring Power of Attorney to come into effect:
If you don’t have an Enduring Power of Attorney and you lose the ability to make or communicate decisions, a tribunal or court will appoint someone to manage your finances on your behalf. This is commonly called a Financial Management Order.
Tell us if the account holder’s capacity changes. If this happens, you must provide written evidence from a medical practitioner. Until then, the account holder keeps all account access and can revoke the authority
The attorney or account holder can set up a Power of Attorney online or in branch. The fastest way to start this is online. Each attorney must complete this process individually.
What you'll need:
We might also require:
The attorney or account holder can set up a Power of Attorney online or in branch. Each attorney must complete this process individually.
To set up in branch, we recommend the account holder comes in with the attorney. If this is not possible, the attorney can start the process on their own. We’ll then reach out to the account holder, and there may be some additional paperwork to complete depending on the circumstances.
What you'll need:
We might also require:
Financial abuse occurs when money is used to gain power and control over another person. It can include someone pressuring you, restricting access, or controlling your money in a way you do not agree to.
If you are the account holder and you lose decision-making capacity, your access will be:
Your access to their accounts will be:
Both the Method of Operation in the Power of Attorney and the account’s own operating setup determine what access can be provided.
The Method of Operation outlined in the Power of Attorney sets out how attorneys can act. This may be set out as:
There are several examples of how a Power of Attorney can expire or be automatically revoked, including:
A Power of Attorney (general or enduring) will cease if the account holder passes away. The Estate Representative is then responsible for carrying out any wishes in accordance with the Will, Probate or Letters of Administration.
The information on this page is general. Laws governing Powers of Attorney vary by state and territory, so the support services available to you will depend on where you live. There are a range of external support services available that can help you understand and make decisions in relation to authorities and managing your financial affairs in your state or territory.
This information is general guidance only.
