In businesses and personal life, it’s a very common situation when you need a letter that authorizes somebody else to act on behalf of you. In simple language, its one person giving permission to another person to conduct a peculiar action on your behalf. One common example is collecting some documents from a government agency when you are away from the location. This is an efficient way for senior management to delegate some of the tasks to their subordinates and also allows to set certain boundaries.
Instances where an Authorization Letter is Deemed Necessary
Many instances may prompt you to write an authorization letter. These are as follows.
- Suppose someone is unavailable to receive their legal parcel. You can write an authorization letter to permit someone else to collect the parcel on your behalf in a situation like this.
- If a student needs permission from their parents to attend a school trip, the parents must write an authorization letter in the form of an authorized signature.
- An individual can write an authorization letter for someone to sign their important legal documents on their behalf.
- If a student travels and settles down abroad for their higher education, but they require some essential documents from their previous school, then, in this case, an authorization letter will come in handy.
- When you want someone else to collect your medical reports on your behalf, an authorization letter may help.
Basic Contents
A letter of authorization should have the following content in it so that it avoids any misunderstanding or confusion.
Step 1: Address
The letter should be addressed to the organization which takes actions or decisions. This part should clarify the details to whom you are writing this letter. The full description, along with other details, is preferred here. In some cases, generic like “To Whomsoever It may concern” can be used.
Step 2: About the authorizer
If you are authorizing somebody, it’s important to mention about yourself. Full details, along with your name, address, and phone number, are to be mentioned in the letter.
Step 3: About the Authorized
This section is about the authorized person or the one who is being substituted. This part will mention who is the authorized person going to act on your behalf and get the task done for you. Fill out clearly about who he/she is, their address, and phone number so that the concerned organization can use it when required. It’s also good to mention the number of an ID card for reference.
Step 4: What is being authorized
The content part should be descriptive, where you will be providing a detailed explanation of what’s the task which you want to be done by the other person. You can also write the details about why you are authorizing this person. It’s also important to mention the details of how the person will be taking care of this task in your absence and also the limitations that this person will have.
For example, A junior manager can withdraw only $xxxx every day on my behalf.
Sample Letters & Examples
Sample Letter 1
From:
Joe Michelson
200 Baltimore St.
La Plata, MD 20646
To
Ms. Edna Butcher
Jacaranda Properties
508 Main St
Woodstown, KS 67675
Date: 00 July 0000
Subject: Authorization Letter to Claim
Dear Ms. Edna
I, Joe Michelson, hereby authorize my son, James Michelson, to conduct all activities regarding my properties and fill the forms and sign all the documents on my behalf. I grant him permission to claim my check and all documents related to the land from your office on my behalf. The scope of this authorization letter includes identity proofs for identification purposes.
This letter of authorization will be in effect from 00 July 0000 to 00 Aug 0000. You are requested to allow him complete access to the area mentioned above. If you have any questions, feel free to contact me on 555 5555 555 for any further clarification needed.
Sincerely,
Joe Michelson
Sample Letter 2
Jaden Smith
703 Mill St Ste B
Alton, KS 67623
January 0, 0000
Mr. Johnson Stephens
Bank of America
600 5th St
Gaylord, KS 67638
Dear Mr. Johnson
I, Jaden Smith, am writing this letter to authorize my brother, Anon Smith, to act on my behalf with regard to checking account #1234567890 for the period of January 0000- March 0000. I am enclosing the proof of my identity for confirmation of my relation to Anon Smith, along with my account statements for the last two months.
I appreciate Anon Smith and your assistance in this matter.
Thank you very much.
Sincerely,
Jaden Smith
Frequently Asked Questions
It is a letter that legally permits someone to take necessary action on behalf of someone else.
An authorization letter usually comes in handy when someone cannot or is unwilling to partake certain things by themselves, thereby choosing to delegate the task to others.
In most cases, the appropriate answer would be YES. The reason being, the person signing the letter willingly did so without being forced. Therefore, they have to abide by it.
An authorization letter does not necessarily need to be attested. However, if the authorized person’s actions carry over huge risks, it is crucial to attest to the letter with a notary. At least two people should witness the authorization.
