Short answer
Schwab has two routes. Your parent can sign Schwab's own durable POA form (the version “For All States Except New York and Pennsylvania” is the one for California). Or, if your parent already signed a POA somewhere else, you use Schwab's “Agreement and Affidavit for Non-Schwab Durable Power of Attorney.”
You can send forms through Schwab's online Message Center. Schwab says attachments there take 2 to 4 days to process. It does not publish a POA-specific turnaround.
Step by step
- Check the POA itself with our California POA checklist.
- Pick the form: Schwab's Durable Power of Attorney form (for all states except New York and Pennsylvania), or the Agreement and Affidavit for Non-Schwab Durable Power of Attorney if you already have an outside POA.
- Read the form's own instructions before anyone signs. Schwab's web pages don't list the notary or signature rules; they're printed on the forms.
- Log in and use Message Center → “Send a Secure Document.” You can attach up to 5 files or 25 MB total, and the account needs an email address.
- Allow 2 to 4 days for Message Center processing, then call or message Schwab to confirm.
- Keep notes of who you spoke with. If you're refused, see Probate Code § 4406.
Quick questions
Does Schwab accept a power of attorney that wasn't signed on Schwab's form?
Schwab lists an 'Agreement and Affidavit for Non-Schwab Durable Power of Attorney' on its forms page, which is its route for a POA that was not signed on Schwab's own form.
Can I upload POA documents to Schwab online?
Schwab's Message Center accepts forms and documents through 'Send a Secure Document'. Schwab's page does not say whether a given POA form must also be mailed as an original, so ask if unsure.