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What is delegated authority
Delegated authority is the power a beneficiary gives a trustee to act for them, stored in a delegation.
Delegated authority is the power a beneficiary gives a trustee to act for them. The beneficiary decides the limits. The trustee acts only within those limits.
Definition
Delegated authority is stored in a delegation record. The record names the subject, who is the beneficiary giving the power. It names the delegate, who is the trustee receiving the power. It sets the scope, which is the list of records the trustee may work with. It sets the start date and, if there is one, the end date. It has a status: active, revoked, or expired.
Authority is not access. A delegation says who may act and on what. It does not, by itself, let the trustee see the records. The beneficiary must also grant consent. Consent is never implied by a delegation.
Delegated authority ends when the end date passes, when the beneficiary revokes the delegation, or when the trustee resigns.
When you use it
You use delegated authority when you want a trusted person to handle part of your records for you. For example, you might want help reviewing your support plan.
The delegation always names the records it covers. The common scope is the support plan. You can set the authority to end on a date, or leave it open.
You keep control. You can revoke the delegation and the consent at any time.
Example
Wiremu gives Hana authority over his support plan. The delegation names Wiremu as the subject, Hana as the delegate, and "support-plan" as the scope. It starts on 1 January 2026 and has no end date. Wiremu also grants Hana read consent. Hana may now help Wiremu review the plan. When Wiremu revokes the consent, Hana loses access immediately, even though the delegation still says she is the delegate.