Advice Admin & Legal How much does a Lasting Power of Attorney cost?

How much does a Lasting Power of Attorney cost?

What is a Lasting Power of Attorney?

Lasting Power of Attorney lets you appoint people to make decisions on your behalf when you no longer have the mental capacity to do so for yourself.

This guide will help you:

Make sure you know what you are being charged for
Get affordable Lasting Power of Attorney documents
Avoid hidden charges

What is mental capacity?

Mental capacity is defined in the Mental Capacity Act 2005. To put it simply having mental capacity means that when you are making a decision you understand the following:

the decision you need to make
why you need to make it
any information relevant to the decision
what’s likely to happen when you make it

You should be able to communicate a decision through speech, signs or in other ways. If someone doesn’t have mental capacity then they won’t be able to make an LPA. Instead they’ll have to apply to the courts to be able to help make decisions on their behalf. It’s for this reason we believe everyone should have an LPA sorted earlier rather than later.

Types of powers of attorney

There are two types of Lasting Power of Attorney documents; one for decisions about your health and welfare, the other for financial decisions.

Health and welfare LPA is used for making decisions about things like:

A daily routine
Medical care
Life-sustaining treatment

Financial and Property LPA which is used for making decisions about things like:

Managing a bank account
Paying bills
Collecting a pension
Selling a home

Do I need an LPA?

We believe that everyone needs a Lasting Power of Attorney. It’s impossible to know when you might need it but it’s essential in the case that you were to lose mental capacity. It can be more important the older you are as illnesses such as dementia become a bigger risk.

How can I set up a Power of Attorney?

If you need to set up a Lasting Power of Attorney there are several ways to do so. The primary way of getting your LPA is to do so online. Whilst it’s possible to get set up through a solicitor, the LPA documents can be very expensive when done this way. However, not everyone will be comfortable filling the legal document in themselves - unfortunately it’s full of jargon and can be very confusing if you don’t know what you’re doing. The guidelines for filling in the form are tedious and laborious to look through. If you get it wrong, you’ll need to complete the process again.

What is the cost of a Lasting Power of Attorney?

As mentioned, many of us don’t understand the Lasting Power of Attorney jargon and the application process. The forms appear to be quite complex and can be time consuming to fill in. There are various ways of getting help to sort them, with different costs associated.

Typically there are two main charges when doing your Lasting Power of Attorney documents. You often have to pay for the documents to be prepared and then on top of this there is a government registration charge.

Registration fee with the office of the public guardian

When you’ve completed your Lasting Power of Attorney you have to register it with the Office of the Public Guardian. This can take 8 to 10 weeks, as long as there are no mistakes.

It costs £82 to register each LPA with the government. So for both documents it will cost £164 in total. The OPG can take payment by credit or debit card and even cheque.

You might be exempt from this fee!

If you earn less that £12,000 or are on certain benefits you will be able to apply for a reduction. There is more information about this here.

Are you eligible for a refund from the OPG?

If you registered your LPA between 2013 and 2017 you might be able to get a refund. This page explains this process in full and how much you might be able to claim.

What about other costs for an LPA?

Typically the only other cost you will need to pay associated with LPAs is the fee for preparing the documents themselves. This can be quite expensive and avoiding excessive fees here is where we come in!

Do I need a solicitor to make an LPA?

No you don’t need a solicitor to make an LPA.

How much does a solicitor charge for Lasting Power of Attorney?

Solicitors can charge up to £1000 with typical charges ranging from £300-£600 per document.

Lasting Power of Attorney online

Our simple and easy to use product allows you to understand and complete your LPA in no time. By removing the hassle of organising and completing your document with a local provider, we are much more affordable.

Both documents only cost £120.

Can I do it myself?

Of course it’s possible to complete your own form on your own - you’d just need to print it out and fill it in. This is free to do through the government website. However paying for your documents through us can give you peace of mind and simplify the process.