Power of attorney information guide
No one wants to think that there might come a time when you’re no longer able to make your own decisions. But if that...
A power of attorney is a way of giving someone you trust the legal authority to make decisions on your behalf if you're no longer able to make them yourself – or if you don't want to.
There might come a time when you're no longer able to make or communicate your own decisions. Having a power of attorney set up can make things much easier if and when that time comes – so it's worth considering now.
A power of attorney is a legal document that appoints someone – your 'attorney' – to make decisions on your behalf.
There are a number of reasons why you may need someone to make decisions on your behalf. It may be a temporary measure, if you're going into hospital and need help with everyday financial tasks like paying your bills. Or it may be part of long-term planning – if, for example, you've been diagnosed with dementia and want to plan ahead in case you lose mental capacity to make your own decisions in the future.
Having mental capacity means being able to make your own decisions and understand the consequences of those decisions. No one can make a decision on your behalf unless it can be shown that you lack mental capacity.
If you lack mental capacity for a decision, it means you're unable to do one or more of the following:
However, whether someone has mental capacity can change depending on the decision – so someone might be able to make decisions about certain things but not others. Others might be able to make a decision at a certain time, but unable to make the same decision at another time. This is why anyone considering whether you have mental capacity needs to consider your ability to make and communicate a specific decision at the time it needs to be made.
You should be given as much help as possible to make and communicate a decision before anyone judges that you lack mental capacity.
Taking time to weigh up or communicate a decision shouldn't be mistaken for a lack of mental capacity. Nor should having a certain condition, such as dementia. For example, someone may still have capacity to make certain decisions for some time following a diagnosis.
There are 3 different types of power of attorney: lasting power of attorney, enduring power of attorney and ordinary power of attorney.
You can set up more than one. However, if you want to make a power of attorney in case there comes a time when you lose mental capacity, then only the lasting power of attorney is relevant to you.
There are two types of LPA: one for making financial decisions and another for making health and care decisions. You can set up LPAs for both types of decisions.
An LPA for health and care decisions can only be used if you lose mental capacity. An LPA for financial decisions can also be used while you still have mental capacity if this is what you’d prefer, but you need to choose this option when setting it up.
You can only create an LPA if you have mental capacity to do so and you haven’t been put under any pressure to set it up.
An LPA isn’t necessarily permanent. You can cancel it at any time while you have mental capacity by sending the original LPA document and a 'deed of revocation' to the Office of the Public Guardian.
Find out more about how to end your LPA on GOV.UK
If you create this type of LPA, your attorney can make decisions about things like:
Key facts:
If you create this type of LPA, your attorney can make decisions about things like:
Key facts:
If you're married or in a civil partnership, you may have assumed that your spouse or civil partner would automatically be able to make decisions about your finances or your health and care if there comes a time when you can no longer do so. But without an LPA, your spouse or civil partner doesn't have this authority.
An EPA is only for financial decisions. If you created an EPA before 1 October 2007, it's still valid, but you can't make a new one – LPAs are now used instead. Given this, we don't go into any more information about EPAs on this page.
An OPA is for financial decisions only, and it's only valid while you still have mental capacity.
An OPA can be useful if you need someone to look after your finances temporarily – for example, because you’re going into hospital or away on holiday. Or it might be that you find it difficult to get to the bank or post office, and having someone to act on your behalf would make things easier for you.
You can limit the power you give to your attorney – for example, you could allow them to deal with your bank account but not your property.
An OPA is useful in certain situations, but it's usually best to create an LPA instead as your attorney can continue to act for you if you ever lose mental capacity.
If you want to set up an OPA, contact your local Citizens Advice or get advice from a solicitor – there's no standard form to complete, but rather a particular wording that must be used.
Find the contact details for your local Citizens Advice on their website
When you hear people talking about power of attorney, they're likely talking about lasting power of attorney. A lasting power of attorney can help you plan for the future, as it allows someone you trust to act for you if you ever lose mental capacity to make your own decisions.
While you don't have to use a solicitor to create an LPA, it could prevent problems later on – especially if you're unsure of the process or your affairs are complex. It's more costly than filling the forms yourself, but you might find that the reassurance of having professional advice is worth it.
The costs for setting up an LPA can vary a lot from solicitor to solicitor, so it's a good idea to call several firms for quotes before you choose.
Alzheimer's Society also provide a digital assistance service to help people fill out the LPA forms – if you don't feel able to complete the forms yourself or don't have access to the internet, for example. To sign up, call their support line on 0333 150 3456.
Telephone: 0300 456 0300
Email: customerservices@publicguardian.gov.uk
Lines are open Monday to Friday, 9.30am to 5pm (except Wednesday, when lines are open 10am to 5pm).
Registering an LPA costs £82. If you're registering 2 LPAs at the same time – one for financial decisions and one for health and care decisions – then you'd need to pay £82 for each LPA, so £164 in total.
However, if you're on a low annual income (under £12,000), you might be eligible for a 50% discount, and if you're receiving certain income-related benefits you won't have to pay anything at all.
You could choose someone you're close to, such as a family member or friend. Or you could choose a professional, such as a solicitor. It's important to be sure that whoever you choose will make decisions in your best interests – for more information on your 'best interests', see the FAQ section at the bottom of the page.
It’s also important that you give the person you ask to be your attorney time to think about the role and responsibilities, to make sure they feel comfortable doing it.
Whoever you choose, your attorney needs to be 18 or over, and they can't be a professional care worker apart from in exceptional circumstances (for example, if they're your only relative). There are other restrictions on who you can choose to be your attorney. For example, an attorney for financial decisions cannot be bankrupt.
Find out more about choosing an attorney on GOV.UK
You can appoint as many attorneys as you like. It can be a good idea to appoint more than one attorney, but if you do, you must decide how they're going to make decisions. They can make decisions:
Or you may want to specify that attorneys must act jointly for specific decisions, such as selling a house, but they can act jointly and severally for all other decisions.
You can also appoint replacement attorneys, in case someone you've chosen becomes unable to act on your behalf, for example if they die or lose mental capacity.
Your attorney can claim back out-of-pocket expenses they incur as part of the role – such as travel or postage costs. They can claim these from your money, and they must keep an account of the expenses and any relevant receipts.
But usually your attorney can’t claim for time spent carrying out their duties unless they're a professional attorney, such as a solicitor. Given that professional attorneys charge for their time, it's important to consider the costs carefully before you choose an attorney.
There is, however, an exception: a non-professional attorney can be paid for their duties if the person who set up the power of attorney specified that they should in the instructions part of the LPA form.
Your attorney must understand and follow certain principles, which are set out in the Mental Capacity Act 2005 and its code of practice.
Your attorney should:
If you're worried that your attorney isn't acting in your best interests, or that someone else's attorney isn't acting in their best interests, contact the Office of the Public Guardian. They have a responsibility to investigate allegations of mistreatment or fraud. If necessary, they can also report concerns to the police or social services. You can get in touch with the Office of the Public Guardian by calling 0300 456 0300 or by emailing them on customerservices@publicguardian.gov.uk.
If you're concerned that abuse or neglect is taking place, contact the local council's safeguarding team. This team have duties to investigate concerns abotu abuse or neglect and take action where needed.
If you're worried that you or someone else is in immediate danger, contact the police on 999.
If you want to talk to someone about it confidentially, contact the Hourglass helpline on 0808 808 8141.
The same applies if you have concerns about a deputy.
The government website has an online service that gives you and your attorney(s) access to a digital version of an LPA using an online account with a secure access code. This allows people or organisations like banks to check that the LPA is valid. For example, your attorney could use the digital version of your LPA to confirm that they're acting on your behalf with a valid LPA with your bank or energy company.
This online service isn't available for LPAs registered before 1 January 2016.
You generally can't make changes to your LPA after it's been registered. It may be possible to remove one of your attorneys, but it's important to seek advice from the Office of the Public Guardian before doing so, because removing an attorney may cause your LPA to end.
If you have mental capacity, you can also cancel (or 'revoke') your LPA.
Find out more about removing an attorney or ending an LPA on GOV.UK
Your attorney must always make the decision that's in your 'best interests'. This means that they must:
Your attorney must weigh up these factors in order to reach a balanced decision about what's in your best interests.
Power of attorney information guide (PDF, 3 MB)
Arranging for someone to make decisions on your behalf factsheet (PDF, 664 KB)
Safeguarding older people from abuse and neglect factsheet (PDF, 432 KB)
Use the online service to set up a lasting power of attorney on GOV.UK
Learn some top tips for starting a conversation about LPAs with family and friends on GOV.UK
We offer support through our free advice line on 0800 678 1602. Lines are open 8am-7pm, 365 days a year. We also have specialist advisers at over 120 local Age UKs.
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