06.02.18

Did you make an LPA between 2013 and 2017? You could be due a refund on your registration fees

If you registered a Power of Attorney in England or Wales between April 2013 and March 2017, you could be due a refund of up to £54.00

Those who paid a registration fee for a Lasting Power of Attorney or Enduring Power of Attorney during this period can apply for a partial refund as you were charged more than was necessary.

Why?

From 2013, the Office of the Public Guardian’s operating costs went down, but the application fee stayed the same, so the Government has announced that it is reimbursing people. As many as 1.7 million applications could be eligible.

How much you can reclaim

How much you can reclaim depends on when you paid the registration fees for the Power of Attorney.

The refunds range from £34 to £54’.

The Government will also pay 0.5% interest.

How to claim

Claims must be made direct to the Government. You can find out how much, and access the online claim form, here: httpss://www.gov.uk/power-of-attorney-refund

Alternatively, and if you have any questions, you can telephone the Office of the Public Guardian’s refunds helpline on 0300 456 0300 and select option 6.

Want to know more about Powers of Attorney?

A Lasting Power of Attorney (LPA) is a legal document in which you give authority to another person (known as an ‘Attorney’) to make certain decisions on your behalf. The Attorney will have the authority to make decisions about matters such as your property and financial affairs or health and welfare at such time as you no longer wish to make these decisions yourself or you lack the mental capacity to do so.

If you are reading this article and have not yet made an LPA but wish to do so, you can find out more and access our information sheets here.