If you registered a Lasting Power of Attorney (LPA) or and Enduring Power of Attorney (EPA) in England or Wales between April 2013 and March 2017, you may be entitled to a refund on the application fees you paid for the registration.
An LPA is a legal document in which you choose who should make decisions for you in regard to your finances and/or welfare should you be unable to do so yourself. Before an LPA can be used, it is vitally important that it be registered with the Office of the Public Guardian (OPG). Several million of these have now been registered.
Upon registration, it is usual that a fee will be payable, though there are sometimes exemptions or discounts available to those on benefits or with very low incomes.
These fees are designed to cover the administration costs of running the OPG, but the increase in the number of LPAs being registered and the resulting economies of scale has resulted in a surplus of over £89million.
The OPG has now launched a scheme to allow refunds to be claimed. You can make a claim if you are:
- The donor (the person who made the LPA)
- An attorney (appointed by the donor in an LPA or EPA)
Depending on when you made the application for registration, you may be entitled to a refund of between £37 and £54 per registered document.
You can make your claim for a refund online through the gov.uk website.
Meanwhile, if you would like any more information about making a Lasting Power of Attorney, contact Susan Fairless or your local office to speak one of our specialist private client lawyers.