If you have registered a Lasting Power of Attorney or an Enduring Power of Attorney between 1 April 2013 and 31 March 2017 then you could be due a refund.

The Office of the Public Guardian for England and Wales charges fees for applications to register powers of attorney which are supposed to only cover their costs.  Between these dates the application fee of £110 to register a Power of Attorney has led to a surplus of funds being held by the OPG, reportedly in the region of £89 million. As a result, those who applied to register their LPAs or EPAs between these dates paid too much and are entitled to a partial refund.

The Ministry of Justice has launched the OPG fee refund scheme and it is quick and easy to make a claim using an online claim form on Gov.uk. Applications can be made by the donor (the person making the Power of Attorney) or the attorney, or in the event the donor has passed away, their Executor. If you do not have access to the internet you can ring the OPG on their helpline number to start a claim 0300 456 0300 (choose option 6).

You will be asked to provide details of the donor’s bank account number and sort code.

If you made both types of LPA (Finance and Property and Health and Welfare) then you can claim for both types meaning a refund of up to £108 may be due for some. The amount that can be claimed will depend upon when the application was made as follows;

Application made date – Refund per PoA

April to September 2013 – £54

October 2013 to March 2014 – £34

April 2014 to March 2015 – £37

April 2015 to March 2016 – £38

April 2016 to March 2017 – £45

Claims will take up to 12 weeks to finalise.

If you would like to review your Will or Powers of Attorney we would be happy to help. Please call 01484 538421 or complete our online enquiry form.