Can you make an LPA online?

What 'online' actually means here

Making an LPA online means answering a structured set of questions on a computer or phone instead of filling in a 20-page paper form from scratch. The tool then generates the finished LP1F or LP1H, laid out and worded correctly, ready to print. It does not mean the LPA is created, signed or registered digitally from start to finish — the signing and posting steps still happen on paper, exactly as they would if you had filled the form in by hand.

What online does for you

• Guided questions instead of a blank 20-page form, so you are never staring at a page not knowing what section applies.
• Checks for common completion errors before you print, such as missing addresses or inconsistent dates.
• Suggested wording for preferences and instructions rather than a blank box.
• A completed, correctly formatted LP1F or LP1H, ready to print and sign.
• The ability to save progress and come back later, rather than completing everything in one sitting.

What still happens on paper

1. The donor signs the document and is witnessed.
2. The certificate provider signs, after the donor, confirming the donor understands what they are doing.
3. Each attorney signs and is witnessed, after the certificate provider.
4. The complete, signed form is posted to the OPG together with the £92 fee, and registration takes several weeks.

See LPA signing order for exactly who signs when, and how long registration takes for realistic timescales once the form is submitted.

Free or paid

A worked example

David wants to make LPAs for himself and his wife, Sheila, before a planned hip operation. He completes both sets of answers online over two evenings, working through the guided questions on his laptop and checking the eligibility of his chosen attorneys and certificate provider as he goes. The service flags that his second attorney's address is incomplete and that one instruction contradicts another, both of which he corrects before printing. He then prints four documents, arranges a single appointment with his neighbour as certificate provider, and signs in the correct order with two witnesses present. The forms are posted to the OPG the same week — the online part saved him from a blank form and several likely mistakes, but every signature was still made with a pen.

Why the paper step still exists

The requirement for wet-ink signatures and in-person witnessing comes from the Mental Capacity Act 2005 itself, not from any single provider's process. There have been government consultations on modernising the process, including digital signing, but as things stand every LPA — however it was drafted — must be signed on paper, in the correct order, with witnesses physically present for the donor's and attorneys' signatures.

Choosing the right online route

If your situation is straightforward — a single donor, willing attorneys, no unusual instructions — the free GOV.UK tool may be all you need. If you want guided wording, a check across both LPAs for consistency, or simply less time spent re-reading guidance, a paid service such as ours can be worth the £49 fee on top of the OPG's £92. Either way, run through the free eligibility check first to confirm your attorneys and certificate provider meet the legal requirements before you start.

Common questions

Read next

• Can you make an LPA for free?
• LPA signing order: who signs first
• How to make a Lasting Power of Attorney: step by step