Can you make an LPA for free?
Guidance from Estate Advisory Group
Written and legally reviewed by Ramani Gill TEP, Solicitor and private client practitioner·Last reviewed 13 August 2026
The forms and the GOV.UK tool are free. The £92 registration fee is not, unless you qualify for an exemption. Nobody can register an LPA for free otherwise.
Free
- The official LP1F and LP1H forms and GOV.UK guidance.
- The GOV.UK online tool, which lets you complete and save the forms.
- Registration itself, if the donor qualifies for a fee exemption.
- Guides like these.
Not free
- The £92 OPG registration fee, unless exempt or reduced.
- A professional certificate provider, if you use a GP or solicitor.
- Certified copies for banks, if a solicitor certifies them.
- Any checking, guidance or document service — including ours.
Where to get free help
Age UK and Citizens Advice can help you understand the process, and some local authorities and charities run LPA support sessions. Some employers and unions offer legal benefit schemes that cover LPAs. If money is genuinely tight, GOV.UK plus a fee exemption is the cheapest complete route, and we will say so rather than pretend otherwise — see our comparison.
Be wary of 'free LPA' offers
Free LPA promotions are often loss-leaders for will writing or estate planning products, sometimes with expensive add-ons. Read what you are signing up to.
Worked example
Sheila lives alone on a state pension and Pension Credit. She wants a property and finance LPA appointing her nephew. She downloads form LP1F free from GOV.UK, completes it herself with her nephew's help, asks her long-standing GP to act as certificate provider at no charge, and submits form LPA120 with her Pension Credit award letter to claim the fee exemption. Her total cost is £0. Compare this with Priya from our registration fee guide, who pays £49 for guided completion because she would rather have the eligibility checks than save the fee. Both routes produce a valid, registered LPA — the difference is how much help you want along the way.
The real cost comparison
| Route | Preparation cost | OPG fee | Total (no exemption) |
|---|---|---|---|
| GOV.UK forms, self-completed | £0 | £92 per LPA | £92 |
| LPAs Online guided service | £49 (one) / £79 (both) | £92 per LPA | £141 / £263 |
| High street solicitor | £300–£1,000+ | £92 per LPA | £392–£1,092+ |
There is no version of making an LPA that is free for everyone — the OPG fee is a government charge, not a markup we or anyone else adds. The only genuinely free complete route is GOV.UK forms plus a qualifying fee exemption.
Deciding which route suits you
The free route works well for people who are organised, comfortable reading government guidance carefully, and confident checking the eligibility rules for attorneys, replacement attorneys and certificate providers themselves. It suits a straightforward household with one or two attorneys and no unusual instructions.
A paid guided service tends to suit people who want a second pair of eyes — someone checking that the certificate provider qualifies, that the signing order is right, and that preferences and instructions in the document will not cause the OPG to query the form. Neither route is more 'correct' than the other; they simply trade money for time and reassurance in different amounts.
Weighing time against money
Completing the forms yourself typically takes a few hours spread over more than one sitting, once you include reading the guidance and checking your attorneys and certificate provider are eligible. For some people that time is well spent; for others, particularly if English is not a first language or the forms feel daunting, paying a fixed £49 or £79 fee for a guided version is the more comfortable choice.
Common questions
So why pay £49?
For guided questions, eligibility checks on your attorneys and certificate provider, a consistency check across the document and a personalised signing pack. If you are confident with forms, the free route is legitimately fine.
Is the GOV.UK tool any good?
Yes — it is well built and free. It does not, however, check whether your choice of certificate provider is allowed or whether your instructions will be accepted.
Can a charity fill in the forms for me?
Some Age UK branches and local Citizens Advice offices offer guidance sessions, though availability varies by area and they will not usually complete the forms on your behalf.
Will a free LPA promotion actually save me money?
Sometimes, but check what else you are buying. A 'free LPA' bundled with a paid will or trust product can end up costing more overall than paying a modest fixed fee for the LPA alone.
Read next
Where this fits
This page is part of LPA costs and fees. The pages below take it further.
- What an LPA costs in 2026
Our £49 and £79 prices, the £92 OPG registration fee, and solicitor comparisons.
- Solicitor, GOV.UK or online?
An honest comparison, including when you genuinely should pay a solicitor.
Review and sources
Reviewed by Ramani Gill TEP, Solicitor and private client practitioner. Last reviewed 13 August 2026. We recheck fees, forms and Office of the Public Guardian guidance whenever they change — see our editorial policy.
Official sources
See the full cost before you commit
£49 per LPA, £79 for both, plus the £92 the Office of the Public Guardian charges to register each one.
The Office of the Public Guardian charges a separate £92 to register each LPA.
This is general information about how Lasting Powers of Attorney work in England and Wales. It is not legal advice about your situation. What we do and do not do.
Published by Estate Advisory Group