How to make a Lasting Power of Attorney
Guidance from Estate Advisory Group
The process has four real stages: decide, complete, sign in order, register. Most of the difficulty is in the last two.
1. Decide the shape of it
- Which type or types you need — see the difference between the two.
- Who your attorneys are, and whether they act jointly or jointly and severally.
- Whether you want replacement attorneys if one cannot act.
- Who your certificate provider will be.
- Whether to name any people to notify.
2. Complete the form
You need the exact official form — LP1F for finances, LP1H for health and welfare. Names must match legal names, dates of birth must be right, and any preferences or instructions must be wording the OPG will accept.
This is the part our £49 wizard does for you: plain-English questions, eligibility checks as you go, and a completed official-format document at the end.
3. Sign in the correct order
- The donor signs, with a witness.
- The certificate provider signs, after the donor.
- Each attorney and replacement signs, after the certificate provider, each with a witness.
Order is not a formality
Signatures dated out of sequence make the LPA invalid. Everyone has to start again on fresh forms. See the signing order.
4. Register it
Send the signed LPA to the Office of the Public Guardian with the £92 fee or a fee-reduction claim, after sending LP3 notices to anyone you named. There is then a statutory four-week wait before registration. Nobody can use the LPA until the stamped document comes back.
Common questions
How long does the whole thing take?
Completing the forms takes under an hour. Getting everyone to sign depends on your family. Registration itself typically takes a couple of months, including the statutory four-week wait.
Can I do it all online?
You can complete and check everything online, but the signatures must be wet ink on paper and the application is posted to the OPG.
Read next
Ready to make yours?
Answer five quick questions to see whether our service suits you. No account and no payment needed.
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