Is an LPA worth it?
Guidance from Estate Advisory Group
Written and legally reviewed by Ramani Gill TEP, Solicitor and private client practitioner·Last reviewed 13 August 2026
The honest comparison is not £92 against nothing. It is £92 now against a court application, an annual supervision fee and someone else choosing your decision-maker.
The comparison that matters
| LPA made in advance | Deputyship after capacity is lost | |
|---|---|---|
| Up-front cost | £92 per document plus preparation | Court fee, capacity assessment, often a bond |
| Ongoing cost | None | Annual supervision fee, annual reporting |
| Timescale | Weeks | Commonly several months |
| Who is appointed | Your choice | The court's choice |
| Oversight | Light | Annual accounts to the OPG |
When it is clearly worth it
- You own a home, especially jointly.
- You have a spouse or children who would have to manage your affairs.
- There is any family history of dementia or stroke.
- You live alone, or your family is spread out.
When you might reasonably wait
If you are young, single, renting and hold few assets, the urgency is lower — though capacity can be lost at any age through accident or illness, which is why the average age of donors is falling. What you should not do is wait until there is a reason, because by then it may be too late.
Worked example
Graham, 58, put off making an LPA for years, thinking it was something for much older people. After a stroke left him unable to manage his bank accounts, his wife Denise discovered she could not access their joint mortgage account beyond routine payments, because the bank required proof of authority for anything unusual. With no LPA in place, Denise had to apply to the Court of Protection to be appointed deputy — a process that took several months, cost several hundred pounds in court fees alone, and required her to file annual accounts to the OPG from then on. Had Graham spent £49 and £92 the year before, Denise would simply have used the registered LPA the day it was needed.
The cost only looks small in hindsight
£92 feels like an easy thing to defer. Families rarely regret making an LPA. They do sometimes regret the months it took to get authority without one.
What 'worth it' does not mean
An LPA is not a guarantee against family disagreement, and it does not replace a will — it stops working the moment you die, whereas a will only takes effect then. It is also not a way to avoid care fees or protect assets from being assessed for means-tested care; anyone suggesting an LPA does this is describing something else entirely. Judged for what it actually is — the right to nominate who steps in if you cannot manage your own affairs — the cost is modest against the alternative.
How to think about the decision
A useful way to frame it: an LPA is not really a £92 or £141 purchase. It is the price of keeping a decision — who manages your money and who is consulted about your care — inside your own family rather than handing it to a court. Most people who make one do so not because something has gone wrong, but precisely because nothing has yet, and they would like to keep it that way.
If cost is genuinely the barrier rather than time or inertia, check whether you qualify for a fee exemption or remission before deciding to put it off altogether.
The emotional cost, not just the financial one
Families under stress during a health crisis often describe the paperwork of deputyship as adding to an already difficult time, at exactly the point they have the least capacity to deal with it. An LPA made calmly in advance moves that administrative burden to a moment when nobody is in crisis, which is arguably worth as much as the money saved.
Common questions
Does an LPA expire?
No. Once registered it lasts until you revoke it or die, so the cost is one-off.
What if my attorneys never need to use it?
That is the good outcome. It is insurance: the value is in it existing, not in it being used.
Is it worth making an LPA if I already have a will?
Yes — they cover different things. A will only takes effect after death; an LPA only works while you are alive but unable to act for yourself. Most people need both.
Is £141 for one LPA a reasonable amount to spend?
Compared with a Court of Protection deputyship, which typically costs several hundred pounds up front plus an annual supervision fee, yes. See what happens without an LPA for the full comparison.
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