Digital accounts and your LPA
Guidance from Estate Advisory Group
An LPA gives you authority over the donor's affairs. It does not give you their passwords, and terms of service often forbid using them.
The rule of thumb
Deal with each provider as attorney rather than logging in as the donor. Banks, mobile networks and utilities all have attorney routes. Using the donor's credentials breaches the terms, muddles the audit trail and can look like fraud even where you are acting honestly.
What you can usually arrange
- Attorney access to online banking and paperless statements.
- Redirection of email correspondence to you where the provider allows it.
- Cancellation of subscriptions and app store payments through the provider.
- Closure of accounts holding the donor's money, into an account in their name.
Plan for it when you make the LPA
Keep a sealed list, not a clause
Do not put passwords in the LPA — it is a public document once registered. Keep a separate written list of providers and account numbers, stored with the LPA, and update it yearly.
Common questions
Can I access the donor's cryptocurrency?
Only if you hold the keys. Without them no legal authority can recover the asset — record their existence and location while the donor still can.
Can I read the donor's emails?
Only where necessary for decisions you are making as attorney, and preferably through a provider-approved route.
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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