Why parents of young children need LPAs
Guidance from Estate Advisory Group
Written and legally reviewed by Ramani Gill TEP, Solicitor and private client practitioner·Last reviewed 13 August 2026
An LPA is not an old age document. For a household with a mortgage and childcare bills, it is income continuity.
What is at stake
- Mortgage and bills paid from a sole account that would be frozen.
- Access to savings for childcare and school costs.
- Dealing with insurers on an income protection or critical illness claim.
- Consenting to or refusing treatment on your behalf.
The joint account trap
Couples often assume a joint account solves it. Banks can restrict a joint account when one holder loses capacity, and salary paid into a sole account is unreachable either way. See LPA and joint bank accounts.
Do it alongside the will
Most parents make a will for guardianship. The LPA is the living equivalent and takes about the same time.
How to set it up
- Each parent makes both LPAs.
- Appoint each other, with a sibling or parent as replacement.
- Choose jointly and severally so either can act alone.
- Total: £79 each with us, plus £92 per LPA to the OPG.
Common questions
Is it not too early in our thirties?
Capacity is lost through accident and illness as well as age. Making an LPA early costs the same and lasts until you cancel it.
Does an LPA cover decisions about my children?
No. It covers your own affairs. Guardianship of children is dealt with in your will.
Read next
Where this fits
This page is part of Parents, couples and capacity. The pages below take it further.
- Make an LPA online
The whole journey end to end: questions, documents, signing and registration.
- What an LPA costs in 2026
Our £49 and £79 prices, the £92 OPG registration fee, and solicitor comparisons.
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
Helping a parent or partner?
They make the decisions and sign, you can do all the paperwork. Start with the free capacity check.
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