Is an LPA worth it if you have little money?
Guidance from Estate Advisory Group
Written and legally reviewed by Ramani Gill TEP, Solicitor and private client practitioner·Last reviewed 13 August 2026
Yes — usually more so. Frozen accounts are a bigger problem when there is no cushion.
What goes wrong without one
- A frozen current account means the rent and energy bills stop being paid within weeks.
- Benefits can be suspended until an appointee is arranged.
- A deputyship application costs far more than an LPA, and takes months. See what happens without an LPA.
- Family end up paying out of their own pockets with no way to be reimbursed.
Keeping the cost down
The OPG fee is £92 per LPA, but it is halved on a low income and waived entirely on certain means-tested benefits — see fee exemption and remission. Our fee is £49 for one LPA or £79 for both, and you see the full price on choose your LPA before paying anything.
Which one to make first
Usually the financial one
Property and financial affairs is what banks, landlords and the DWP need. Health and welfare matters most where care decisions are likely. See the difference between the two types.
A worked example
Consider Wayne, who lives alone on Universal Credit and Personal Independence Payment, with no savings and rent arrears he is slowly clearing. When a fall leaves him temporarily unable to manage his own affairs, his sister Donna cannot get into his current account to pay the rent or top up his gas meter, because the bank freezes it as soon as it learns he lacks capacity and no LPA is registered. Donna has to apply to the Court of Protection to be appointed deputy, a process that takes several months and costs several hundred pounds in fees, during which the rent arrears grow and the gas is nearly cut off. Had Wayne made a property and financial affairs LPA while he was well — for a reduced OPG fee given his income — Donna could have stepped in within days.
Debt does not disappear
Becoming an attorney does not wipe the slate clean, and it does not make the attorney responsible for paying off the donor's debts from their own pocket. The attorney's job is to manage the donor's money and correspondence sensibly, using whatever income and assets the donor actually has.
- An attorney does not become personally liable for the donor's debts by acting for them.
- Existing debts, arrears and repayment plans continue and should be managed from the donor's own money, not the attorney's.
- An attorney can negotiate with creditors, request payment holidays and check whether a debt is enforceable, in the donor's best interests.
- If debts genuinely cannot be paid, an attorney can seek free debt advice on the donor's behalf, for example through StepChange or a local Citizens Advice.
An LPA is not means-tested
Anyone can make an LPA regardless of income or savings. The only means-tested element is the OPG registration fee itself, which can be reduced to £46 or waived entirely — see fee exemption and remission.
Appointeeship is not the same as an LPA
| DWP appointee | Property and financial affairs LPA | |
|---|---|---|
| Covers | Benefits only | All money and property |
| Who chooses | The DWP, after an application | The donor, in advance, while they have capacity |
| Ends when | The DWP reviews or ends it | The donor dies, or revokes it while capable |
| Bank accounts, house sale | Not covered | Covered |
Families sometimes think a DWP appointee is a substitute for an LPA because it feels similar and does not cost anything to arrange. It only ever covers benefit income, not a bank account, a tenancy or a house — which is why so many families end up needing a deputyship application anyway once something wider than benefits needs sorting out.
Common questions
Is there a free way to do this?
Yes — GOV.UK's own service is free apart from the OPG fee. See free LPA options.
Does an LPA affect my benefits?
No. Making one has no effect on entitlement.
Can my attorney be held responsible for my debts?
No. Debts remain the donor's, managed with the donor's own money — an attorney is never personally liable for them.
What if I cannot afford even the reduced OPG fee?
Full remission is available on certain means-tested benefits such as Universal Credit or income-based Jobseeker's Allowance — check the current list on GOV.UK before you apply.
Read next
Where this fits
This page is part of Money, tax and property. The pages below take it further.
- Property & Financial Affairs LPA
The LP1F: money, bills, savings, property and everything a bank will ask for.
- Make an LPA online
The whole journey end to end: questions, documents, signing and registration.
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
Ready to make your LPA?
Choose one LPA or both, then start online for £49 per LPA.
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