When does an LPA take effect?
Guidance from Estate Advisory Group
Written and legally reviewed by Ramani Gill TEP, Solicitor and private client practitioner·Last reviewed 13 August 2026
Never before registration. After that it depends on the type — and on a box you ticked on the financial form.
Financial LPAs
- Option A — as soon as it is registered. Attorneys can help while you still have capacity, with your consent. Convenient for online banking, bills and admin.
- Option B — only when you lack capacity. Attorneys cannot act until capacity is lost, which means someone must assess it, and banks will ask for evidence.
Option A does not remove your control: while you have capacity your decisions prevail and you can revoke the LPA at any time.
Health and welfare LPAs
There is no choice here. An LP1H can only be used for a decision the donor cannot make themselves at that moment. Capacity is decision-specific, so an attorney might properly decide about a care home move while the donor still chooses their own meals. See mental capacity explained.
The practical gap
Nothing works in the meantime
Between signing and registration — commonly a couple of months — the LPA has no effect at all. Banks and hospitals will refuse an unregistered document, which is why leaving it until help is needed is a mistake.
Worked example: two donors, two starting points
Margaret ticks Option A on her LP1F, so her son Peter can start paying her care agency invoices and dealing with her bank the moment the LPA is registered, while Margaret still checks and approves what he does. Her neighbour Tom ticks Option B instead, because he wants to keep sole control for as long as possible. Two years later, when Tom is diagnosed with vascular dementia, his daughter has to obtain a letter from his GP confirming he lacks capacity before the bank will let her act — a step Margaret's son never needed.
Table: what triggers each LPA type
| LPA and option | What allows an attorney to act |
|---|---|
| LP1F, Option A | Registration alone — donor's consent expected while they have capacity |
| LP1F, Option B | Registration plus evidence that capacity has been lost for financial decisions |
| LP1H | Registration plus a specific finding that the donor cannot make that particular decision |
Common questions
Can I stop my attorneys using it once registered?
Yes. While you have capacity you can revoke the LPA, and under Option A you can simply withhold consent to any particular act.
Who decides capacity has been lost?
Usually a GP or the professional who needs the decision made. Banks often ask for written confirmation.
Can a financial LPA switch from Option B to Option A later?
No, the choice is fixed at signing and cannot be edited on a registered LPA. Changing it means revoking the LPA and making a new one.
Does a health and welfare LPA ever activate immediately on registration?
No. Even once registered, an attorney under an LP1H can only step in for a decision the donor cannot make themselves at that specific moment.
Read next
Where this fits
This page is part of Registration and using an LPA. The pages below take it further.
- How our service works
The four steps from choosing your LPA to a registered LPA.
- 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