LPA forms explained

What are the LPA forms?

'LPA forms' usually refers to the official paperwork used to create a Lasting Power of Attorney: mainly the LP1F and LP1H forms, plus a handful of supporting forms for specific situations. They're long, detailed documents, designed to capture exactly who's appointed, what powers they have, and to record the required signatures in a strict order.

This page explains what each form is for and where people commonly go wrong — it isn't a copy of the forms themselves, and we'd always point you to the official government service if you want to see the forms in full. If you'd rather skip the paperwork altogether, you can complete your LPA online instead: answer plain questions, and we turn your answers into the correctly completed document.

LP1F vs LP1H: which form do you need?

These are two entirely separate forms, covering different areas of decision-making. Most people need both.

If you're deciding between the two, it's worth reading how each type of LPA actually works before you start filling anything in — see types of LPA and the difference, or apply for both LPAs at once if you'd rather cover everything in one go.

The other forms in the LPA family

• LP2 — completed by anyone acting as a certificate provider or witness in certain circumstances, though most certificate provider details are captured directly within LP1F/LP1H.
• LP3 — the notice sent to any 'people to notify' the donor has chosen, telling them the LPA is being registered and giving them the chance to raise an objection. See our guide on the LP3 notice form.
• LPA120 — used to apply for a reduction or exemption from the £92 OPG registration fee, based on income or means-tested benefits.
• LPC (continuation sheets) — extra pages used when there isn't enough room on the main form, for example for additional attorneys, replacement attorneys, or people to notify. Missing a required continuation sheet is a very common reason forms are returned — see our guide on continuation sheets.
• OPG forms for changes — separate short forms exist for notifying the OPG of a change of attorney's details, or for revoking an LPA entirely.

Information you need before you start

Whichever route you use to complete the forms, gathering this information first will make the process far quicker:

• Your own full name, address, date of birth and (if you have one) NI number as the donor.
• Full names and addresses of each attorney you want to appoint.
• Full names and addresses of any replacement attorneys.
• How you want attorneys to act — jointly, jointly and severally, or a mix (see jointly or jointly and severally).
• Your chosen certificate provider's details, and confirmation they meet the independence rules.
• Anyone you want notified when the LPA is registered.
• Any preferences (non-binding wishes) or instructions (binding restrictions) you want to add.

This is exactly the information we ask for, one plain-English question at a time, when you apply for your LPA online — no legal jargon, and you can save your progress from your LPA dashboard and come back to it.

How the signing sections work

The signing sections must be completed in a strict order, because each signature depends on the one before it having already been made:

1. The donor signs and dates the form first, confirming they want to make the LPA.
2. The certificate provider signs next, confirming the donor understands the LPA and isn't under pressure.
3. Each attorney (and any replacement attorney) signs after that, confirming they accept the role.
4. Every signature must be independently witnessed, with the witness also signing and dating the form.

How registration works and what the OPG checks

Once signed, the LPA is sent to the Office of the Public Guardian for registration, along with the £92 fee per LPA. The OPG checks that the form has been fully and correctly completed, that signatures appear in the right order with valid dates, and that any people to notify have had the required waiting period to raise concerns. It does not assess whether your choice of attorney is sensible — that responsibility sits with you. Registration typically takes around 8 weeks, including a 4-week statutory waiting period. Read more in our guide to registering an LPA with the OPG.

Mistakes that get forms returned

We can't promise the OPG will never raise a query on any application, but we do check every LPA we help prepare for these common completion errors before you print and sign.

A simpler way to complete your LPA

Instead of downloading the official forms and working through them line by line, you can answer a series of straightforward questions on our platform — about you, your attorneys, and how you want decisions made — and we turn those answers into correctly formatted, ready-to-sign documents. It costs £49 for one LPA or £79 for both, on top of the OPG's own £92 registration fee per LPA, which is always paid separately.

You still sign on paper and post the registration to the OPG yourself, exactly as you would with the official forms — we just take the guesswork out of filling them in correctly. See how it works or apply for your LPA online to get started.