Can I make an LPA for my mum or dad?
No — but they can, and you can help with everything except the deciding and the signing. The single rule that governs this is capacity: they must be able to understand the decision at the time they make it.
Make your LPA online for £49
Answer simple questions. We prepare your LPA documents from your answers, ready for the next steps.
- £49 per LPA, or £79 for both types
- No solicitor required for straightforward LPAs
- Plain English questions, one screen at a time
- Save your progress and come back to it
- Checked for common completion errors as you go
- Review everything before you pay
The Office of the Public Guardian charges a separate £92 to register each LPA.
Is an LPA still possible for your relative?
Only the person themselves can make an LPA, and only while they have mental capacity. Start here.
They have capacity and want to make one
You can help with every part of the paperwork. They make the decisions and sign.
You are not sure whether they have capacity
Capacity is decision-specific and a diagnosis alone does not settle it. Read how it is judged before you spend anything.
They have already lost capacity
An LPA can no longer be made — not by us and not by anyone else. The route is a deputyship application to the Court of Protection.
What capacity means here
Under the Mental Capacity Act, a person has capacity for this decision if they can understand the relevant information, retain it long enough to decide, weigh it up, and communicate their decision. It is judged for this decision, at this moment — not as a general label.
- A diagnosis of dementia does not by itself mean capacity is lost.
- Capacity can fluctuate; a good day counts.
- The certificate provider confirms understanding as part of signing.
- If there is genuine doubt, a formal capacity assessment from a GP or specialist is the right step before spending anything.
If capacity has gone
An LPA is no longer possible
No service, ours included, can create a valid LPA for someone who has lost capacity. Apply to the Court of Protection to become a deputy instead. Do not pay anyone who tells you otherwise.
The difference between helping and deciding
| Task | Who does it |
|---|---|
| Choosing the attorneys | Your parent, alone |
| Deciding jointly vs jointly and severally | Your parent, alone |
| Typing the answers into the form | You, if your parent asks you to |
| Finding a certificate provider | You can arrange this |
| Signing section 9 | Your parent, in their own hand or by mark with witnesses |
| Posting the form and paying the OPG fee | You can do this |
A worked example
Robert's mother had a mixed dementia diagnosis eighteen months earlier but still managed her own bills and knew exactly who she wanted acting for her. Robert booked a GP appointment to get a short capacity assessment in writing before starting, then completed the LPA with his mother the following week. The written assessment was not required by the OPG, but it gave the family confidence the document would hold up if ever questioned.
Common questions
Who decides if my parent has capacity?
There is no single gatekeeper. The certificate provider forms a view as part of signing, and if there is doubt, a GP or other professional can carry out a formal capacity assessment. There is no register of capacity decisions to check in advance.
My parent has good days and bad days. Which counts?
A good day counts. Capacity is assessed at the time the decision is made, so an LPA signed on a lucid day is valid even if capacity fluctuates on other days.
Can a family member act as the certificate provider?
No. The certificate provider must not be a relative of the donor or of any attorney, and must either have known the donor for at least two years or have relevant professional skills, such as a GP or solicitor.
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.
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 Lasting Powers of Attorney in England and Wales. We are not a law firm and this is not legal advice about your situation. What we do and do not do.