Can I make my own LPA?
Yes. Anyone aged 18 or over with mental capacity can make their own LPA. The risk is not permission — it is completion errors, which are the usual reason the Office of the Public Guardian sends an application back for correction.
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.
The errors that cause rejections
- Signing out of order — the certificate provider must sign after the donor and before the attorneys.
- A witness who is also an attorney, or the donor witnessing an attorney's signature.
- A certificate provider who is a relative of the donor or an attorney.
- Instructions that contradict the way attorneys were appointed.
- Blank boxes, missing dates, or initials missing from a correction.
We check for these as you answer, which is the main practical difference between doing it entirely alone and doing it here.
Three ways to make your own LPA
| Route | Cost | Who catches the errors above |
|---|---|---|
| Blank forms from GOV.UK | £0 (plus £92 to register) | You, entirely |
| Guided online, us | £49-£79 (plus £92 to register) | You, with checks built into the questions |
| Solicitor | £300-£800+ (plus £92 to register) | The solicitor |
What we cannot do
We cannot tell you whether your choice of attorney is wise, assess anyone's capacity, or advise on your circumstances. That is legal advice and we are not a law firm — see what we do and do not do. What we can do is stop the paperwork mistakes that have nothing to do with judgement and everything to do with process.
If you decide to go fully alone
- Read the notes that accompany the official LP1F or LP1H form in full before you start writing on it.
- Photocopy the blank form and do a draft first — corrections on the real form must be initialled and can look untidy.
- Confirm your chosen certificate provider is eligible before you ask them, not after.
- Double-check the signing order against the form's own instructions rather than relying on memory.
Signing order for a homemade LPA
- Donor signs first, witnessed.
- Certificate provider signs next.
- Attorneys and replacements sign after that, each witnessed.
- The person registering signs last.
Cost of making your own LPA
| Route | Preparation cost | OPG fee |
|---|---|---|
| Entirely alone, blank GOV.UK forms | £0 | £92 per document |
| Guided online, checked as you go | £49 one, £79 both | £92 per document |
Both routes are legitimate ways to make your own LPA — the difference is entirely in how much checking happens before you sign, not in whether the resulting document is valid.
A worked example
Derek, 66, decides to make his own LP1F entirely from the GOV.UK blank form. He reads the notes carefully, drafts on a photocopy first, and asks his sister to check his final version before he signs. He avoids all of the common errors, signs in the correct order with his GP as certificate provider, and registers successfully first time, paying only the £92 fee. His outcome shows that going fully alone can work well when you are careful and methodical — the risk is not certainty of failure, it is the chance of an easily avoidable mistake.
Common questions
Can I make my own LPA if I have a health condition affecting memory?
Yes, as long as you have the mental capacity to understand and make the decision at the time of signing. A certificate provider's role is partly to confirm this.
Is there a limit on how many times I can amend a draft before submitting?
No, but once the final form is signed, corrections must be made properly (initialled) or the form should be redone rather than heavily amended.
What if I make a mistake on the physical form?
Minor corrections can be made by crossing out and initialling the change; anything more than a couple of small corrections is usually better resolved by printing a fresh form.
Can my spouse witness my signature?
Yes, a spouse can act as a witness, but they cannot also act as the certificate provider if they are a relative for that purpose, and they cannot witness their own signature if they are also an attorney.
Read next
Where this fits
This page is part of LPA costs and fees. The pages below take it further.
- What an LPA costs in 2026
Our £49 and £79 prices, the £92 OPG registration fee, and solicitor comparisons.
- Solicitor, GOV.UK or online?
An honest comparison, including when you genuinely should pay a solicitor.
See the full cost before you commit
£49 per LPA, £79 for both, plus the £92 the Office of the Public Guardian charges to register each one.
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.