How many attorneys can I appoint?
There is no legal limit. The form has space for four attorneys, and more can be added on a continuation sheet. In practice two, with one or two replacements, works best for almost everyone.
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Answer simple questions. We prepare your LPA documents from your answers, ready for the next steps.
- £49 per LPA, or £79 for both types
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The Office of the Public Guardian charges a separate £92 to register each LPA.
What each number means in practice
| Attorneys | Effect |
|---|---|
| One | Simple and fast; no cover if they cannot act, so name a replacement |
| Two | Cover plus a check on each other — the usual choice |
| Three or four | Harder to coordinate, especially if appointed jointly |
| More than four | Continuation sheet needed; banks find it cumbersome |
The number matters far less than the appointment type. Two attorneys appointed jointly and severally are more resilient than four appointed jointly, because any one of the two can act while all four would need to agree and sign together.
Replacements are separate
Replacement attorneys only step in when an original can no longer act. They do not count towards the four spaces for original attorneys, and adding them costs nothing.
Worked example: one attorney versus a panel
David, a widower with no children, initially considers naming his four nephews and nieces as attorneys jointly, reasoning that more oversight is safer. In practice this means every payment from his account and every care decision would require all four signatures — difficult if one is travelling or simply slow to reply. He instead names two of them, jointly and severally, with the other two as replacements. Either of the two active attorneys can act immediately, and the arrangement still involves all four family members, just with a clearer division of who acts now and who steps in later.
When more than two might make sense
- A complex estate with a business, rental property and investments, where different attorneys bring different skills.
- A donor who wants family, a solicitor and an accountant each covering a different area, split across sensible groupings.
- A donor with no close family, spreading responsibility across several trusted friends rather than relying on one.
The practical ceiling in detail
The LP1F and LP1H forms each provide space for four attorneys and up to four replacement attorneys without extra paperwork. Go beyond four original attorneys and you need to complete a continuation sheet, which the OPG accepts but which adds another document to check, sign and keep with the original. It is not a legal barrier — the OPG will register an LPA with more than four attorneys — but it does add administrative weight at every later stage: more signatures needed on the LPA itself, more ID checks when banks register the attorneys, and more people who each need to be told what is expected of them.
| Number of attorneys | Signatures needed if jointly | Signatures needed if jointly and severally |
|---|---|---|
| One | One | One |
| Two | Two, every time | One, from whichever attorney is acting |
| Four | Four, every time | One, from whichever attorney is acting |
| Six (continuation sheet) | Six, every time — rarely practical | One, from whichever attorney is acting |
This table is why the appointment type matters more than the headcount. A jointly and severally appointment barely gets harder to run as the number of attorneys grows, because only one signature is ever needed for a given transaction. A joint appointment gets harder with every additional name, because every one of them has to sign every time — a real problem if any of them travels, is unwell, or is simply slow to reply.
What actually goes wrong on the form
- Naming more attorneys than the donor can realistically keep informed, so decisions stall while people are chased for signatures.
- Appointing a large group jointly to seem fair, without naming any replacements, so the whole appointment is at risk if just one person cannot act.
- Forgetting that replacement attorneys are unlimited and free to add, and instead trying to squeeze extra people in as original attorneys.
- Leaving the continuation sheet incomplete or unsigned when more than four attorneys are named, which the OPG will query and return.
Common questions
Do I need the same number of attorneys on both LPAs?
No. You can appoint different numbers and different people on the financial and health LPAs.
Does appointing more attorneys cost more?
No. Our price is £49 for one LPA or £79 for both, regardless of how many attorneys or replacements you name. The OPG's £92 registration fee is charged per document, not per attorney.
Is there a minimum number of attorneys?
One. A sole attorney is entirely valid, though naming a replacement is strongly advisable — see should I appoint a replacement attorney.
What happens if I need more than four attorneys?
You complete a continuation sheet, available from the Office of the Public Guardian, and attach it to the LPA. It is accepted without issue, but it is another document to get right, so most people only go beyond four if there is a genuine reason to spread the role that widely.
Read next
Where this fits
This page is part of Attorneys and certificate providers. The pages below take it further.
- Make an LPA online
The whole journey end to end: questions, documents, signing and registration.
- The LPA forms explained
LP1F, LP1H and LP3 — what each section asks and where people go wrong.
Making your own LPA?
Name your attorneys, set how they must decide together, and we prepare the forms for £49.
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.