Lasting Powers of Attorney – Office of The Public Guardian refund scheme

Yesterday, the Ministry of Justice announced that they will refund those who paid to register their LPAs at the higher rate. This applies to any registrations between 2013 and 2017.

The Office of the Public Guardian (OPG) charge a one off fee for registering a Lasting Power of Attorney. In April 2017, this fee was reduced from £110, to £82 per Lasting Power of Attorney. With millions of pounds of refunds due, hundreds of thousands of people may be entitled to have some money back.

This all relates to the cost of processing the registration. The OPG recently confirmed that, since 2013, it had been charging more than was needed to cover its costs. This means the people who paid the higher fee, may be due the difference back.

Details of how much of a refund someone may be due can be found online (https://www.gov.uk/power-of-attorney-refund).

If you don’t yet have a Lasting Power of Attorney in place and would like more information, contact one of Poole Alcock’s expert Wills and Probate solicitors on 01270 625478. Alternatively you can visit our wills and probate services page here or complete the form linked here and we will call you back.