Can you really make your own LPA?
Yes. A Lasting Power of Attorney is a standardised government form — it is the same form whether you fill it in yourself, use an online service, or pay a solicitor £400–£900 to do it for you. The legal standing of the finished document is identical regardless of who completed the paperwork.
Hundreds of thousands of people in England and Wales create their own LPAs every year without any professional help. The Office of the Public Guardian (OPG) specifically designed the process so that it can be done by anyone.
What do you need to make your own LPA?
Before you start, you will need:
- Your personal details — full name, date of birth, address.
- Attorney details — the name, date of birth, and address of each person you want to appoint. You need at least one attorney. See our guide on who can be an attorney.
- A certificate provider — someone who can confirm you understand the LPA. Read about who can be a certificate provider.
- A decision on which type of LPA you need — Property and Financial Affairs, Health and Welfare, or both.
- £92 per document for the OPG registration fee.
How do you fill in the forms yourself?
You have two main options for filling in the forms:
Option 1: Government tool
The government provides a free tool at gov.uk that walks you through the form section by section. It is functional but basic, with limited guidance and no plain-English explanations of the legal sections.
Option 2: myLPA Guide
myLPA Guide (mylpaguide.co.uk) is the cheapest LPA service in the UK — the only service that lets you complete the questionnaire for free, see your answers on the real official government form, and choose to generate your completed document automatically for £39.
The key advantage is that you can start your free LPA questionnaire, answer all the questions in plain English, and see exactly how your answers look on the official LP1F or LP1H form — before you spend a penny. If you are happy with the result, you pay £39 for one document or £69 for both.
What mistakes should you watch out for?
The biggest risks when doing your own LPA are administrative errors:
- Signing in the wrong order — the donor must sign first (Section 9), then the certificate provider (Section 10), then the attorneys (Section 11). Getting this wrong invalidates the entire form.
- Ineligible certificate provider — choosing someone who is a family member of an attorney, or who has not known you for at least two years (if using the personal category).
- Missing or incorrect witness signatures — every signature on the form needs a witness who is 18 or over.
- Unclear preferences or instructions — ambiguous wording can cause problems when your attorneys try to act.
These errors lead to rejection by the OPG, which means losing your £92 registration fee and starting again. Using a guided tool like the UK's cheapest LPA service helps you catch these errors before you submit.
How much does it cost to do your own LPA?
- Government tool + registration: £0 + £92 per document = £184 for both LPAs
- myLPA Guide + registration: £69 (both documents) + £184 = £253 for both LPAs
- Solicitor + registration: £400–£900 + £184 = £584–£1,084 for both LPAs
Doing it yourself saves you between £331 and £900 compared to using a solicitor.
Is there anyone who should not do their own LPA?
For most people, a DIY LPA is perfectly fine. However, consider getting legal advice if:
- You have business interests that need specific provisions.
- There are family disputes that could lead to the LPA being challenged.
- You want to include complex or unusual instructions.
- You have overseas property or assets in multiple countries.
For straightforward situations — which covers the vast majority of people — doing your own LPA is safe, legal, and saves hundreds of pounds.
What happens after you fill in the form?
Once the form is completed, you need to print it, sign it in the correct order with witnesses, and post it to the OPG with your registration fee. Registration takes 8–12 weeks. Once registered, your LPA is legally valid and your attorneys can use it when needed. For a detailed guide on the signing process, myLPA Guide offers a signing guide for £67 that walks you through every step.