What is a Lasting Power of Attorney?

A Lasting Power of Attorney (LPA) is a legal document that lets you choose someone you trust to make decisions on your behalf, if you ever become unable to make them yourself. There are two types: a Property and Financial Affairs LPA, which covers decisions about your money, property, and bills; and a Health and Welfare LPA, which covers decisions about your medical care and daily life. You must be 18 or over and have mental capacity to make an LPA. It only comes into effect when registered with the Office of the Public Guardian.

How much does an LPA cost?

The questionnaire is completely free. Seeing your completed document is free. If you want us to generate your completed, checked document and email it to you — that is £39 per document, or £69 for both. Optional extras like our signing guide (£67) and print and post service (£25) are just that — optional. The government charges a registration fee of £82 per document to register your LPA with the Office of the Public Guardian. This is paid directly to them, not to us, and is the same regardless of who helps you with your LPA. You may qualify for a 50% reduced registration fee if you earn less than £12,000 a year, or a full exemption if you receive certain means-tested benefits.

Can I do an LPA without a solicitor?

Yes — completely. The government provides LPA forms for free and anyone can complete them. Solicitors charge £400-£900 to fill in the same free forms. We charge £39 for our software to do the same thing — and we check the document before we send it to you, which many solicitors do not do as standard. The challenge is that the forms and signing process can be confusing, and mistakes can lead to rejection. That is exactly why we built myLPA Guide — to guide you through every question in plain English, show you exactly where your answers go on the official form, and check the completed document before we email it to you.

What happens if my LPA gets rejected?

If your LPA is rejected you usually have to pay the £82 registration fee again to resubmit it. The most common reasons are signing mistakes — wrong order, wrong date format, or witnesses signing in the wrong place. Our signing guide (£67) walks you through every step of the signing process to prevent this. We also check every document we generate before emailing it to you. Common reasons for rejection include errors in the signing process, ineligible certificate providers, and incorrectly completed forms. The OPG rejects thousands of applications every year. Our step-by-step signing guide is specifically designed to prevent these mistakes.

What is the difference between Property & Financial and Health & Welfare LPAs?

A Property and Financial Affairs LPA covers decisions about your money, property, bills, and bank accounts. A Health and Welfare LPA covers decisions about your medical treatment, care, and daily routine. Most people choose to make both types, as they cover very different aspects of your life. Your Property LPA can be used while you still have capacity (with your permission), but your Health LPA can only be used when you lack capacity to make decisions yourself.

How long does an LPA take to register?

Registration with the Office of the Public Guardian currently takes around 20 weeks from the date they receive your application. This is why it is so important to set up your LPA while you are well and able. If you wait until capacity is declining, the registration time could mean it is too late. There is a mandatory 4-week waiting period built into the process to allow anyone to object.

Do I need a certificate provider?

Yes. Every LPA requires a certificate provider — an independent person who confirms that you understand the LPA and that nobody is pressuring you into making it. Your certificate provider can be someone who has known you personally for at least 2 years (but not a family member or one of your attorneys), or a professional such as a solicitor, GP, or registered social worker. This is the section where the most mistakes are made, so we take extra care to guide you through it.

What is the signing process for an LPA?

The LPA must be signed in a specific order: first the donor (you), then the certificate provider, then each attorney, and finally any replacement attorneys. Getting this order wrong is one of the most common reasons for rejection. Each person must sign in the presence of a witness, and the witness must then also sign. Witnesses must be 18 or over, and your attorneys cannot witness your signature (or each other's). Our signing guide walks you through exactly who signs where, when, and in front of whom.

Can my spouse and I both make LPAs?

Yes. Most couples choose to create LPAs at the same time, often naming each other as attorneys. You each complete your own separate documents — there is no such thing as a joint LPA. Every adult needs their own LPA in their own name, because an LPA only ever covers the person who made it (the donor). Naming your spouse as your attorney does not give you any authority over their affairs — they would need to make their own LPA naming you. We recommend most couples make all four documents: a Property and a Health LPA each.

Is myLPA a legal service?

No. myLPA Guide is a document preparation and software service. We are not a law firm and we do not provide legal advice. We ask you the same questions a solicitor would ask, fill in the same official government forms, check the document, and email it to you — for a fraction of the cost. For complex situations involving business assets, overseas property, or contentious family circumstances, we always recommend seeking professional legal advice. For the vast majority of people, the LPA process is straightforward and you do not need a solicitor to complete it.

How long does it take to fill in an LPA form?

Most people can complete the form in 15–30 minutes per LPA type. The preferences and instructions section and coordinating signatures may take additional time.

Can I fill in the form online and print it?

Yes. Both the government tool and myLPA Guide let you complete the form online and then print it for signing. The forms still need physical (wet) signatures.

What happens if I leave a section blank?

Some sections are optional (like replacement attorneys and people to notify). Mandatory sections left blank will result in rejection. An online tool will flag any missing required fields.

Can I use the continuation sheets?

Yes. If you run out of space for preferences, instructions, or additional attorneys, you can use the official continuation sheets (available from gov.uk). Reference which section the continuation relates to.

Do I need to fill in the form in black ink?

The OPG recommends using black ink for paper forms as it photocopies more clearly. Blue ink is acceptable but black is preferred.

Can someone else fill in the form on my behalf?

Yes, someone can physically fill in the form for you (for example, if you have difficulty writing). However, you must be the one who directs the answers and signs the form yourself.

How to Fill In LPA Forms — Section-by-Section Walkthrough

How do you start filling in an LPA form?

Before you pick up a pen (or open an online tool), make sure you have gathered all the information you need:

Your full legal name, date of birth, and current address
The same details for each attorney and replacement attorney
Your certificate provider's details and their category (personal acquaintance or professional)
Details of anyone you want to notify when the LPA is registered
Any specific preferences or instructions you want to include

You can fill in the forms by hand on printed paper forms, use the government's free online tool, or use a guided service like myLPA Guide.

Section 1: The donor

This is the simplest section — it asks for your personal details. Enter your full legal name (as it appears on official documents), your date of birth, and your address. If you have a different name from what appears on your ID, include both to avoid confusion later.

Section 2: Your attorneys

Here you name each person you are appointing as an attorney. For each one, you need their full name, date of birth, and address. You can appoint one attorney or several. If you are not sure who to choose, read our guide on how to choose your attorneys.

Section 3: Replacement attorneys

Replacement attorneys step in if an original attorney can no longer act. This section is optional but strongly recommended. You provide the same details as for your main attorneys. Without replacement attorneys, your LPA could become unusable if one of your jointly-appointed attorneys dies or loses capacity.

Section 4: How should your attorneys make decisions?

This section is critical if you have more than one attorney. You choose between:

Jointly — they must all agree on every decision. If one cannot act, the LPA stops working (unless you have replacements).
Jointly and severally — they can act together or independently. The most flexible and common choice.
Jointly for some decisions, jointly and severally for others — you specify which decisions require agreement. This needs careful wording.

Section 5: When can the LPA be used? (LP1F) / Life-sustaining treatment (LP1H)

For the LP1F, you choose whether your attorneys can act while you still have mental capacity (with your consent) or only when you lose capacity.

For the LP1H, this section asks the important question of whether you want your attorneys to have the power to make decisions about life-sustaining treatment. This includes decisions about turning off life support. Take time to think carefully about this section and discuss it with your attorneys.

Section 6: Preferences and instructions

This is the section that requires the most thought. You can add:

Preferences — wishes your attorneys should consider but are not legally bound to follow. Example: "I would prefer to remain in my own home for as long as possible."
Instructions — legally binding requirements your attorneys must follow. Example: "My attorneys must not sell my main residence without the agreement of all attorneys."

Be careful with instructions — if they are too restrictive, unclear, or contradictory, they can cause problems. The OPG may also reject the form if instructions conflict with the law.

Section 7: People to notify

You can name up to five people who will be told when the LPA is registered. They then have four weeks to raise any concerns with the OPG. This is an optional but recommended safeguard. These people do not need to be involved in the creation of the LPA.

Section 8: Registration fee

The registration fee is £92 per LPA document. You can pay by cheque (included with the form) or online. If you are on certain benefits or have a low income, you may qualify for an exemption or remission.

Section 9: Donor signature

This is where you sign the LPA. You must sign in the presence of a witness who is aged 18 or over. Your witness cannot be one of your attorneys. The witness must also sign and provide their name and address. This section must be signed before any other signature section.

Section 10: Certificate provider

Your certificate provider reads the completed form, speaks with you privately, and then signs this section. They confirm that you understand the LPA and are not being pressured. They must sign after you (Section 9) but before the attorneys (Section 11).

Section 11: Attorney signatures

Each attorney signs this section, each with their own witness. Attorneys can sign on the same day or different days, but always after the certificate provider has signed Section 10.

How can you avoid mistakes when filling in the form?

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.

When you complete your LPA questionnaire free, the system maps your plain-English answers onto the correct sections of the official form. You can review everything before you generate the final document, which dramatically reduces the chance of errors that could lead to rejection and a lost £92 fee.

What if you make a mistake on the paper form?

If you are filling in a paper form and make an error, do not use correction fluid (Tipp-Ex). Instead, cross out the error with a single line, write the correction nearby, and have the donor initial the correction. The witness should also initial it. If there are too many corrections, it is better to reprint and start that page again.