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 set up an LPA?

Filling in the forms takes 15–30 minutes per LPA. Coordinating signatures may take a few days. Registration with the OPG takes 8–12 weeks.

Do I need both types of LPA?

It is recommended. A Property and Financial Affairs LPA covers your finances, while a Health and Welfare LPA covers medical and care decisions. Without both, there may be gaps in coverage.

Can I set up an LPA online?

Yes. You can use the government's free online tool or a service like myLPA Guide to complete your LPA forms digitally. The forms still need to be printed and signed by hand.

What happens if I sign the LPA in the wrong order?

The OPG will reject your application. The donor must sign first, then the certificate provider, then the attorneys. Getting this wrong means starting over and paying the registration fee again.

Can I change my LPA after it is registered?

No. Once an LPA is registered, it cannot be amended. You would need to revoke the existing LPA and create a new one.

Do my attorneys have to live in the UK?

No, there is no residency requirement for attorneys. However, they need to be practically available to act on your behalf, so appointing someone who lives abroad may cause delays.

How to Set Up a Lasting Power of Attorney — Step-by-Step 2026 Guide

What is a Lasting Power of Attorney?

A Lasting Power of Attorney (LPA) is a legal document that lets you choose someone you trust — called an "attorney" — to make decisions on your behalf. This can cover financial decisions, health decisions, or both, depending on which type of LPA you set up.

It is one of the most important legal documents you can create, because without one, your family may have to go through an expensive and lengthy court process (called deputyship) if you ever lose the ability to make decisions for yourself. You can learn more about this at gov.uk/power-of-attorney.

What are the two types of LPA?

There are two separate LPA documents, each covering different decisions:

Property and Financial Affairs LPA (LP1F) — covers decisions about your money, property, bills, investments, and bank accounts. This can be used while you still have mental capacity (with your permission) or if you lose capacity.
Health and Welfare LPA (LP1H) — covers decisions about your medical treatment, care, daily routine, and where you live. This can only be used if you lose mental capacity.

Most people choose to set up both. Read our detailed guides on Property and Financial Affairs LPA and Health and Welfare LPA for more information.

Who do you need to involve?

Attorneys

Your attorneys are the people who will make decisions on your behalf. They must be 18 or over, and for a Property and Financial Affairs LPA they must not be bankrupt. You can appoint one attorney or several. If you appoint more than one, you need to decide whether they act "jointly" (all must agree), "jointly and severally" (they can act together or independently), or a combination of both.

Replacement attorneys

These are backup attorneys who step in if one of your original attorneys can no longer act. Appointing replacement attorneys is optional but strongly recommended.

Certificate provider

A certificate provider is an independent person who confirms that you understand the LPA and are not being pressured into making it. They must be either someone who has known you well for at least two years, or a professional such as a doctor, solicitor, or social worker. Read more about who can be a certificate provider.

People to notify

You can optionally name up to five people who will be told when you apply to register your LPA. This gives them a chance to raise concerns. This is not mandatory but adds a safeguard.

How do you fill in the LPA forms?

You have three options for filling in the forms:

Government online tool — free but offers limited guidance.
myLPA Guide — a guided questionnaire that shows your answers on the real official form.
Paper forms — you can download and fill in the LP1F or LP1H forms by hand.

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.

What is the correct signing order?

The signing order is critical — getting it wrong will invalidate your LPA. The sections must be signed in this exact sequence:

Section 9 (Donor signature) — You sign first, in the presence of a witness.
Section 10 (Certificate provider) — Your certificate provider signs next.
Section 11 (Attorney signatures) — Each attorney signs, each with their own witness.

The certificate provider and attorneys can sign on the same day as the donor, or on a later date — but never before the donor. Similarly, attorneys cannot sign before the certificate provider.

How do you register your LPA?

Once all sections are signed, you send the completed form to the Office of the Public Guardian along with the £92 registration fee. You can pay by cheque or online. Registration typically takes 8–12 weeks. During this time, anyone you named in the "people to notify" section will be contacted and given a chance to object.

Your LPA is not legally valid until it has been registered. You can start your free LPA questionnaire today and have your documents ready to submit within days.

How much does it cost to set up an LPA?

The cost depends on which route you choose:

DIY with government tool: £92 per document (registration fee only).
myLPA Guide: £39 per document + £92 registration fee = £131 per document, or £69 for both documents + £184 registration = £253 total.
Solicitor: £400–£900 + £184 registration = £584–£1,084 total for both.

What additional services are available?

myLPA Guide also offers a signing guide for £67, which walks you and your attorneys through the signing process step by step, and a print-and-post service for £25 if you do not have access to a printer.