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 often does the OPG reject LPAs?

The OPG does not publish exact rejection rates, but thousands of LPAs are returned or rejected every year due to avoidable errors, particularly signing mistakes and witness issues.

Will I get my £92 fee back if my LPA is rejected?

For minor corrections, the OPG may allow you to fix and resubmit without additional fees. For serious errors requiring a new application, you will typically need to pay the £92 fee again.

How long does it take to find out if my LPA is rejected?

The OPG aims to register LPAs within 8-10 weeks. If there is an issue, you will usually hear within this timeframe. Rejections can add months to the overall process.

Can a solicitor guarantee my LPA won't be rejected?

No. While solicitors reduce the risk of errors, they cannot guarantee acceptance. The signing process involves multiple people and any of them could make a mistake.

What is the biggest mistake people make?

Signing out of order is the single biggest cause of rejection. The donor must sign first, followed by the certificate provider, followed by each attorney.

Can I fix a rejected LPA or do I start from scratch?

It depends on the error. Minor issues like a missing postcode can often be corrected. Serious issues like wrong signing order usually require a completely new LPA.

LPA Rejection Reasons — Why the OPG Rejects LPAs (and How to Avoid It)

Why does the OPG reject LPA applications?

The Office of the Public Guardian (OPG) reviews every Lasting Power of Attorney application before registration. They check that the forms are completed correctly, signed in the right order, and meet all legal requirements. If anything is wrong, the LPA may be returned for correction or rejected outright.

Understanding the common rejection reasons helps you avoid them. For official information, visit GOV.UK.

What are the top rejection reasons?

1. Signing order errors

The LPA must be signed in a specific order: donor first, then certificate provider, then attorneys. If the dates show that someone signed out of order, the LPA is invalid. This is the most common reason for rejection. See our LPA signing mistakes guide for details.

2. Invalid or missing witnesses

Every signature needs a witness. Common problems include:

No witness signature alongside the donor or attorney signature.
The donor's witness being one of the attorneys (not allowed).
The witness not providing their full name and address.
The witness being under 18.

3. Certificate provider issues

The certificate provider must be either a professional (solicitor, doctor, etc.) or someone who has known the donor personally for at least two years. They cannot be a family member of the donor, an attorney, or a family member of an attorney. Failure to meet these requirements invalidates the LPA.

4. Incomplete or incorrect personal details

Every person named in the LPA must have their full legal name, date of birth (where required), and complete address including postcode. Missing flat numbers, old addresses, or incomplete names cause rejections.

5. Contradictory or unlawful instructions

The preferences and instructions section allows you to guide how your attorneys act. But instructions that contradict each other or conflict with the law will cause problems. For example, instructing an attorney to do something that would be illegal, or setting conditions that are impossible to follow.

6. Bankrupt attorneys on property and financial affairs LPAs

A person who is bankrupt or subject to a debt relief order cannot act as an attorney on a property and financial affairs LPA. They can, however, act on a health and welfare LPA. If this is discovered during registration, the LPA will be rejected.

7. Missing sections or pages

If pages are missing from the submitted LPA, or sections are left blank that should have been completed, the OPG will return it. This includes the continuation sheets sometimes needed for additional attorneys or instructions.

8. Use of correction fluid

Using correction fluid (such as Tippex) on the LPA can cause rejection because the OPG cannot verify what was originally written underneath. Corrections should be made by crossing out with a single line and initialling.

What happens when an LPA is rejected?

There are two possible outcomes:

Return for correction: Minor issues may be fixable without starting over. The OPG sends the LPA back with an explanation of what needs correcting. You fix it and resubmit without paying another fee.
Full rejection: Serious errors — especially signing order mistakes — usually mean the LPA is invalid and you must start over. This means completing new forms, getting new signatures, and paying another £92 registration fee.

How can I prevent my LPA from being rejected?

The best way to avoid rejection is to use a service that checks for common errors before you submit.

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.

myLPA Guide's automated checking catches many of the errors that lead to rejection, such as incomplete addresses, ineligible participants, and contradictory choices. Combined with the optional £67 signing guide, you can be confident that your LPA will be accepted by the OPG.

Start your free LPA questionnaire and get it right first time.