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.

LPA vs Enduring Power of Attorney — What Changed and Why It Matters

What is the difference between an EPA and an LPA?

An Enduring Power of Attorney (EPA) was the predecessor to the Lasting Power of Attorney (LPA). EPAs were available until 1 October 2007, when they were replaced by LPAs under the Mental Capacity Act 2005.

The two are similar in concept — both allow you to appoint someone to make decisions on your behalf — but LPAs offer significantly broader protection.

What could an EPA do?

An EPA covered property and financial affairs only. This included:

Managing bank accounts and savings.
Paying bills and managing debts.
Buying and selling property.
Managing investments.

EPAs did not cover any health or medical decisions. There was no mechanism for appointing someone to make healthcare choices on your behalf.

What can an LPA do?

LPAs come in two types:

Property and financial affairs LPA — similar to what an EPA covered, but with additional safeguards.
Health and welfare LPA — covers medical treatment, care home decisions, daily care, and (if specified) life-sustaining treatment decisions. This had no equivalent under the EPA system.

This means LPAs provide more comprehensive protection than EPAs ever did.

Is my old EPA still valid?

If you made an EPA before 1 October 2007, it can still be valid provided:

It was correctly signed and witnessed at the time it was made.
It has been registered with the OPG (if the donor has lost or is losing capacity).

An unregistered EPA can still be used while the donor has mental capacity. It must be registered when the donor begins to lose capacity. If the donor has already lost capacity and the EPA was never registered, there may be complications.

Should I replace my old EPA with an LPA?

In many cases, yes. Here is why:

Health decisions: An EPA does not cover health and welfare. Without a health and welfare LPA, nobody you have chosen can make medical decisions for you.
Additional safeguards: LPAs require a certificate provider and allow "people to notify" — safeguards that EPAs lacked.
Clarity: LPAs allow detailed preferences and instructions, giving clearer guidance to your attorneys.
Modern recognition: Banks, care homes, and hospitals are more familiar with LPAs than old EPAs, which can sometimes cause confusion or delays.

What are the key differences?

Scope: EPAs cover finances only. LPAs cover finances and/or health.
Certificate provider: LPAs require one; EPAs did not.
Registration: LPAs must be registered before use. EPAs only needed registration when capacity was being lost.
Instructions: LPAs have a formal section for preferences and instructions. EPAs had limited space for restrictions.
People to notify: LPAs allow you to name people who are notified when registration is applied for. EPAs required notification of specific family members.

How much does it cost to replace an EPA with an LPA?

Creating an LPA costs the same whether or not you have an existing EPA. The OPG registration fee is £92 per document.

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.

For both LPAs (health and welfare plus property and financial affairs), the total cost with myLPA Guide is just £253 (£69 for both documents + £92 + £92 OPG fees). That gives you the comprehensive protection that an EPA alone could never provide.

Start your free LPA questionnaire to upgrade your protection today.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I still use an Enduring Power of Attorney?

Yes, if it was made before 1 October 2007 and has been properly signed (and registered if the donor has lost capacity). However, it only covers financial matters, not health decisions.

Do I need to register my old EPA?

If the donor still has mental capacity, an unregistered EPA can be used for financial matters. Once the donor starts to lose capacity, the EPA must be registered with the OPG before the attorney can continue to act.

Does making an LPA cancel my EPA?

Not automatically. An existing EPA remains valid unless you specifically revoke it. However, you should be clear about which document applies to what, to avoid confusion.

Why were EPAs replaced by LPAs?

LPAs were introduced under the Mental Capacity Act 2005 to provide broader protection (including health decisions), better safeguards (certificate providers, people to notify), and a more modern framework.

Can I make a new EPA now?

No. New EPAs cannot be created. Since 1 October 2007, the only type of power of attorney that covers loss of capacity is a Lasting Power of Attorney.

Is a registered EPA cheaper than making an LPA?

If you already have a valid EPA, using it costs nothing further. But it only covers finances. Creating LPAs provides full coverage and costs from £253 for both documents with myLPA Guide.

LPA vs Enduring Power of Attorney — What Changed and Why It Matters

What is the difference between an EPA and an LPA?

What could an EPA do?

What can an LPA do?

Is my old EPA still valid?

Should I replace my old EPA with an LPA?

What are the key differences?

How much does it cost to replace an EPA with an LPA?

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I still use an Enduring Power of Attorney?

Do I need to register my old EPA?

Does making an LPA cancel my EPA?

Why were EPAs replaced by LPAs?

Can I make a new EPA now?

Is a registered EPA cheaper than making an LPA?

Related Articles

Ordinary Power of Attorney vs LPA — Which Do You Need?

LPA vs Deputyship — When You Need a Deputy Instead of an LPA

LPA Cost Breakdown — Every Fee Explained (2026)

LPA for Elderly Parents — Special Considerations and Practical Guide

LPA and Dementia — What You Need to Know

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