Guide · checked 2 October 2026

Lasting power of attorney, done right first time

A lasting power of attorney lets people you trust deal with your money and your care if you cannot. More than three in four people aged 40 or over have no power of attorney.

Check your powers of attorney: what the two forms cover and cost.

An older woman and a younger woman walking arm in arm with coffee cups

The two types

Property and financial affairs. The bank, the bills, the house. Can be used as soon as it is registered, if you choose.
Health and welfare. Care, treatment and where you live. Only used once you cannot decide for yourself.

Most people need both. Here is what happens without each one:

Without the property and finance one, a family has to apply to the Court of Protection before it can deal with the bank or the house. That takes months and costs hundreds of pounds in fees.
Without the health and welfare one, doctors and social workers make care decisions in your best interests. They must consult the family, but the family does not decide.

Who to appoint

One or more attorneys, and ideally a replacement.
Decide how they act: “jointly” means all must agree, which fails if one dies.
“Jointly and severally” means any of them can act, which is more practical.
Attorneys must be 18 or over and, for the finance one, not bankrupt.

The signing order that stops most rejections

You, the donor, sign first, with a witness.
The certificate provider signs next: someone who has known you for two years, or a professional, who confirms you understand it. They cannot be an attorney or a relative.
Each attorney signs, with a witness. An attorney cannot witness your signature.
The person registering it (the applicant) signs last.

Use full names, never initials.
Date every signature.
Keep the pages in order and send them all.

Fee and time

£92 per power of attorney from 17 November 2025, halved if income is under £12,000.
GOV.UK says registration takes 8 to 10 weeks if there are no mistakes. A form sent back for a correction takes longer.
Forms must still be printed and signed in ink. The digital service is not yet live.

Sources: GOV.UK make and register a lasting power of attorney; Office of the Public Guardian annual report 2025-26; Canada Life research by Opinium, 2,000 UK adults (published Aug 2025); Which? (2026).