Lasting Powers Of Attorneys: Are You Due A Refund?
Posted on 3rd June 2020
Lasting Powers of Attorneys, or LPAs as they are more commonly known, can be an essential legal document in order to look after our own, or a loved ones, financial and/or health and welfare decisions. Any Lasting Power of Attorney will need registering, but in the past, registration was very pricey. There’s the solicitor’s fee for the work involved, and then the added cost of a registration fee, per document. Should a couple decide that they both wish to make both type of LPAs (Health & Welfare and Property & Financial Affairs) then this leads to 4 separate registration fees.
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On 01 April 2017, the Office of the Public Guardian (OPG) reduced their registration fees from £110.00 per document to £82.00 per document, thus saving a couple creating both types of LPAs £64.00 each. Although the new fees were not introduced until April 2017, the Ministry of Justice actually reduced the OPG operating fees in 2013, although the OPG continued to charge registration fees of £110.00. This, therefore, means that over 1 million people are due refunds from the OPG. You can find the amounts below.
If you paid the fee between April 2013 and September 2013, you could get a refund of £54.00 per LPA.
If the fee was paid between October 2013 to March 214, you could get a refund of £34.00 per LPA.
If you paid the fee between April 2014 and March 2015, you could get refunds of £37.00 per LPA.
If you paid the fee between April 2015 and March 2016, you could get a refund of £38.00 per LPA.
Finally, if you paid the fee between April 2016 and March 2017, you could get a refund of £45.00 per LPA.
MG Legal, Wills and Probate Solicitors, have assisted in the registration of many LPAs, and in order to continue to assist you we have found the following link, here, allowing you to submit an application to see whether you would be entitled to a refund.
In order to complete the form you will need the information on your registered Power of Attorney, MG Legal your local Preston Solicitors, would advise that the form takes around 10 minutes to complete. Should yourself and your significant other have drawn up both types of Power of Attorney between April and September 2013 then, essentially, you could be owed up to £216.00.
As of February 2019, the Ministry of Justice advised that more than 1 million people are due a refund, further advising that all monies must be claimed before 01st February 2021. The refund is payable to the donor only.
If you would like assistance in claiming back money from the OPG then our Private Client Team will be more than happy to assist you, feel free to contact them 01772 783 314 or by completing the online enquiry form, here.
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