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A lasting power of attorney (LPA) lets your mum or dad choose now who can step in if they later cannot make decisions about money or care. This page summarises official guidance we read on 6 Oct 2026.

GOV.UK says an LPA is legally binding only in England and Wales. Scotland and Northern Ireland have separate systems.

What an LPA is

GOV.UK describes an LPA as a legal document that lets a person (the “donor”) appoint one or more people (the “attorneys”) to help them make decisions, or to make decisions on their behalf, if they cannot decide for themselves.

The donor must be 18 or over and have mental capacity (the ability to make their own decisions) when they make it. So it must be made while your parent can still decide.

The two types

Your parent can make one or both.

• Health and welfare: daily routine (washing, dressing, eating), medical care, moving into a care home, and life-sustaining treatment. It can only be used when the donor cannot make their own decisions.
• Property and financial affairs: money and property, such as bank accounts, bills, benefits or a pension, and selling the donor’s home. It can be used once registered, with the donor’s permission.

Why sort it out before care is needed

Because an LPA needs mental capacity, waiting for a crisis can leave it too late. If someone lacks capacity and has no LPA, a relative may need to apply to the Court of Protection to become their deputy, and deputies must send the Office of the Public Guardian (OPG) a report each year. GOV.UK says a person who already has an LPA does not usually need a deputy.

A property and financial affairs attorney can pay bills, which matters if your parent pays for help at home (see Paying for private care at home in the UK). A health and welfare attorney who starts making decisions must tell those involved in the donor’s care, including their doctor and care workers.

Choosing attorneys

• Attorneys must be 18 or over and have mental capacity. They could be a relative, friend, partner, or a professional such as a solicitor.
• With more than one, your parent decides whether they act “jointly” (all must agree) or “jointly and severally” (on their own or together). They can also name replacement attorneys.
• Someone who is bankrupt or subject to a Debt Relief Order cannot be a property and financial affairs attorney.

Making and registering an LPA

An LPA can be made online or on paper, and a family member can fill it in. It must be signed by your parent, the attorneys, witnesses, and a “certificate provider”, who confirms your parent is making it by choice and understands it. Everyone signs the same original document; copies and digital signatures are not allowed.

The LPA must then be registered with the OPG, or the attorney cannot make decisions. Anyone listed as a “person to notify” is sent form LP3 first, and has 3 weeks to raise concerns.

• Fee: GOV.UK says: “Applying to register an LPA costs £92.” Both types cost £184 in total. People earning less than £12,000 can apply for a reduction, and those on certain benefits, such as Income Support, may get an exemption. (Read 6 Oct 2026.)
• Timing: GOV.UK says: “It takes 8 to 10 weeks to register an LPA if there are no mistakes in the application”, and that it is usually quicker online. Its guidance for attorneys says: “It can take up to 16 weeks to register a lasting power of attorney.” (Both read 6 Oct 2026.)

Using it

An attorney cannot act until the LPA is registered. They must follow its instructions, act in the donor’s best interests, help them make their own decisions where possible, keep the donor’s money separate from their own, and keep records. Banks and care staff may ask for proof, such as an online summary, the original registered LPA, or a certified copy.

If you are also your parent’s carer, ask the council for a carer’s assessment. When it is time to arrange help at home, see Finding a private carer in the UK.

Scotland and Northern Ireland

In Scotland, powers of attorney are registered with the Office of the Public Guardian (Scotland). It says the document must include a certificate signed by a solicitor registered to practise law in Scotland, a practising member of the Faculty of Advocates, or a registered UK medical doctor with a licence to practise. In Northern Ireland, see nidirect.

For complex cases, speak to a solicitor or see the Office of the Public Guardian’s page on GOV.UK.

Questions to talk through as a family

• Does Mum or Dad want one type of LPA or both, and who would they trust as attorneys?
• What would they want if they needed care at home?

Sources

• GOV.UK: Make, register or end a lasting power of attorney: Overview. Read 6 Oct 2026.
• GOV.UK: Choose your attorney. Read 6 Oct 2026.
• GOV.UK: Make a lasting power of attorney. Read 6 Oct 2026.
• GOV.UK: Register a lasting power of attorney. Read 6 Oct 2026.
• GOV.UK: Manage a lasting power of attorney. Read 6 Oct 2026.
• GOV.UK: Deputies: make decisions for someone who lacks capacity. Read 6 Oct 2026.
• Office of the Public Guardian (Scotland): What is a power of attorney? Read 6 Oct 2026.
• nidirect: Managing your affairs and enduring power of attorney. Read 6 Oct 2026.

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