Did you register a Lasting Power Of Attorney between April 1st 2013 and March 31st 2017?
If you did, you may be owed up to £54.
The Government has introduced a scheme where those that paid the registration fee during the above dates can apply for a partial refund as they were charged more than was needed.
According to the Ministry of Justice, this could affect 1.7million applications.
A Lasting Power Of Attorney is a document that allows you to nominate someone you trust to look after your affairs if ever you lose capacity or are unable to do so.
The two common LPAs are finance and property, and health and welfare (although LCS offers a third; Business LPA).
If you’ve registered both LPAs, you’ll be entitled to a refund of up to £108.
What has happened?
When an LPA is registered, an application fee is charged and paid to the Office of the Public Guardian (OPG).
During 2013 to 2017, the OPG operating costs decreased however the fee stayed the same.
With the fee only used to cover operating costs, the Government has decided to repay the difference plus 0.5% interest to those affected.
You cannot claim if you registered after April 1st 2017 as the fee was reduced on this date.
How much will my claim be?
This depends on whether you paid the full or half price fee and is listed below:
|
|
Full fee |
Half price fee |
|
Apr to Sept 2013 |
£54 |
£27 |
|
Oct 2013 to Mar 2014 |
£34 |
£17 |
|
Apr 2014 to Mar 2015 |
£37 |
£18.50 |
|
Apr 2015 to Mar 2016 |
£38 |
£19 |
|
Apr 2016 to Mar 2017 |
£45 |
£22.50 |
Only the donor, or the attorney can claim, and the refund will be paid to the donor.
The claim can be processed by contacting the OPG on their helpline 0300 456 0300.
There is currently no deadline, and you can also still claim even if the donor has died.
For more information regarding Powers Of Attorney, contact LCS NOW on 0345 017 8250.
