In February 2018, the Ministry of Justice announced the launch of a refund scheme offering a partial refund of fees for applying to registering a Lasting Power of Attorney (“LPA”) or an Enduring Power of Attorney (“EPA”). The scheme is run by the Office of the Public Guardian, who are responsible for registering LPAs and EPAs, and applies to applications made from 1st April 2013 to 31st March 2017.
It was during this time that the Office of the Public Guardian’s processing costs decreased, but the application fee was not reduced in line with this – until 1st April 2017, when the fee was reduced to £82 from £110. This meant that those who had paid the higher fee during that period, paid more than they should have and therefore the scheme was launched to refund the overpayment. The scheme will be ending on 1st February 2021 and your claim for a refund must be made by then.
A claim can be made by the person who made the power of attorney (the “donor”) or, by an attorney appointed in the LPA or EPA, on their behalf. The refund must be paid to the donor. Claims can be made online at www.gov.uk/power-of-attorney-refund. If the donor does not have a UK bank account, you’re acting as a court-appointed deputy or, you have a trust organisation as the attorney, then you should contact the Refunds Helpline on 0300 456 0300. The line is open Monday, Tuesday, Thursday and Friday from 9.30am to 5pm.
Claims take up to 12 weeks to be processed and how much you get will depend on when you paid the fee – you will also receive 0.5% interest. The below table details how much you will receive:
The process of claiming your refund is easy to do and will take around 10 minutes to do. We encourage everyone who is eligible to make a claim. More details and information can be found on the link provided to make your claim.
