How to claim a Power of Attorney refund
You can make a claim for a fee paid to register a Lasting Power of Attorney in England or Wales between 1 April 2013 and 31 March 2017. You can claim whether you were the donor (the person who made the Power of Attorney) or the attorney (the person appointed by the donor), though the refund will be paid to the donor. You can claim even if the Power of Attorney’s been used.
You can apply for a refund online, though if struggling you can call the Office of the Public Guardian on 0300 456 0300 (select option six). To apply, you don’t need the Power of Attorney document itself, but you will need:
- The donor’s name, address and date of birth.
- Their UK bank account number and sort code.
- The name of one of the attorneys on the Power of Attorney.
Here are the other need-to-knows:
- You only need to make one claim for each donor – even if you’ve made multiple Powers of Attorney.
- It can take up to 12 weeks for your claim to be processed and paid.
- If your claim is refused and you want to appeal, call the helpline on 0300 456 0300 and select option six.
- If the donor doesn’t have a UK bank account or you’re a court-appointed deputy, you’ll have to apply by phone.
- You can also claim for an Enduring Power of Attorney if you registered it in the relevant period. The Enduring Power of Attorney was replaced by the Lasting Power of Attorney on 1 October 2007, but if someone could have been drafted the latter before the cut-off and registered it during the refund period, it would be eligible.
If the donor has died, you can still claim but you’ll need to apply by email (contact poarefunds@justice.gsi.gov.uk) or post (POA Refunds Team, 7th Floor, Office of the Public Guardian, PO Box 16185, Birmingham, B2 2WH) instead. You’ll need to send a copy of the donor’s death certificate and will, or a grant of representation such as a grant of probate or letter of administration, along with your contact details.
The deadline for applying is 31 January 2021. The Ministry of Justice says applications made after this may still be considered – but it’s still worth getting your application in ahead of this to be sure.
