On 1 February 2018, the Ministry of Justice launched a refund scheme for people who were charged more than was necessary for applications to register lasting powers of attorney (LPAs) or enduring powers of attorney (EPAs) between 1 April 2013 and 31 March 2017. During this period, the operating costs of the Office of the Public Guardian (OPG) fell, due to an increase in applications and efficiency, but this was not reflected in a reduced application fee. (The application fee has since been reduced, with effect from 1 April 2017.)
The OPG will run the scheme. In most cases, applicants should apply by completing an online form, which takes about ten minutes. Either donors or attorneys can make a claim, and there needs to be only one claim per donor (even if there was more than one power of attorney). The refund must be paid to the donor.
If you need any guidance on whether this refund applies to you then please contact us at Hine if you made your LPAS with us.
Sources: GOV.UK: Power of attorney fee refund scheme launched (1 February 2018) and GOV.UK: Claim a power of attorney refund (1 February 2018).
