Refund scheme launched for fees paid to the Office of the Public Guardian

The Office of the Public Guardian (OPG) has launched a refund scheme for fees paid to it to register lasting powers of attorney and enduring powers of attorney between 1 April 2013 and 31 March 2017.

The Ministry of Justice is responsible for setting the fees charged by the OPG and has now launched the refund scheme following the fee reduction from £110 to £82 which was effective from 1 April 2017. The review by the Ministry of Justice found that the operating costs of the OPG had reduced as it had become more efficient; however the registration fees charged were not reduced in line with this.

If you believe that you may be eligible to make a claim, further information and the form required is available online at here. A refund can be claimed either by the donor or their attorneys, and the amount refunded will vary depending on the date on which the document was registered. If successful you will even receive interest of 0.5%.

Only one form will be required per donor and the OPG will calculate the refund for any documents registered by or for that person during that time. In order to make a claim you will need to know the donor's bank account number and sort code. If the donor does not have a UK bank account, then you can make a claim by calling the helpline on 0300 456 0300 (choosing option six). Once you have made your claim it may take up to 12 weeks to receive your refund, which will be paid directly into the donor's bank account.

If you require any advice on this or would like advice on lasting powers of attorney or enduring powers of attorney generally, please call a member of our team on 03700 866300.