MoJ launches Power of Attorney registration fee refund scheme

The Ministry of Justice has announced the launch of its refund scheme for people who paid power of attorney registration fees between 1 st April 2013 and 31 st March 2017.

The move is necessary because, in the MoJ's words,

“During this period, the Office of the Public Guardian’s (OPG) operating costs came down as more people applied to register a power of attorney and the process became more efficient, but the application fee charged was not reduced in line with this.”

The refunds can be claimed online at a dedicated website and apply to any lasting powers of attorney (LPA) and enduring powers of attorney (EPA) made in England and Wales.

The amount of the refund depends on when the fees were paid as follows:. 

• April to September 2013: £54
• October 2013 to March 2014: £34
• April 2014 to March 2015: £37
• April 2015 to March 2016: £38
• April 2016 to March 2017: £45

Interest can be claimed added at 0.5% 

Claims for a refund can be lodged by:

• the ‘donor’ - the person who made the power of attorney
• an ‘attorney’ - appointed by the donor in an LPA or EPA

but the refund must be paid to the donor.

To find out more visit the website: https://www.gov.uk/power-of-attorney-refund