How much does a Lasting Power of Attorney cost in 2026?

Registering a Lasting Power of Attorney (LPA) in England and Wales costs £82 per document with the Office of the Public Guardian (OPG). Most people register two LPAs, one covering property and financial affairs and one for health and welfare decisions, so the basic government fee comes to £164 in total. On top of that, if you use a solicitor, expect to pay somewhere between £300 and £500 per document in professional fees. If you complete the paperwork yourself using the OPG's online service, you pay only the registration fees.

Those are the headline figures. What follows is everything you need to know to work out which route makes sense for your situation.

What does the OPG charge to register an LPA?

The registration fee has been £82 per document since April 2024, when it was reduced from the previous £110. That reduction came after significant pressure from consumer groups and a long-running government review of the LPA system.

You pay this fee directly to the OPG when you submit each LPA for registration. It is not optional: an unregistered LPA cannot legally be used, so registration is a step you cannot skip.

For the majority of people, registering both types of LPA means a total OPG bill of £164. If you were only making a property and financial affairs LPA, the OPG fee alone would be £82. Health and welfare LPAs are separate documents and carry their own £82 fee.

How much do solicitors charge for an LPA?

This is where costs vary considerably, and where a few phone calls before you commit can make a real difference.

Solicitor fees for a single LPA typically fall in the range of £300 to £500, though you will find practices charging less in some parts of the country and more in London or at larger city-centre firms. Some solicitors offer a package price for both LPAs together; £800 to £1,000 for the pair is fairly common, though again, not universal.

On top of the professional fee, you will pay the OPG registration fee as a disbursement. This is not the solicitor marking it up; they simply pass the government charge through to you. Do ask for a full written quote that separates the professional fee from the disbursement, because some firms present an "all-in" figure that can look confusingly low until you realise the OPG fee is additional.

A few factors push solicitor costs higher. If your affairs are complicated (a business interest, overseas property, a trust), the work genuinely takes longer and the fee reflects that. If you want separate certificates for each of several attorneys, or if the drafting requires careful thought about restrictions and guidance clauses, expect to pay more.

Some solicitors also charge more simply because they can. The LPA market is not heavily price-competitive in the way that, say, conveyancing has become. I'd suggest getting at least two quotes.

Is the DIY route genuinely viable?

For many people, yes. The OPG relaunched its online registration service in November 2023, and the digital journey has improved substantially since the old paper-only process. You can complete and submit a property and financial affairs LPA entirely online if all the parties (donor, attorneys and certificate provider) are willing to sign digitally. The health and welfare LPA can also be done online.

That said, a few things are worth knowing before you go down this route.

The certificate provider requirement catches some people out. You need someone to certify that you understand the LPA and are not being pressured into signing it. This person cannot be a family member or someone who lives with you. A friend, a GP, or a professional such as a solicitor can act as certificate provider. If you're using a solicitor purely as certificate provider, some will charge a small fee for this, typically £50 to £100.

There is also the question of whether the document is correctly completed. Errors or omissions can cause the OPG to reject the application, which means delays and, in some cases, a new application fee. The OPG publishes detailed guidance, and the online tool does prompt you through each section, but it is not foolproof. If your situation is at all complicated, the cost of getting it wrong probably outweighs the cost of getting professional help.

One middle-ground option worth knowing about is Farewill, which offers LPA preparation as part of its online legal services. Farewill's fee for an LPA sits below most high-street solicitor rates and the service includes a review before submission. It is not a substitute for bespoke legal advice, but for a straightforward situation it is a reasonable option.

What about LPA services from charities and banks?

Age UK's national network and some local Age UK branches offer LPA assistance, sometimes at reduced cost. The service varies significantly by area, so it's worth ringing your local branch rather than assuming availability.

Some banks have started offering LPA registration as part of wider later-life planning services, though these tend to be signposting arrangements rather than full drafting services. NatWest and Lloyds, for instance, have each at various points run initiatives to help customers understand and register LPAs, partly because banks have a strong interest in having legally valid LPAs on file for customers who may lose capacity.

None of these routes removes the OPG registration fee. That £82 per document is payable regardless of who helps you with the paperwork.

Can you register an LPA for someone else?

You can apply to register an LPA on behalf of the donor (the person making the LPA), but the LPA itself must be signed by the donor while they still have mental capacity. This is a point that catches families off guard with some regularity: if someone has already lost the mental capacity to make decisions, it is too late to make an LPA. At that stage, the only route is a deputyship order through the Court of Protection, which is considerably more expensive and time-consuming.

A deputyship application costs £371 just to apply, with additional annual supervision fees depending on the level of supervision required. Legal costs on top of that, if you use a solicitor, can reach several thousand pounds. The comparison with LPA registration costs is stark.

If you are reading this on behalf of a parent or older relative, this is the practical argument for acting sooner rather than later, even if the LPA is unlikely to be needed immediately.

How do costs compare for a property LPA versus health and welfare?

The OPG registration fee is identical for both: £82 each. Solicitor fees for drafting are usually similar too, though the health and welfare LPA sometimes costs marginally less because the drafting instructions are slightly simpler in straightforward cases.

What differs is how and when each type of LPA can be used. A property and financial affairs LPA can be used as soon as it is registered, even while the donor still has capacity (if the donor permits this). A health and welfare LPA can only be used once the donor has lost capacity. Some people prefer to register only the property LPA first, then do the health and welfare document later; others do both at once to save time and get the whole thing finished.

Doing both at once usually makes administrative sense, and some solicitors offer a small discount for preparing both documents simultaneously.

What is the total cost likely to be?

Pulling it together: if you use a solicitor for both LPAs, a realistic budget is £800 to £1,200 including the OPG registration fees. If you complete the documents yourself online and have no complications, your only outlay is £164 in registration fees, plus potentially a small certificate provider fee if needed.

For anyone on a low income or receiving means-tested benefits, fee remission can reduce the OPG element to £82 or £0. The solicitor's professional fee is not subject to remission, but some firms do offer reduced rates for clients on low incomes, and it is always worth asking.

If you want more detail on the broader LPA process, including when attorneys can act and how to choose the right people, our guide to Lasting Powers of Attorney covers the whole picture.

The cost of making an LPA is, in almost every case, a fraction of the cost of not having one. A deputyship application alone starts at £371 and rises quickly from there. Getting this done while you can, at a time of your choosing, is one of the most practical things you can do for yourself and your family.

For regulated legal advice specific to your circumstances, speak to a solicitor who specialises in later-life planning. The Society of Trust and Estate Practitioners (STEP) maintains a directory of qualified practitioners at step.org.