Unless you are using an adviser, you will need to complete the LPA forms yourself. The easiest way to do this is via the online forms but you are able to complete paper copies if you prefer. The paper forms may be downloaded from the government website.

Either way, you will need access to a printer. The forms can be printed double sided whichever route you go down.

If you have all the information to hand from 6: LPA Decisions you will be able to complete the forms in around half an hour.

I used the online process which I actually think is easier to follow than the paper forms. The website guides you through the process and populates the form based on your inputs. The associated guidance is well signposted and a click away if you need to check something. Mistakes are easy to fix and you can save your progress at any point and come back to it later.

Online forms

To complete the online forms you need to create a LPA account at:

https://www.lastingpowerofattorney.service.gov.uk/

The process is clear and the guidance is well signposted. Once complete you pay your fee and then the forms are ready to be printed and signed.

If you make a mistake or change your mind you can simply go back and correct it. You can make changes as long as you haven’t sent the signed LPA for registration with the Office of the Public Guardian (OPG). After an LPA is registered it can’t be changed and the only way to proceed is to revoke it and start again. 

Correcting mistakes in the online form

Despite my best efforts I made a couple of mistakes with my online forms.  I forgot my own middle name and I got my certificate provider’s two middle names mixed up!  I didn’t spot either of these until I was at the point signing. However, my mistake means I got to speak to a nice person at the OPG and can pass on what they told me to you.

It is straightforward to make changes before payment. Simply go back and edit the form.

Once you have completed the form and made the payment the form is no longer editable. However, if you spot a mistake after you have paid and during the signing process, you can put it right. Read on.

First you need to create a new LPA form on the website. This time with the correct details! You can copy a lot of the details from your previous form (the website gives you this as an option).   Just don’t copy the mistake over.  

As you have already paid for the LPA, don’t pay again.  Simply select the option to pay by cheque which will then enable you to complete the forms and print them for signing.   If you have previously paid by card then there is no need to send in this cheque as you have already paid. If you selected to pay by cheque the first time around then just send in one cheque with your form.

The OPG confirmed to me that they will take the payment they received as applying to the first LPA form they receive.  It does not matter if it is the first or fourth form you have created, the first one they receive is the first one they will match the payment to.

Even if you do pay again, the OPG will refund your payment if they don’t receive a matching number of forms. This process is automatic and happens if they haven’t received a corresponding form 40 days after payment.

Paper forms

You can download the forms from this website:

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/make-a-lasting-power-of-attorney

If you aren’t sure what you need to put in each box then refer to the associated guidance. (With the online process this guidance is simply a click away. This is one reason why I think the online forms are easier.)

Once complete the forms are ready to be printed and signed.

The forms are complete, now what?

Congratulations, that’s a lot of the work done. Next comes the signing of the forms and then they are sent to the OPG.

The order of signatories is important, so this gets it’s own post.

See 8: Getting the Lasting Power of Attorney signed and registering it with the Office of the Public Guardian.