LPA registration fee exemptions and reductions on a low income

Registering a lasting power of attorney (LPA) normally means paying a fee for each document. But if the person making the LPA is on a low income or receives certain benefits, they may pay half the fee, or nothing at all. The reduction and the exemption are based on the circumstances of the person making the LPA, not the attorney, and they apply whether the LPA is registered on paper or online.

The two levels are straightforward. If the person making the LPA receives certain income-related benefits, they will not have to pay anything at all¹. If they are on a low income but not on those benefits, they may be eligible for a 50 per cent discount¹. Independent guidance puts the low-income threshold at under £12,000 a year, describing it as a 50 per cent remission where you pay only half the registration fee².

The fee itself is charged per document, so making two LPAs means two fees. Sources give different figures for the England and Wales registration fee, so check the current amount with the Office of the Public Guardian before paying³. What follows covers who qualifies, how to claim, what evidence to send, and what to do if you have already paid in full.

LPA registration fee: 50% off on a low income

The reduction is the middle tier of help. Where the person making the LPA is on a low income but does not receive the benefits that bring a full exemption, they may be eligible for a 50 per cent discount on the registration fee¹. Independent guidance describes this as a 50 per cent remission, meaning you pay only half the registration fee, and sets the qualifying income at less than £12,000 a year before tax².

That threshold is the figure to work from when judging whether the reduction is likely to apply. It is a pre-tax income test, so it is gross income that counts, not take-home pay. The reduction is not automatic: it has to be claimed, and the claim is made by the person registering the LPA.

The same structure appears across other fee schemes, which helps explain how the test works in practice. Help with Fees, the court fee scheme, sets eligibility by reference to savings, certain benefits and income level⁵. Where someone does not receive benefits but is on a low income, they may not have to pay the fee at all, or may only have to pay part of it⁶. The pattern is consistent: benefits bring the full exemption, low income brings a partial reduction, and both depend on the applicant's own means.

For an LPA, the practical effect is that a donor on a modest income should not assume the full fee is due. The reduction halves it, and the claim is made at the point of registration rather than afterwards.

Receiving certain benefits means no fee at all

The full exemption is the simplest of the three outcomes. If the person making the LPA is receiving certain benefits, they will not have to pay anything at all to register it¹. Independent guidance confirms that receiving certain income-related benefits means no fee⁷, and that a fee exemption applies so nothing is paid to register an LPA in England and Wales².

The exemption turns on the type of benefit. Income-related benefits are the ones that matter, because they are means-tested and therefore already reflect a low income. The same approach runs through other fee schemes: where someone receives certain benefits, they will not have to pay anything towards the fee⁶.

It is worth being precise about whose benefits count. The exemption belongs to the person making the LPA. If a relative or friend is acting as attorney, their own benefits do not create an exemption for the donor's LPA. The test follows the donor.

Who qualifies: the fee depends on the person making the LPA

The qualifying test is applied to the person making the LPA, not to the attorney. That single rule decides most of the questions people ask. If the donor receives certain benefits, is on a low income, or paying the fee would cause hardship, they may be exempt or pay only part of the fee⁴. The same guidance states plainly that a person with a low income or receiving certain benefits may not have to pay the full fee or any fee at all⁸.

Because the test is means-based, the evidence that supports it is the donor's. Benefit award letters, income evidence and, where hardship is the ground, an explanation of the circumstances are what the claim rests on. The attorney's own finances are not part of the assessment.

There is a parallel in the Court of Protection, which handles deputyship rather than LPAs. There, you may not have to pay the fees if you are on means-tested benefits or a low income⁹. The principle is the same across both routes: the person whose affairs are being managed, and whose application is being paid for, is the person whose means are assessed.

Where the rules differ between the nations, it matters here. The LPA regime described in this article is the England and Wales one. Scotland has continuing and welfare powers of attorney, and Northern Ireland has its own arrangements, so a reader in those nations should check the equivalent scheme rather than assume the England and Wales fee rules apply.

How to apply for an exemption or reduction

The claim is made on a form submitted with the registration. In England and Wales, if you think you may be entitled to a fee reduction or waiver you need to complete form LPA120A⁴. The form is the mechanism for both the 50 per cent reduction and the full exemption, and it is submitted alongside the LPA registration rather than separately afterwards.

The process follows a familiar shape across fee schemes. You complete the application form, attach the evidence that supports it, and submit both together. Where a fee can be waived or reduced on low income, the certificate or application carries the claim¹⁰. Where help is available for costs on the basis of benefits or low income, the applicant needs to show the court evidence of that low income when making the application¹¹.

A practical sequence looks like this:

1. Confirm which benefit or income ground the donor is claiming under.
2. Complete form LPA120A for the reduction or waiver⁴.
3. Gather the supporting evidence, such as benefit award letters or income evidence.
4. Submit the form with the LPA registration, keeping copies of everything.
5. Check the outcome and query it if the reduction has not been applied.

The same principle applies to other exemptions that require a certificate: where a fee can be waived or reduced on low income, the certificate is the route to it¹⁰. The important point is that the claim travels with the application. Leaving it until after registration makes the process harder, though not impossible.

Does the fee exemption apply to each LPA if I make two?

Yes, and this catches people out. The registration fee is charged per document, so there is a fee for each LPA unless a reduction or exemption applies to that document³. Making both a property and financial affairs LPA and a health and welfare LPA therefore means two fees, and the reduction or exemption has to be claimed for each.

The same per-document logic appears in other fee schemes. A fee exemption form can remove a charge where the applicant receives benefits, but it is claimed for the application in question¹². The LPA equivalent is that each registration is its own application with its own fee.

In practice, this means a donor who qualifies should claim the reduction or exemption on both applications rather than assuming one claim covers the pair. If only one is claimed, the other is charged in full. Where the donor's circumstances are the same for both, the evidence is the same, so the second claim is largely a matter of repeating the form.

What evidence to send with a fee reduction application

The evidence has to show the ground being claimed. For a benefits-based exemption, that means evidence of the benefit. For a low-income reduction, it means evidence of income. The general approach in fee schemes is that the applicant shows their circumstances when making the application¹¹.

Where a fee can be waived or reduced on low income, the supporting certificate or evidence is what carries the claim¹⁰. The same is true of the LPA form: it is submitted with the evidence rather than on its own.

Two practical points are worth keeping in mind. First, keep copies of everything sent, because the claim may need to be repeated for a second LPA. Second, if the claim is made on hardship grounds rather than benefits or income, the explanation of circumstances does the work, so it is worth setting out clearly why paying the fee would cause difficulty.

Can I get a refund if I paid the full LPA fee but was eligible for a reduction?

If the full fee was paid but a reduction or exemption applied at the time, the difference can be claimed back. The route is to contact the Office of the Public Guardian, which handles LPA registration in England and Wales, explain that the donor was eligible, and provide the evidence that supports it.

The principle that overpayments are recoverable appears in comparable schemes. Where a claim succeeds after payment has been made, overpayments are refunded or credited¹³. That is the model to expect: the reduction is applied and the excess returned.

It is easier to claim at the point of registration than afterwards, because the form and the evidence travel together with the application⁴. A retrospective claim means assembling the same evidence later and explaining the timing. It is still worth doing where the amount matters, and the amount is not trivial when two LPAs are involved.

Where a reduction or exemption does not apply

The reduction and exemption are specific to the person making the LPA and to the registration fee. They do not extend to the attorney, and they do not cover other costs that may arise around an LPA, such as professional fees if a solicitor is used to prepare the documents.

The means test is also a test, not a formality. Where the donor's income is above the threshold and they do not receive the qualifying benefits, the full fee is due. The reduction is not available simply because the process feels expensive.

It is also worth separating the LPA fee rules from other schemes that look similar. Court fee waivers, for example, turn on savings, benefits and income level⁵, and the benefit cap has its own set of exemptions that do not map onto LPA fees¹⁴. The LPA reduction and exemption stand on their own terms: benefits bring the full exemption, low income brings the 50 per cent reduction, and the claim is made on the LPA form with evidence.

Where a reader is unsure whether they qualify, free and impartial help is available. MoneyHelper and the Citizens Advice service can explain the options, and the Office of the Public Guardian can confirm the current fee and the form to use. For related questions, see making and registering a lasting power of attorney and powers of attorney explained.