Registering a power of attorney with a bank or building society

Registering a power of attorney with a bank or building society means telling that firm you act for the account holder, showing them the document and proving who you are. There is no single register the banks check. Each firm runs its own process, and you have to do it again for every bank, building society or savings provider the person uses¹.

What you will usually be asked for is the original power of attorney document or a certified copy, proof of identity for each attorney such as a passport or driving licence, and proof of address such as a recent utility bill¹. Some firms will take a digital access code instead of paper if the lasting power of attorney was registered after September 2019². Others accept an online access code so they can view the document on the Office of the Public Guardian website⁴.

The account holder does not normally need to come with you, and you often do not need an appointment⁵. But the route in varies: some firms take registration online, some by post, some in a branch, and a few insist on a branch visit. The sections below set out what each step involves and where a firm can say no.

Documents banks and building societies ask for

The core paperwork is the same almost everywhere: the power of attorney document itself, and identity and address evidence for the attorney or attorneys. Guidance for attorneys says you can show a company the original power of attorney document or a certified copy¹. One savings provider's terms say it will only accept a lasting or enduring power of attorney or a court of protection order, and that it needs to see the original or a certified copy⁸.

If you are dealing with an enduring power of attorney, the position is slightly different. You or your attorney will need to show signed copies of the EPA to banks and financial providers so the attorney can manage the accounts⁹. Age UK's guidance says the same: you need to show signed copies of your EPA to your bank and any financial advisers¹⁰.

Identity evidence is the part people forget. The standard ask is proof of each attorney's identity, such as a passport or a driving licence, plus proof of address such as a recent utility bill¹. If you are certifying documents rather than sending originals, see certified copies: who can certify documents for a bank or lender.

Registering in a branch, by post or by email

Firms divide roughly into three groups, and which one you are dealing with decides how much travelling is involved.

In a branch or agency. Yorkshire Building Society asks you to take the government lasting power of attorney documents and its own power of attorney form to a branch, or send them by post to its Customer Service Centre in Bradford¹¹. Nottingham Building Society says the easiest way to register is to visit your local branch and book an appointment, though registration can also be done through the post¹². Monmouthshire Building Society takes registration via a branch, an agency or post¹³. One building society accepts documents in person at any branch or agency, or by post to your local branch or head office¹⁴.

By post. National Savings and Investments says you can send the original document, or a certified copy, by post, and recommends using a secure service². If you act as an attorney or deputy for another person, your first application to open an account must be by post, even for accounts that are normally opened online or by phone¹⁵.

Online, by email or by phone. Ulster Bank lets you register online or in a branch, describing the online route as simple, secure and doable from home⁵. Barclays offers an online form, other ways to register, or an appointment at a branch or a Barclays Local site, and the donor does not need to attend¹⁶. Zempler Bank asks you to call the team first and then mail or email the power of attorney document¹⁷.

Registering an LPA with a digital access code

Since the Office of the Public Guardian began issuing digital codes, some firms will accept one instead of a paper document. Bank of Scotland says that if you registered a lasting power of attorney after September 2019 and received a digital code, you can use this instead³. Hodge Bank says you can share an online access code so it can view the LPA on the Office of the Public Guardian website⁴.

The rules on electronic sharing depend on where the document was made. In England and Wales, you can share your lasting power of attorney with organisations electronically if it was registered on or after 1 January 2016, generating an access code through the government website¹. In Scotland, you can show organisations your digital certificate of registration if you registered it electronically¹.

How registration differs between banks and building societies

The single most useful thing to know is that there is no consistency between firms when it comes to registering power of attorney, and each has its own process¹. That is why the same document can be accepted online by one firm and require a branch appointment at another.

Some differences are about channel. Ulster Bank offers online or branch⁵. Barclays offers an online form, a branch or a Barclays Local site¹⁶. Zempler Bank works by phone plus post or email¹⁷. Yorkshire Building Society and Nottingham Building Society lean towards branch or post¹¹.

Others are about what the firm will accept at all. Charter Savings Bank says it is unable to accept General Powers of Attorney⁶. TSB says it cannot accept a welfare power of attorney, though a granter may appoint both continuing and welfare attorneys in the same document⁷. Gatehouse Bank's savings terms say only a lasting or enduring power of attorney or a court of protection order is accepted⁸.

A few differences are about who else must be present. TSB says that if registering for joint power of attorney, all parties will need to be there⁷.

Building societies and banks also differ in how they confirm registration. One firm sends confirmation by post along with any updated passbooks once the power of attorney is registered¹⁴. Another adds the attorney as a non-controlling attorney on the account, so the account holder keeps operating it while they still have mental capacity¹⁸.

New customers: opening an account as an attorney

You can sometimes open a brand new account for someone else under a power of attorney, not just take over an existing one. Gatehouse Bank says a power of attorney can be set up for an existing account, or a new account can be opened for the donor under a power of attorney²⁰.

The detail matters. Santander says new accounts must be opened in the customer's details, not the attorney's, and then the firm must be told to register the power of attorney on the account²¹. National Savings and Investments requires a first application by an attorney or deputy to be made by post, even for accounts that are otherwise opened online or by phone¹⁵.

One building society sets out a longer sequence for new customers who have not registered a power of attorney or deputyship before: request an account application form and a power of attorney form, return both completed with the original or certified copies of the document, undergo an electronic identity check, verify a personal bank account with at least one cheque drawn against it for an anti-money laundering check, then make the opening deposit²².

If the person you are helping already has an account elsewhere, it is worth knowing that a joint account is not a substitute. Which? says it does not recommend opening a joint bank account with someone for whom you also hold lasting power of attorney, or its equivalents in Scotland and Northern Ireland²³. For the alternatives, see third-party mandate or power of attorney: which lets someone manage your money.

What an attorney can do once registered

Once registered, the attorney generally steps into the account holder's shoes. One firm says a registered attorney can manage an account in the same way the account holder can, including carrying out transactions, closing an account and updating details, including changing the correspondence address to the first named attorney's registered address¹⁴.

Access to statements and online banking varies. Zempler Bank says that as power of attorney you can request statements by contacting the team¹⁷. Nationwide says the attorney might be able to access the donor's accounts using its internet bank with their own login details²⁴. Tandem says it can help register a power of attorney and explain what documents are needed, what access is granted once registered and how things are kept secure²⁵.

There is a limit worth knowing about borrowing. Very few banks permit a power of attorney credit card, and the use of an overdraft is similarly restricted¹. If the person's finances depend on an overdraft, that is a conversation to have with the firm early.

Where the account holder still has mental capacity, some firms keep them in control. One building society says that once the power of attorney is registered it adds the attorney as a non-controlling attorney, and where the account holder has mental capacity they can operate the account along with the attorney¹⁸. For more on the boundaries, see what an attorney can and cannot do on someone's bank account.

When a bank refuses or delays

A firm can decline certain types of power of attorney, and the refusals are specific rather than general. Charter Savings Bank does not accept General Powers of Attorney⁶. TSB cannot accept a welfare power of attorney⁷. The Financial Ombudsman Service says it cannot accept a power of attorney authorised outside the UK²⁶.

If a firm will not register your document, or takes too long, the first step is its own complaints process. Banks and building societies are required by law to have a written complaints process which tells customers how to make a complaint²⁷. It is also against the law for a bank or building society to discriminate against you, for example because of your race, sex, disability, religion or sexuality²⁷.

If the firm does not resolve things, the Financial Ombudsman Service can look at complaints about power of attorney²⁶. For help drafting the first letter, see writing an effective complaint letter or email, and for free, impartial support, see free consumer advice when a dispute with a firm stalls.

If the document is an enduring power of attorney

Enduring powers of attorney work differently from lasting ones, and the difference affects what you show the bank. An EPA set up before October 2007 is still valid, and you can still register it if you have not already²⁸. You or your attorney will need to show signed copies of your EPA to banks and financial providers so the attorney can manage the accounts⁹.

Registration is not automatic. If the donor loses mental capacity, the attorney must register the EPA to start or continue using it⁹. In Northern Ireland, the attorney must register the enduring power of attorney with the Office of Care and Protection once the donor lacks capacity²⁹. Once registered, the attorney must involve the donor in decisions wherever possible, only make decisions the donor cannot make themselves, and follow any instructions given in the EPA⁹.

If the donor has died, the attorney should get in touch with the Office of the Public Guardian and send the power of attorney document, any certified copies and a copy of the death certificate³⁰. For the full process, see enduring powers of attorney: using and registering an existing one.