Are You Due a Refund for Overpaid Power of Attorney Registration Fees?
If your Enduring Power of Attorney or Lasting Power of Attorney was registered between the 1st April 2013 and 31st March 2017, you may be due a partial refund of the registration fee you paid to the Office of the Public Guardian.
The MOJ (Ministry of Justice) introduced its Power of Attorney Refunds Scheme on 1st February 2018. It relates to registration fees paid between 1st April 2013 and 31st March 2017. The amount of the refund will range from £34.00 to £54.00 with interest added at 0.5%. The amount will depend on the date the fee was paid.
This scheme only applies to Powers of Attorney made in England & Wales.
The Office of the Public Guardian has acknowledged that it overcharged individuals who registered their Powers of Attorney between 1st April 2013 and 31st March 2017.
The application for a refund has to be made by the Donor, or Attorney themselves. Executors and a Court appointed Deputy must apply over the phone. The process is easy to follow. It is reasonably straight forward and it is unlikely that you will need legal support.
Guidance, for those applying, is available online and there is a dedicated refunds service helpline for those who need it. Call OPG’s Contact Centre on 0300 456 0300 and select option 6 to be put through to the Refunds Team.
If you think that you may be eligible, then please visit www.gov.uk/power-of-attorney-refund for more details to make a claim.
It takes up to 12 weeks for the claim to be processed and if the claim is approved the refund will be paid to the Donor’s bank account. You will need to know the Donor’s UK bank account number and sort code before making the application. The refund is placed directly into their bank account, once approved.
For any more information regarding this, or services offered by RDC Solicitors, then please do not hesitate to contact one of our Team for an informal chat. RDC have offices at Bingley, Ilkley and Bradford.