The refunds are being offered to those who may have been charged more than was necessary to apply to register lasting or enduring powers of attorney between 1 April 2013 and 31 March 2017.
During this period, the Office of the Public Guardian’s (OPG) operating costs came down as more people applied to register a power of attorney and the process became more efficient, but the application fee charged was not reduced in line with this.
The Ministry of Justice, which sets OPG’s fees, reduced the application fee with effect from 1 April 2017, and has now launched a refund scheme for those who paid a higher fee in the qualifying period. The scheme will be run by OPG.
Making a claim is quick and simple using the online service. Only one form needs to be completed for each donor and OPG will find all power of attorney application fees paid by the donor during the qualifying period.
Full 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.
This information comes from the GOV.UK website: https://www.gov.uk/government/news/power-of-attorney-fee-refund-scheme-launched
AMENDED* For more information on claiming a refund please visit: https://www.gov.uk/power-of-attorney-refund
