In recent weeks, the Ministry of Justice (MoJ) has unveiled a refund scheme affecting anyone who was overcharged for Lasting Power of Attorney (LPA) or Enduring Power of Attorney (EPA) fees between 1 April 2013 and 31 March 2017.
The news comes after it emerged that the Office of the Public Guardian (OPG) had failed to pass on a reduction in its own operating costs to consumers between these dates.
Here is everything you need to know about the MoJ’s refund scheme.
Who is eligible and why?
As mentioned above, partial fee refunds are currently being offered to anyone who registered either an LPA or EPA between 1 April 2013 and 31 March 2017.
This is because such individuals may have been overcharged more than necessary for application fees – as the OPG did not pass on its cost savings until 1 April 2017, when LPA and EPA fees were reduced from £110 to £82.
Who can claim?
A claim can be made by either the ‘donor’ whose name the Power of Attorney is in or the person who was appointed as their ‘attorney’.
However, only one claim can be made per donor – even in instances where more than one Power of Attorney has been registered.
How does the claims process work?
Those who wish to make a claim can do so by visiting the GOV.UK website here or by calling the MoJ’s Refunds Helpline on 0300 456 0300, which is open Monday, Tuesday, Thursday and Friday from 9am to 5pm and Wednesday from 10am to 5pm.