If you have registered a Lasting or Enduring Power of Attorney in the last four years you could be entitled to a partial refund of the registration fee.

The Office of the Public Guardian (OPG) has recently released its 2016/17 annual report and announced that the fees being charged for the registration of Powers of Attorney, prior to the reduction in fees in April this year, were above the operational costs of delivering the service. This was due to the OPG carrying out its role more efficiently and an increase in the number of applications being made.

Therefore, the Ministry of Justice has said that they will be arranging a scheme to deal with the partial refund in the fees to clients who have paid more than they should have over the last four years. The amount to be refunded has not yet been announced but it is assumed that this will be calculated based on the reduction in fees in April this year, which was £28 per application. A couple could therefore be entitled to a refund of up to £112 if they had applied to register both Property & Financial Affairs and Health & Welfare Lasting Powers of Attorney.

My colleagues and I will of course be keeping a close eye on the introduction of the refund scheme by the Ministry of Justice.