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The Ministry of Justice has announced that refunds are being offered to those who have registered either enduring or lasting powers of attorney between 1 April 2013 and 31 March 2017.
During this period the Office of the Public Guardian’s administrative costs have reduced due to internal efficiencies. As a consequence those registering enduring or lasting powers of attorney have been charged more than was necessary to apply for registration. The expected total of refunds due is approximately £89 million.
The Ministry of Justice has now launched a refund scheme for applications for the refunds to be made, which requires either the donor, attorney or the personal representatives of an estate to complete a claim via an online service (https://www.gov.uk/power-of-attorney-refund).
The refund that is payable will depend on the date that the fees were paid. Interest at 0.5% will also be paid for any successful claims. The following refunds are available although these may be reduced by half if the fee paid was at a reduced rate or remission:
| Date of payment for fees | Refund available |
| April to September 2013 | £54 |
| October 2013 to March 2014 | £34 |
| April 2014 to March 2015 | £37 |
| April 2015 to March 2016 | £38 |
| April 2016 to March 2017 | £45 |
The claim process takes approximately 10 minutes and you will be asked as part of the process to provide a UK bank account for payment of the refund. The application can also be made by telephone where a person does not have a UK bank account, has passed away or has difficulty using a computer.
The contents of this article are intended for general information purposes only and shall not be deemed to be, or constitute legal advice. We cannot accept responsibility for any loss as a result of acts or omissions taken in respect of this article.