The Ministry of Justice (MoJ) advise that refunds are to be offered to those donors and attorneys who may have been charges more than was necessary when they applied to register their powers of attorneys between 1st April and 31st March 2017.
According to the MoJ the process to register for Lasting Powers of Attorneys has become more efficient during this period and as a result, operating costs for the Office of the Public Guardian have come down. However the fee charged to the donor for the application did not reduce in line with the reduced costs. The fee has subsequently been lowered by the MoJ and this came into effect in April 2017.
The MoJ has launched a refund scheme for those who paid the higher fee during this qualifying time. Claims for a full or partial refund can be made by the Donor or Attorney via its online service, with only one form needing to be completed. If you believe that you are eligible and wish to make a claim can I please advise that you go to the following website www.claim-power-of-attorney-refund.service.gov.uk. Claims can also be made by phone on Telephone: 0300 456 0300 option 6.
The refund payable is dependent on the date the fees were paid and will be between £34 and £54 per LPA.
If you originally applied for a remission fee then you will receive half of the the refund available. Christie Munro Will Writer is not permitted to be involved in the application process. Good luck if you do decide to make a claim. Apparently it takes 10 minutes.