Power of Attorney
Arranging Power of Attorney
Power of Attorney lets you arrange for someone you trust to manage your finances on your behalf. You may want to do this due to a change in your health or a change in your circumstances, such as moving abroad. You may not need someone to help you now, but you can set up a Power of Attorney for the future, just in case.
There are different types of Power of Attorney, and you may want to arrange more than one:
Ordinary Power of Attorney is used on a temporary basis while you can still make your own decisions. It can cover a hospital stay or holiday. It can also be used if you find it hard to get to a branch.
Lasting Power of Attorney is typically used to give someone the legal authority over your finances if you lose your mental capacity. You can also plan for it to come into force at a future time.
Court of Protection is used when you lose your mental capacity and have no Power of Attorney in place. The Court of Protection can appoint someone to make decisions on your behalf. The UK government has provided some useful guidance on this process
Here’s how you might use the different types of Power of Attorney
| This may be used if you: | Ordinary Power of Attorney | Lasting Power of Attorney | Court of Protection Order |
|---|---|---|---|
| Just need some short term help |  |
 |
|
| Are abroad and won't have access to your accounts | |
|
|
| Are physically ill, injured or disabled | |
|
|
| Are preparing for when you'll be unable to make decisions | |
|
|
| Have lost your mental capacity | |
|
|
To learn more, including how to set up PoA documents, take a look at the government's website
Register your Power of Attorney with us
- You’ll need some ID
- Please fill out our registration form
- It should take 10-20 minutes to fill in
- Please note we can’t apply restrictions such as maximum daily withdrawal limits
If you have any questions, you can call the Power of Attorney helpline on 0800 414 8414
If you need to change an existing Power of Attorney registration
We can revoke, amend or update attorney details that have already been registered, please contact the helpline.