A refund scheme for those who have been overcharged for their power of attorney fees was launched on the 1st February 2018.
In an announcement made by the Ministry of Justice (MoJ), the refunds are being offered to those who may have been charged more than was necessary when they applied to register for powers of attorney between 1 April 2013 and 31 March 2017.
According to the MoJ, the process to register for enduring powers of attorney became more efficient during this period and as a result, operating costs for the Office of the Public Guardian came down. However, the fee charged for the application did not reduce in line with this. The fee was subsequently lowered by the MoJ, a change which came into effect 1 April 2017.
In an announcement made by the Ministry of Justice (MoJ), the refunds are being offered to those who may have been charged more than was necessary when they applied to register for powers of attorney between 1 April 2013 and 31 March 2017.
Plans to repay those who were overcharged were originally announced in July last year. At the time, the expected total was around the £89 million mark.
According to the MoJ, the process to register for enduring powers of attorney became more efficient during this period and as a result, operating costs for the Office of the Public Guardian came down. However, the fee charged for the application did not reduce in line with this. The fee was subsequently lowered by the MoJ, a change which came into effect 1 April 2017.
Now, they have launched a refund scheme for those who paid the higher fee during the qualifying period.
Claims for full and partial refunds can be made by the donor via an online service, with only one form needing to be completed for each.
The Ministry of Justice has confirmed that the number of applications eligible for the refund is around 1.7 million.
A number of regulatory organisations and professionals from within the sector have shared their thoughts on the launch of the refund scheme.
“We are delighted that the Ministry of Justice has launched a refund scheme to reimburse customers for the overcharging of registration fees of Powers of Attorney, which extends back to 1st April 2013. This will affect customers who registered documents between 1st April 2013 to 31st March 2017, who will now have to seek a partial refund of the fees that they paid.
We encourage anyone who has been overcharged in the last four years to apply for their partial refund, by online application or a telephone call, to the OPG.”
For those who believe they are eligible, claims can be made here: www.claim-power-of-attorney-refund.service.gov.uk