Appoint someone to manage your affairs
Why would I use this service?
Someone you trust can help you manage your account and money matters. Your family members, friends or even a neighbour, local authority, charity or carer can help you.
There may be several reasons why you need someone to help you. You may be living abroad or have a serious illness.
The person you choose can manage your account in a number of ways. Choosing the right option will depend on your needs and circumstances.
You can choose to allow one of the following types of access to your accounts:
- A third party mandate arrangement – this allows someone to help when you need support with everyday banking either in branch or over the phone.
- Power of Attorney – this gives someone the legal authority to deal with third parties such as banks or the local council on your behalf, and in some cases the legal power to make a decision on your behalf such as where you should live.
- A deputy appointed by the Court of Protection – in this case, a court will appoint someone on your behalf if you are unable to do so.
Depending on circumstances, there are occasions where a different type of access may be required. Please see below:
- Management of Residents Finances Certificate (Scotland only)
- Direct Payments from a local authority
- DWP Appointed Account
- Access to Funds (Scotland only)
If you don’t want to hand over control of your finances, we also offer a Trusted Person Card. This is a debit card linked to your personal current account that you can give to someone you trust to shop for essentials or withdraw money from a cash machine on your behalf. For more information, click here.
For further advice and information, contact the Office of the Public Guardian (Office of Care and Protection in Northern Ireland) or your solicitor and also read our Appointing someone to manage your affairs (PDF, 2.37MB).
How to register
You can register over the phone* or arrange a branch appointment by calling 0345 300 0051. Lines are open 8am - 8pm, seven days a week.
*In some circumstances you may not be able to register over the phone
You will need the following items to complete registration:
- 2 forms of identification, one showing your name, one showing your address. Please refer to our list of acceptable identification (PDF, 1MB)opens in a new window.
- The original legal documentation, or a copy certified by a solicitor, notary or donor/granter.
- Proof of address if the person you are acting for has changed address since the legal document agreed.
Once we’ve got what we need, we’ll register the documents while you’re in the branch with our specialist team available to support you.
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There’s more information for you on our Appointing someone to manage your affairs (PDF, 2.37MB) guide.
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Have your circumstances changed since you first set up access for someone to help manage your financial affairs? Don’t worry, we are here to help!
Change of address
If you or the named representative(s) change address you will need to tell us about it. You can do this by calling us or visiting your local branch.
When a marriage or civil partnership ends
If you and the named representative are married to each other or in a civil partnership and separate, the arrangement will come to an end unless the legal document states otherwise. This applies to all types of Power of Attorney, but not to court appointments such as deputyship or guardianship.
Death
You must notify us if the representative passes away and supply us with the death certificate or an updated Lasting Power of Attorney document stamped by the Office of the Public Guardian confirming the deceased (if applicable). You must also notify us if the account holder passes away and supply us with the death certificate.
Other Reasons
There can be other circumstances that bring an agreement to an end. Contact the Office of the Public Guardian or the court for more information.