Setups
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Getting set up to help — Power of Attorney, a care needs assessment, benefits and the paperwork, at your own pace.
Everything this setup adds to your household. Dates are worked out from your answers when you set it up.
Set up and register both Lasting Power of Attorney types. England & Wales law — Scotland and Northern Ireland use different systems.
Talk it through with whose care is this? (e.g. "Mum", "your parent")
Task · Due On your start date
An LPA can only be made while {{care_for}} still has mental capacity, so it's a kind, practical conversation to have early — not a sign anything is wrong.
Decide the attorneys and which LPA types you need
Task · Due 1 week after your start date
There are **two** types: a **health and welfare** LPA (care, treatment, where they live) and a **property and financial affairs** LPA (money, bills, property). You can make one or both — most people set up both. Decide who the attorney(s) will be.
Sign in to add this setup to your household — every task, project and cost dated to your own timeline in one tap.
Sign in to set upCreate the LPA(s) — health & welfare, and property & financial affairs
Task · Due 2 weeks after your start date
You can create and sign both LPAs on the Office of the Public Guardian's online service. **England & Wales only** — if you're in Scotland or Northern Ireland, follow your nation's power-of-attorney route instead.
Register each LPA with the Office of the Public Guardian
Task · Due 4 weeks after your start date
**This is the step that matters** — an LPA cannot be used until it's registered. There's a registration fee per LPA (check the current amount on gov.uk; reductions or exemptions are available on a low income), and registration can take a couple of months, so start early and don't leave it to a crisis. Check current processing times on gov.uk.
Get a free council needs assessment, understand care options and how funding works.
Request a care needs assessment from the council
Task · Due 3 days after your start date
Ask {{care_for}}'s local council (adult social services) for a needs assessment — it's **free regardless of income or savings**, and it's the gateway to arranging support. The link routes you to the right council. (England; Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland have equivalent local-authority assessments via their own routes.)
Understand care options and how funding works
Task · Due 2 weeks after your start date
Read up on the choices — care at home vs residential care — and how paying for care is means-tested, so you know what to expect before decisions are needed. The NHS social care guide is a good, plain-English starting point.
Benefits that are often unclaimed — worth checking even if you're unsure you'll qualify.
Check Attendance Allowance
Task · Due 1 week after your start date
**Attendance Allowance** helps with care costs for people over State Pension age — it is **not means-tested** and is paid at one of two weekly rates (check this year's figures). In **Scotland** this has been replaced by **Pension Age Disability Payment** — apply for that instead.
Check Carer's Allowance (if you provide the care)
Task · Due 1 week after your start date
**Carer's Allowance** is for someone caring **at least 35 hours a week** for a person who receives a qualifying benefit (such as Attendance Allowance). It's a weekly payment (check this year's rate). In **Scotland** it's **Carer Support Payment**.
Apply for Council Tax Reduction
Task · Due 2 weeks after your start date
**Council Tax Reduction** can lower the council tax bill for people on a low income or certain benefits. Each council runs its own scheme, so apply through {{care_for}}'s local council — the link routes you there.
Pull the important paperwork and account details together, and make sure there's a will.
Gather key documents and account details in one place
Task · Due 1 week after your start date
With {{care_for}}'s agreement, note where the essentials live: bank and pension details, insurance and utility providers, the GP, any existing will, and the registered LPA. You don't need originals — knowing where things are is enough.
Sort a will if it isn't done
Task · Due 3 weeks after your start date
If {{care_for}} doesn't have an up-to-date will, this is a good moment to sort one. The official gov.uk overview covers what makes a will valid and when to use a solicitor.
Welcome — and take your time
Guidance
This setup helps you get organised to support {{care_for}}. It's process-heavy, not deadline-heavy — the dates are loose pacing from today, not a race. The most important single step is the **Lasting Power of Attorney**: because it can't be used until it's **registered with the Office of the Public Guardian**, and registration takes time, the biggest mistake people make is leaving it until a crisis. Everything else can move at a sensible pace. This note creates nothing.
If you're in Scotland or Northern Ireland
Guidance
The Lasting Power of Attorney steps above are **England & Wales** law. In **Scotland**, you set up a power of attorney and register it with the **Office of the Public Guardian (Scotland)**. In **Northern Ireland**, the equivalent is an **Enduring Power of Attorney**. The benefit names also differ in Scotland (**Pension Age Disability Payment** and **Carer Support Payment**). Needs assessments and wills work through each nation's own local-authority and legal routes. This note creates nothing.