What's the difference between a Lasting Power of Attorney and a will in the UK?
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In short: A will takes effect only after you die and says who inherits. A Lasting Power of Attorney (LPA) takes effect while you are alive and lets a trusted attorney make decisions for you if you lose mental capacity. Most adults need both — they cover different risks at different stages.
There are two types of LPA under the Mental Capacity Act 2005: Property and Financial Affairs (paying bills, managing savings, selling property) and Health and Welfare (medical treatment, care arrangements, end-of-life decisions). Both must be registered with the Office of the Public Guardian to be used — registration currently costs £82 per LPA in England and Wales.
A will, by contrast, only operates from the moment of death. It appoints executors, names beneficiaries, sets up any trusts and (in England and Wales) can appoint guardians for children under 18.
Order matters where the two interact. A Health and Welfare LPA that gives the attorney power over a specific life-sustaining treatment overrides an earlier advance decision on the same issue. So if you want an advance decision to prevail, make it after the LPA and reference it expressly.
Jurisdiction note: 'LPA' is the England & Wales instrument under the Mental Capacity Act 2005. Scotland uses Continuing and Welfare Powers of Attorney under the Adults with Incapacity (Scotland) Act 2000, registered with the Office of the Public Guardian (Scotland). Northern Ireland uses an Enduring Power of Attorney (financial only) under the 1987 Order; a Health and Welfare equivalent is not yet in force.
Primary source: gov.uk/power-of-attorney