Types of Lasting Power of Attorney UK: Property & Financial vs Health & Welfare
Updated: 16 May 2026 • Reading time: 7 min
A Lasting Power of Attorney (LPA) is one of the most important legal documents you can make — but many people do not realise there are two separate types, covering completely different areas of your life. Understanding the difference between a Property and Financial Affairs LPA and a Health and Welfare LPAis essential before you decide which to make — and why, in most cases, you need both.
Type 1: Property and Financial Affairs LPA
This LPA authorises your chosen attorney to manage your financial life. Once registered with the Office of the Public Guardian (OPG), it covers:
- Operating bank and building society accounts
- Managing investments, shares, and savings
- Paying bills, rent, mortgage, and care fees
- Collecting income — salary, pension, benefits
- Buying, selling, or remortgaging property
- Claiming tax refunds and managing tax affairs
- Running a business (if the donor specifies this power)
When Can It Be Used?
A key feature of this type of LPA is that you can choose whether it takes effect:
- Only when you lack capacity — the attorney can only act when a doctor confirms you cannot make the decision yourself
- As soon as it is registered — the attorney can act immediately, even while you still have full capacity (with your knowledge and consent)
The second option is useful for people who travel frequently, have difficulty managing financial matters due to illness or disability, or simply want someone they trust to be able to help them now.
Type 2: Health and Welfare LPA
This LPA authorises your attorney to make decisions about your personal wellbeing and medical care. It covers:
- Where you live — at home, with family, or in a care home
- What care and support you receive day-to-day
- What medical treatment you consent to or refuse
- Your diet, clothing, and daily routine
- Life-sustaining treatment decisions — but only if this power is expressly granted
When Can It Be Used?
Unlike the financial LPA, a Health and Welfare LPA can only be used once the donor has lost mental capacity. While you can make decisions for yourself, your attorney has no authority to override them. This is an important safeguard.
Life-Sustaining Treatment
The question of whether your attorney can consent to or refuse life-sustaining treatment (such as resuscitation, ventilation, or artificial nutrition) is one of the most significant decisions in the LPA. This power is not automatic — you must specifically tick a box in the LPA to grant it. If you do not grant this power, the attending medical team will make these decisions, taking into account your best interests and any advance decision to refuse treatment you have made separately.
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | Property & Financial | Health & Welfare |
|---|---|---|
| What it covers | Money, property, finances | Care, medical, daily life |
| When usable | Immediately (if specified) or on loss of capacity | Only on loss of capacity |
| Life-sustaining treatment | Not applicable | Only if expressly granted |
| Separate registration needed | Yes | Yes |
| OPG registration fee (2026) | £82 per LPA | £82 per LPA |
Why You Need Both
A financial LPA alone leaves a critical gap: if you lose capacity, no one has legal authority to make care decisions. Your bank account can be managed but your family cannot formally instruct doctors or care homes — those decisions fall to clinicians applying a “best interests” test, which may not reflect your wishes.
A health LPA alone leaves a different gap: your attorney can decide you need residential care but has no legal access to your finances to pay for it. Without a financial LPA, your family would need to apply to the Court of Protection for a deputyship — a slow, expensive process.
Making both LPAs together is more cost-effective and ensures comprehensive coverage.
Choosing Your Attorney
You can appoint different attorneys for each LPA or the same person for both. Consider:
- Does your chosen attorney have the time and willingness to take on this responsibility?
- For financial affairs: are they financially organised and trustworthy?
- For health and welfare: do they understand your values and wishes around medical treatment?
- Can you appoint a joint attorney as a safeguard? (Both must agree before acting, or you can allow either to act alone)
- Have you appointed a replacement attorney in case the primary attorney cannot act?
Frequently Asked Questions
What are the two types of Lasting Power of Attorney in England and Wales?
There are two types: (1) Property and Financial Affairs LPA — covers bank accounts, investments, property, pensions, bills, and any other financial matters; (2) Health and Welfare LPA — covers decisions about medical treatment, care home placement, day-to-day living arrangements, and life-sustaining treatment. Each requires a separate document, separate registration with the OPG, and separate registration fees.
What can a Property and Financial Affairs LPA attorney do?
A Property and Financial Affairs attorney can manage bank accounts, operate investments, pay bills, collect benefits and pensions, sell or buy property, and conduct any other financial transaction on the donor's behalf. This LPA can be used while the donor still has capacity (with the donor's consent) or after they have lost capacity — whichever the donor specifies when making the LPA.
What can a Health and Welfare LPA attorney do?
A Health and Welfare attorney can make decisions about where the donor lives, what care they receive, what medical treatment they consent to or refuse, their diet, clothing, and daily routine. Critically, the attorney can consent to or refuse life-sustaining treatment only if the donor has expressly granted this power in the LPA — it is not automatic. This LPA can only be used once the donor has lost mental capacity.
Can one attorney hold both types of LPA?
Yes. The same person can be named as attorney under both a Property and Financial Affairs LPA and a Health and Welfare LPA. However, the two documents are separate and must each be registered independently with the OPG. Many people appoint the same trusted person for both roles, though some choose different attorneys to separate financial and personal care decisions.
Do I need both types of LPA?
In almost all cases, yes. A Property and Financial Affairs LPA without a Health and Welfare LPA means your attorney can manage your money but cannot make care or medical decisions — those would fall to doctors and social workers. A Health and Welfare LPA without a Property LPA means nobody can access your bank account to pay for the care your attorney has arranged. Both types work together and should be made at the same time.
What happens if I only have one type of LPA and need decisions made under the other?
If you have lost capacity and the relevant LPA is not in place, the Court of Protection must appoint a deputy to cover the missing decision-making area. A property and financial affairs deputyship and a personal welfare deputyship are both available but require separate court applications, ongoing court supervision, annual reports, and significant cost — typically far more than registering an LPA in advance.
Make Both LPAs Alongside Your Will
A will and two LPAs together form a complete estate planning package. WillSafe guides you through all three documents so your affairs are protected whether you lose capacity or die — without leaving your family to manage a Court of Protection application.
Get started with WillSafe