Using a Registered LPA: Access Codes, Copies and Organisation Checks

Your LPA is registered, but a bank or care provider still asks for proof before dealing with you. That request does not necessarily mean something is wrong. Registration, proving the appointment and having authority for a particular decision are different questions.

Using a registered LPA usually involves showing an organisation an online summary, the registered original or a certified copy. This guide explains how to prepare for that stage under the England and Wales framework. It focuses on practical access and verification rather than choosing your attorneys.

Start with the decision you need to make

Identify the task before contacting the organisation. Paying a household bill and discussing a care decision involve different powers. An online account or access code does not expand the authority written into the LPA. Check which instrument applies and how the attorneys must act.

For financial decisions, GOV.UK explains that an attorney may act while the donor still has capacity only if the LPA permits it and the donor gives permission. A health and welfare attorney can make the relevant decision only when the donor lacks capacity to make it. Read the financial attorney guidance and health and welfare guidance separately.

What does the online service do?

The government's Use an LPA service lets donors and attorneys view an LPA summary and share it with organisations. It also helps you track access. It is available for LPAs registered in England and Wales on or after 1 January 2016. Earlier registrations need the paper route.

To add an eligible LPA, you need its reference number and your activation key. GOV.UK says the key is valid for one year and explains how to request a replacement if it is missing or expired. Start with the official Use an LPA service, rather than an unrelated commercial website.

An activation key and an access code are different

The activation key adds the LPA to your own account. An access code lets an organisation view the relevant summary. Keep that distinction clear when someone asks you to provide a code. Sharing your personal sign-in details is not the process for proving an attorney appointment.

Current OPG guidance says an organisation's access code lasts 50 days from creation. It has 13 characters and begins with V. Create a code for the organisation you are dealing with and check the expiry shown. Older explanations may still mention 30 days, so use the current OPG access-code guidance.

Expect identity and account checks

GOV.UK says organisations may ask for your identity details, the donor's details and information such as an account number. Ask what they need and how to provide it before sending documents. An access code verifies the LPA summary; it does not make every separate identity check unnecessary.

For a practical preparation note, list the organisation, the task, the relevant account and the documents requested. Record who you spoke to and any outstanding question. This is an organisational suggestion, not another legal formality. It helps distinguish a missing document from a disagreement about authority.

If you are still planning your arrangements, our LPA preparation and guidance service can help you consider how the finished documents will work in practice. Ask about the agreed scope of support before assuming a preparation package includes ongoing management of accounts.

When would you use a paper or certified copy?

The official proof-of-appointment guidance identifies the registered original and a certified copy as alternatives to an online summary. Ask the receiving organisation about its process before posting the original. Keep a record of anything sent and the arrangements for its return.

A normal photocopy should not be described as a certified copy merely because the pages are readable. GOV.UK explains that a donor who can still make their own decisions may certify a copy, following its page-by-page wording and signing requirements. Solicitors and people authorised to carry out notarial activities can also certify copies. See the official certification instructions.

What if the organisation cannot proceed?

Ask for the specific reason. Has the code expired? Is it for the other LPA? Do identity details need clarification? Is there a restriction or a requirement for attorneys to act together? A precise explanation is more useful than repeatedly sending the same paperwork.

Illustration: an attorney gives a utility provider the code for the donor's health and welfare LPA while trying to manage a bill. Supplying the relevant financial LPA addresses the document mismatch, although the provider may still need other checks. This is a hypothetical example, not a promise of acceptance.

If the difficulty concerns the legal meaning of an instruction, disputed authority or capacity, obtain appropriate advice. Keep the organisation's written explanation and the actual LPA available. Do not assume that a successful online verification resolves a separate disagreement about what an attorney may do.

Build a clear record for each organisation

A useful contact record answers five questions: who needs the LPA, which instrument applies, what you have supplied, what remains outstanding and when you will follow up. Keep the organisation's reference and the date of the conversation together. Record an explanation such as identity evidence outstanding rather than a vague note saying the LPA was rejected.

This makes the next conversation more productive. If a provider says something is missing, you can ask whether it needs another identity document, a readable copy or clarification of the appointment. Those are different problems. Where instructions appear inconsistent, ask the provider to confirm its requirements in writing rather than guessing which member of staff was correct.

For your own record, distinguish an LPA being received from the organisation confirming its checks are complete. An email delivery receipt shows that a message arrived; it does not explain whether anyone has reviewed the attachment. Our suggestion is to record the provider's actual response and the next agreed step.

Plan for several organisations separately

A donor may deal with a bank, a pension provider and several household suppliers. Preparing one application does not necessarily complete the administrative process with all the others. Ask each organisation how it handles attorney enquiries and whether a specialist team or particular contact channel is available. Use its official contact details.

Where there are two LPAs, label your working notes clearly so the financial and welfare documents are not confused. Keep the legal document itself unchanged. A separate checklist can identify which LPA you intend to show and why. If the intended task does not fit either appointment, ask for advice before presenting the nearest available document.

Consider timing as well as paperwork. If a bill needs attention soon, tell the organisation the relevant date and ask what can happen while its checks are pending. Do not assume it will waive a requirement or promise that an attorney can immediately complete a transaction. Record any interim arrangement accurately.

Questions to settle before sending the original

Before posting an original, ask whether the online summary or a properly certified copy would meet the organisation's requirements. If it still requests the original, find out the delivery address, any reference to include, how the document will be returned and whom to contact if there is a delay. Choose a delivery method appropriate to the document.

Keep a record of the package contents and correspondence. If another attorney may need the papers during the same period, discuss the practical arrangements first. Avoid creating an urgent problem elsewhere by sending the only available document without considering how it will be accessed while away.

If the provider says a restriction prevents the requested action, ask it to identify the relevant wording and explain its concern. Take that explanation and the full LPA to an appropriate adviser. A partial screenshot or a relative's recollection may leave out an important qualification. The aim is to resolve the specific difficulty with a clear document trail.

Keep the handover practical

As a planning exercise, agree where the registered papers are kept and how attorneys can locate them. Make a separate contact list of organisations likely to need the LPA. Avoid adding passwords or PINs to the legal document or distributing them with an access code.

Before using the LPA, revisit the appointment method. Our guide to jointly and jointly-and-severally appointed attorneys explains why having several names on the document does not always mean one person can act alone.

If two attorneys will contact different organisations, consider agreeing a simple record of progress: which organisation has received a code, what it requested and what remains outstanding. That avoids repeated calls and inconsistent explanations. Keep the record factual, protect personal information and make clear which attorney is handling each task. This administrative habit does not change the appointment or authorise one person to act alone.

Support with planning your LPA

H.A. Law Advisory provides non-reserved LPA preparation and guidance for suitable matters in England. Explore our Wills and LPA support to discuss your requirements. The donor makes the substantive choices; specialist disputes and Court of Protection proceedings require appropriate referral.

General information checked on 20 October 2026. England and Wales LPA framework. H.A. Law Advisory is an independent paralegal practice, not a firm of solicitors. The linked official guidance explains the current procedures.