How to appoint a power of attorney

While you may not currently need any help with making financial decisions, setting up a power of attorney now can help you prepare for the future.

A power of attorney is a legal document that you can use to authorise someone else to manage your financial or personal and/or health affairs on your behalf.

On this page we aim to answer some frequently asked questions, including those around registering a power of attorney, adding one to your account, cancelling them and other important information.

Can I open an account as a Power of Attorney?

A Power of Attorney can be set up on an existing account or, if preferred, a new account can be opened for the donor under a Power of Attorney, but please note that we can only accept a Power of Attorney which is operated on a single signature basis where more than one attorney is appointed.

We will accept the following types of Power of Attorney:

Lasting Power of Attorney

A Lasting Power of Attorney must be registered with the Office of the Public Guardian, and the date of registration must be clearly stamped on the first page.

Enduring Power of Attorney

We'll accept an unregistered Enduring Power of Attorney unless it contains a condition that it should not be used until the donor is losing or has lost mental capacity. An Enduring Power of Attorney must be registered with the Office of the Public Guardian as soon as the donor starts to lose mental capacity.

Where an unregistered Enduring Power of Attorney is presented to us, we may require written approval from the donor before opening the account.

Court of Protection Order (previously known as a Receivership Order)

A Court of Protection Order must be registered with the Office of the Public Guardian with a Court of Protection stamp on each page.

Important

We're unable to accept General Powers of Attorney.

By appointing an attorney to operate the Account, the account holder will be unable to do so.

To make an application under a Power of Attorney, please contact our customer service team on 0800 032 9999. View our opening hours here.

How do I open a new Power of Attorney account?

Once you’ve chosen the type of account you’d like to open, please read the relevant Key Features & Summary Box document and visit our Useful documents to read the General Savings Conditions.

If you’re happy that the account is right for you, please call us to request an application form – you cannot apply online.

You can contact us on 0800 032 9999. View our opening hours here.

If you request a Cash ISA application form between the 6th March and the 5th April each year, you will receive details relating to the following tax year (which always starts on the 6th April). The account will also be opened in the new tax year.

When you’re ready to apply, please send the following documents to us at the address on the contact us page:

General (for non-ISAs only)

• The Power of Attorney Account Application Form signed by the Attorney
• Proof of identity and address for the account holder/donor and the attorney
• Proof of Nominated Account for the account holder/donor
• The Power of Attorney or the Court of Protection Order (as appropriate)

The initial deposit for the account should be sent to us once we have confirmed the account is open, as money we receive before then is not protected by the Financial Services Compensation Scheme.

Cash ISAs

• The Cash ISA Application Form (ISA being opened by Attorneys)
• Proof of identity and address for the account holder/donor and the attorney
• The Power of Attorney document or the Court of Protection Order (as appropriate)
• Proof of Nominated Account for the account holder/donor
• The Power of Attorney or the Court of Protection Order (as appropriate)
• ISA Transfer Form (if applicable) – please see the ISA Information Booklet for further details.

The initial deposit for the account should be sent to us once we have confirmed the account is open, as money we receive before then is not protected by the Financial Services Compensation Scheme.

Copies of the Power of Attorney or Court of Protection Order must be certified on every page of the document and we must be able to identify the individual who has certified the document.

You can find more information on certifying documents in our Certifying copies of original documents guide.

How do I register a Power of Attorney on an existing account?

Please complete and send the following documents to us at the address on the contact us page:

• The Power of Attorney Application to Appoint an Attorney to Operate an Online Account(s) form or the Power of Attorney Application to Appoint an Attorney to Operate a Postal Account(s) form signed by the attorney.
• Proof of identity for the attorney.
• Proof of residency for the attorney.
• The Power of Attorney document or the Court of Protection Order (as appropriate).

Copies of the Power of Attorney document or Court of Protection Order must be certified on every page of the document and we must be able to identify the individual who has certified the document.

You can find more information on certifying documents in our Certifying copies of original documents guide.

How do I cancel an attorney's authority to operate my account?

Please call us on 0800 032 9999 to discuss cancelling an attorney’s authority to operate your account.

What important information do I need to know about accounts operated under a Power of Attorney?

Key points on how you may be affected are:

• If you appoint an attorney, only they will be able to operate your account – you won't be able to.
• You will be responsible for the attorney(s) actions or omissions as if you'd made them yourself.
• Any notices or correspondence sent by post will be sent to the mailing address for the first attorney.
• We'll use the attorney(s) email address to send emails about the account.