Conservatorship DC — How It Differs From Guardianship and What It Costs

Conservatorship vs. Guardianship in DC

In the District of Columbia, guardianship and conservatorship cover different domains — and the distinction matters enormously for what you can actually do as a court-appointed fiduciary.

A guardian has authority over the person: medical decisions, housing, daily care, and facility placement. A conservator has authority over finances: bank accounts, investments, real property, income, and asset management. They are separate court appointments with separate reporting obligations, though DC allows both to be requested in a single petition.

Many families need both. If your parent cannot make medical decisions and also cannot manage their bank accounts, a combined guardianship-conservatorship petition is the standard approach. But if your parent has a valid healthcare power of attorney but never signed a financial one, you may only need a conservatorship — the healthcare POA handles medical authority while the court handles financial authority.

Filing a Conservatorship Petition

The conservatorship petition follows the same general process as guardianship, filed with the Register of Wills in the Probate Division at 515 5th Street NW, Third Floor. The key difference: conservatorship and protective order petitions carry a $45 filing fee, while a standalone guardianship petition has no filing fee.

The petition must demonstrate by clear and convincing evidence that the parent cannot manage their financial affairs and that their assets are at risk. The court appoints the same set of officers — an independent attorney for the subject, an Examiner, and a Visitor — to evaluate the case.

The Bond Requirement

This is where conservatorship gets expensive. Under D.C. Code § 21-2062, the court requires the conservator to post a fiduciary bond to protect the ward's estate. The bond amount depends on the size of the estate:

• Full bond: Covers the total value of the ward's liquid and personal assets, plus one year of estimated income
• Reduced bond: The court may allow a reduced bond amount, but any assets not covered by the bond are frozen by court order — they cannot be sold, transferred, or encumbered without prior judicial approval

Bond premiums depend on the bond amount and the surety and are an ongoing cost for the duration of the conservatorship.

If your parent's income comes primarily from Social Security, those funds may also be managed through a separate Representative Payee arrangement (applied through the SSA directly). But SSA does not recognize private powers of attorney — Representative Payee status requires a separate federal application.

Post-Appointment Financial Obligations

The conservator's reporting obligations are rigorous and audited:

• Within 90 days of appointment: File a Financial Inventory listing every asset, account, property, and income source the ward possesses, along with a management plan
• Anniversary + 30 days: Submit a Verified Annual Account — a detailed financial report supported by original bank statements and canceled checks, reviewed by the Probate Division's Duty Auditor

The annual account must reconcile every dollar that passed through the ward's estate during the reporting period. Receipts, disbursements, gains, and losses must all balance. The Duty Auditor reviews the submission and may request additional documentation, corrections, or an in-person accounting conference.

Progressive estate fees are assessed annually based on the total value of the ward's personal property:

• Estates under $2,500: $15
• Larger estates: fees scale progressively up to $1,275 or more
• If the estate includes DC real property: an additional flat fee of $25

The Total Cost Picture

The cost of a DC conservatorship extends well beyond the $45 filing fee:

• Attorney fees: The court-appointed attorney representing the subject bills the estate. Private counsel for the petitioner charges separately. Overall intervention proceeding costs often range from $5,000 to over $14,000 depending on complexity; legal fees vary
• Examiner and Visitor fees: Billed to the estate, subject to court fee guidelines under Administrative Order 23-20
• Bond premiums: Ongoing annual cost proportional to estate size
• Annual court costs: Progressive fees based on estate value
• Accounting preparation: If you hire an accountant to prepare the verified annual account, that cost comes from the estate as well

This cost structure is exactly why executing a durable financial power of attorney while a parent still has capacity is so critical. A POA costs virtually nothing to prepare and avoids the entire court apparatus. Once capacity is lost, the conservatorship path is the only option — and the estate pays for it.

The DC Power of Attorney & Guardianship Kit covers both paths: the POA documents for parents who still have capacity, and the complete conservatorship petition process for families who missed that window.

See more District of Columbia guides →