Power of Attorney Scotland Cost

The Mandatory Cost: OPG Registration Fee

Every Power of Attorney in Scotland must be registered with the Office of the Public Guardian (OPG) before it has any legal effect. The registration fee is £99 as of April 2026, whether you submit electronically through EPOAR or by post. This fee covers a Combined Continuing and Welfare Power of Attorney in a single deed — you do not pay twice for including both financial and welfare powers.

A fee exemption exists if the granter receives qualifying benefits. Universal Credit, Income-based JSA, Personal Independence Payment (PIP), or Adult Disability Payment (ADP) can qualify, subject to income thresholds: gross annual income must be £26,437 or less for PIP/ADP recipients, or £20,592 or less for Working Tax Credit recipients. The exemption form and supporting DWP/HMRC evidence must be submitted at the time of registration — no retrospective claims are accepted. Exemption applications must go by post, not through the EPOAR portal.

Solicitor Fees: The Variable Cost

If you instruct a Scottish solicitor to draft your Combined Power of Attorney deed, conduct the Schedule 1 capacity interview, and handle the OPG registration, expect to pay between £400 and £800 plus VAT for the complete service. Some high-street firms in Edinburgh and Glasgow charge up to £1,200 for complex estates or where multiple attorneys are named.

That fee typically includes:

• Initial consultation and drafting the deed
• The Schedule 1 Certificate of Capacity interview
• Submitting the registration to OPG Scotland
• Providing certified copies of the registered deed

Solicitor fees are not regulated — they vary significantly by firm, location, and complexity. Rural practices and legal aid firms tend to charge less than city-centre private client specialists.

The DIY Route: How Much Can You Save?

If you draft the deed yourself and have a GP complete the Schedule 1 certificate, your total cost can drop to just the £99 registration fee plus whatever the GP charges for the capacity assessment. Some Scottish GP practices include the assessment within a standard consultation at no extra charge. Others treat it as a private medical service and charge £75–£200.

The trade-off is real, though. Roughly 20% of all PoA submissions — both DIY and solicitor-drafted — fail OPG registration on the first attempt due to errors in signing order, date alignment, or conflicting attorney instructions. With the OPG backlog running at over 13 months, a rejected application means going back to the end of the queue.

The Cost of Not Having a Power of Attorney

The comparison that matters is not solicitor versus DIY. It is the cost of a Power of Attorney against the cost of a Guardianship Order — which is what your family faces if your parent loses capacity before any PoA is registered.

A Combined PoA costs a few hundred pounds and takes a few weeks of paperwork. A guardianship costs several thousand, takes months, and imposes ongoing annual compliance costs while the order remains in force.

Breaking Down a Typical Total

For most families choosing the solicitor-assisted route:

• Solicitor (drafting + Schedule 1 + submission): £500–£700
• OPG registration fee: £99
• Total: £600–£800

For families on the DIY route with a cooperative GP:

• GP capacity assessment: £0–£200
• OPG registration fee: £99
• Total: £99–£299

Our Scotland Power of Attorney & Guardianship Kit is built for the DIY route — step-by-step instructions, pre-formatted templates, and an OPG submission checklist that catches the errors responsible for most first-attempt rejections.

See more Scotland guides →