Court of Protection Deputyship Costs in England

When Deputyship Becomes Necessary

A Court of Protection deputyship application is needed when someone has already lost mental capacity, no registered Lasting Power of Attorney or valid registered Enduring Power of Attorney exists, and no correctly signed LPA remains available to submit for registration. The court appoints a deputy — usually a family member — to manage the person's finances, property, or welfare decisions. It is the only legal route to gain authority over another person's affairs when no valid registered LPA or EPA was set up in time and no correctly signed LPA can still be registered.

This is not a process anyone chooses voluntarily. Deputyship is slower, more expensive, and more intrusive than an LPA. But when the alternative is frozen bank accounts and unpaid care home fees with no one authorised to act, families have no other option.

The Fee Breakdown (July 2026 Rates)

The Ministry of Justice increased Court of Protection fees by 2.6% on 13 July 2026. The current costs:

Application fee (form COP1): £432. This is the standard fee for starting Court of Protection proceedings, whether you are applying for a property and financial affairs deputyship or a health and welfare deputyship. If you need both types, you pay two separate application fees.

Assessment fee: £102. The OPG charges this one-off fee after the court has issued the appointment order to assess the deputyship's supervision needs.

Hearing fee: £266. Charged only if the court orders an oral hearing — which happens when family members disagree about who should be deputy, or when the circumstances are complex. Many straightforward applications are decided on paper without a hearing.

Appeal fee: £272. Only relevant if you challenge the court's decision.

Annual supervision fee: Standard general supervision is £320 per year, for as long as the deputyship remains in force. A minimal supervision fee of £35 per year applies to property and affairs deputies managing less than £21,000. These fees cover the OPG's ongoing oversight of the deputy's financial management. The deputy must file an annual report detailing every transaction made on behalf of the person lacking capacity.

Security bond: Required for property and financial affairs deputies. The bond premium (typically £100 to £300 per year) is an insurance policy that protects the person's assets if the deputy mismanages funds. The bond amount is set based on the size of the estate.

Total First-Year Costs

For a straightforward property and financial affairs deputyship with no hearing: £432 (application) + £102 (assessment) + £320 (supervision) + £100 to £300 (security bond) = roughly £954 to £1,154 in fees alone. Including legal fees and the other costs above, first-year costs typically run between £2,500 and £5,000.

Ongoing annual costs are lower but never stop: the standard £320 supervision fee (or £35 under minimal supervision for qualifying estates) plus the security bond premium, plus the time cost of preparing detailed annual financial reports for the OPG.

How This Compares to an LPA

An LPA costs £92 per document to register with the OPG (£184 for both types). Registration takes 8 to 10 weeks. There are no annual fees, no supervision charges, no security bond, and no court involvement. The donor chooses their own attorneys rather than having the court decide who manages their affairs.

The catch is that an LPA can only be created while the donor has mental capacity. Once capacity is lost, creating a new LPA is permanently closed, and deputyship is the only remaining option if no valid registered EPA exists and no correctly signed LPA can still be registered.

Fee Remissions for Court of Protection

Low-income applicants can apply for help with court fees using form COP44A, assessed on the capital and income of the person who lacks capacity (not the applicant's own finances). If the person's capital and income qualify, the application fee and hearing fee may be waived or reduced.

For the OPG's ongoing supervision and assessment fees, form OPG120 provides a separate fee reduction pathway based on the person's financial circumstances.

Processing Times

A straightforward deputyship application currently takes 6 to 9 months from submission to the court's decision. Complex cases — particularly those involving family disputes or contested evidence about the person's capacity — can take 12 months or longer.

During the entire processing period, no one has legal authority to manage the person's finances. Banks remain frozen, care fees go unpaid, and the family is stuck. This is the practical cost of not having an LPA that no fee table captures.

Our LPA guide includes a full cost comparison between the LPA and deputyship routes, along with the step-by-step filing process to avoid ending up in court.

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