Acting on behalf of someone else

Useful information on powers of attorney and letters of authority 

To manage and make decisions about someone else’s finances, you typically need to hold a power of attorney or a court of protection order (deputyship).

If you’re looking to register a power of attorney or deputyship with Wesleyan, you’ll find helpful information and contact details below.

If you are simply looking to give your authority for Wesleyan to discuss information about your plans with an Independent Financial Adviser or a family member, this can be done via a letter of authority.

Registering a power of attorney with Wesleyan

When a power of attorney is issued, it needs to be registered with the Office of the Public Guardian (OPG) before it can be used. This can take up to 20 weeks.

Once this has been done, you can register the power of attorney with Wesleyan simply by giving us a call on 0800 058 2965.

You will need to provide details for the donor (that’s the person whose account it is) and the attorney(s) – the people who have been appointed to look after the donor’s finances.

The details we need are:

  • Donor’s account/plan number
  • Full names of the donor and the attorneys
  • Date of birth of the donor and the attorneys
  • Addresses of the donor and the attorneys

Where there are multiple attorneys, only one of you needs to call to provide the details.

What happens next?

Once we have taken details from you, we will check the OPG register to check that the power of attorney is in place. We will then update our systems accordingly.

The process can take 2-3 weeks. When our records have been updated, we’ll write a letter to both the donor and the attorney(s) to let you know.

Thereafter, the attorneys will be able to make decisions on the account, in line with the terms of the power of attorney.

Frequently asked questions

  • What kind of power of attorney do I need?

    There are several kinds of power of attorney. The most common are the lasting power of attorney (LPA) and the enduring power of attorney EPA. The EPA was replaced by the LPA in 2007, but can still be accepted. 

    Note that there are two types of lasting power of attorney (LPA):

    • Property and financial affairs
    • Health and welfare

    To manage a Wesleyan customer’s account, you’ll need a Property and financial affairs LPA.

  • Can I register a power of attorney with Wesleyan by post?

    If you prefer not to call us, you can instead send us your power of attorney document via post. We need either the original document (which will be returned to you) or a certified copy.

    If you choose to post the document to us, please make sure you include the attorney’s date of birth. On some EPAs, this is often not included on the document itself.

    Our postal address is:

    Customer Relationship Centre
    Wesleyan Assurance Society
    Colmore Circus
    Birmingham
    6AR

  • How do I set up a power of attorney?

    When you set up a power of attorney, you’re giving other people (your ‘attorneys’) the authority to help you make decisions, or make decisions on your behalf.

    It can give you more control over what happens to you if you become unable to make your own decisions due to illness, injury or old age.

    To find out more about powers of attorney, and to start the process of setting one up, please visit https://www.gov.uk/power-of-attorney.

  • What should I do if a relative loses the capacity to make their own decisions?

    If you believe that somebody close to you does not have the mental capacity to make financial decisions for themselves, you can apply to become their deputy.

    This means applying for a court of protection order, which gives similar authority to a power of attorney.

    To find out more about how to become someone’s deputy, please visit https://www.gov.uk/become-deputy

Letter of authority

A letter of authority allows you to provide another person with access to your plan information.  Typically this is used to allow an Independent Financial Adviser to discuss your financial details with us.

You may also wish to use a letter of authority to provide access to a relative or spouse.

To send us a letter of authority, speak to your adviser who will usually provide a template for you to complete. Or you can call us on 0800 058 2965 and we will send you a template in the post.

Please note a letter of authority does not allow the third party to manage or make decisions on your account in the same way that a power of attorney or deputyship does.