2. Power of Attorney — plan now for the future

This could be anything from helping deal with correspondence now, to making all their financial or welfare decisions if they were to become mentally incapacitated in the future.

You can nominate a representative by giving them appropriate legal authority, usually in the form of a Lasting Power of Attorney. If you make a Lasting Power of Attorney you will need to register it with the Office of the Public Guardian for it to come into effect.

If you have given your Lasting Power of Attorney to someone, please let us know so we can talk to them about your pension affairs. Similarly, if you’ve been given a Lasting Power of Attorney for one of our members, please let us know.

We will ask you to send us the original Power of Attorney document, which we will return to you by Special Delivery post.

Alternatively, we can accept a Certified Copy, but only one which has been certified by a solicitor. Please note that we are unable to accept photocopies.

A Power of Attorney can only be made by an individual who still has mental capacity. If you wish to act for a member who has lost their mental capacity, you can apply to the Court of Protection to make one-off, emergency or long-term decisions on their behalf.

You can find more detail on how to complete and register a Power Of Attorney on the Government website gov.uk/power-of-attorney

Alternatively, you can contact the Office of the Public Guardian for more information either by phoning 0300 456 0300 or by email to customerservices@publicguardian.gov.uk