Appointees and power of attorney: managing benefits for someone else

Sometimes a person cannot manage their own benefits, perhaps because of illness, disability or a condition that affects their ability to make decisions. In these situations, someone else can step in to manage their benefits for them. This guide explains how to manage benefits for someone else, including becoming a DWP appointee and using a power of attorney, and how to do it properly.

When someone needs help

Some people are unable to deal with their own benefit claims, for example because they lack the mental capacity to do so, or because a severe illness or disability makes it impossible. In these cases, the law allows another person to take on the responsibility of managing their benefits, so that their claims are made and looked after and their money is used for their benefit. There are different ways to do this, depending on the situation.

Becoming a DWP appointee

One way to manage someone's benefits is to become their appointee for benefit purposes. An appointee takes responsibility for making and maintaining the person's benefit claims, reporting changes, and managing the money for the person's benefit. Appointees are usually a family member or friend, but can be an organisation. The department checks that you are suitable before agreeing, because it is an important responsibility involving someone else's money and wellbeing.

How to become an appointee

To become an appointee, you contact the relevant benefit office and ask, and there is usually a visit or interview to make sure the arrangement is appropriate and that the person genuinely cannot manage their own affairs. Once you are approved, you deal with the person's benefits on their behalf. You must always act in the person's best interests, use their money for their needs, and keep their affairs in order, as you are accountable for how you carry out the role.

Power of attorney

A power of attorney is a wider legal arrangement that lets someone manage another person's affairs, which can include their benefits along with other financial matters. A lasting power of attorney, set up while the person still has capacity, allows a trusted person to act for them, including if they later lose capacity. This is a more formal and far-reaching arrangement than a benefit appointeeship, and it covers much more than benefits.

Which one applies

Which arrangement is right depends on the situation. A benefit appointeeship deals specifically with managing someone's benefits and is often the route where that is the main need. A power of attorney is broader and is often set up as part of planning for the future, particularly where wider financial and personal decisions are involved. In some cases a person may have a power of attorney in place, and the attorney then deals with benefits as part of their role.

Your responsibilities

Whether you are an appointee or an attorney, you take on serious responsibilities. You must act in the person's best interests at all times, use their money for their benefit, keep proper records, and report any relevant changes to the benefit office. Managing someone else's money is a position of trust, and there are safeguards to protect the person, so it is important to carry out the role carefully and honestly.

Getting help and advice

If you are thinking about managing benefits for someone else, it is worth getting advice on the best way to do it for your situation, and on what the role involves. Advice agencies can explain the difference between an appointeeship and a power of attorney and help you set up the right arrangement. Taking the time to get this right protects both you and the person you are helping, and makes the practical side much easier to manage.

Looking after the money

A central part of managing someone else's benefits is handling their money properly. The money belongs to the person you are helping, and it must be used for their needs and kept separate and clear, not mixed up with your own. Keeping simple records of what comes in and what it is spent on protects both of you and makes it easy to show that you are acting properly. This care is at the heart of doing the role well.

Reporting changes on their behalf

When you manage someone's benefits, you take on the duty to report changes in their circumstances, just as they would have to themselves. This includes changes in their health, their living arrangements, their income or their savings. Reporting promptly keeps their claims correct and avoids overpayments that would have to be repaid from their money. Staying on top of this is an important part of looking after their affairs responsibly.

If circumstances change

Arrangements may need to change over time. A person's needs can change, an appointee may no longer be able to act, or a more formal arrangement such as a power of attorney may become appropriate. If your situation or the person's situation changes, get advice on what to do, so the right arrangement stays in place. The goal throughout is to make sure the person's benefits are always being properly managed in their best interests.

It is a position of trust

Managing benefits for someone else is, above all, a position of trust, undertaken to help a person who cannot manage alone. Done well, it makes a real difference to their security and peace of mind, ensuring their benefits are claimed and their money looked after. Approaching the role carefully, keeping good records, and getting advice when you are unsure all help you carry that trust responsibly and give the person the support they need.

In short

If someone cannot manage their own benefits, you can manage them on their behalf, either by becoming a DWP appointee, which deals specifically with benefits, or under a power of attorney, which is broader. Both involve acting in the person's best interests, using their money for their needs, and keeping proper records. Get advice on which arrangement is right for your situation.

Other people who can help

Managing someone's benefits often goes hand in hand with other kinds of support, and you do not have to do everything alone. Social services, the person's GP, and organisations that support older or disabled people can all play a part in making sure the person is properly cared for. If the responsibility feels like a lot, reaching out to these sources of support can share the load and make sure the person's wider needs, not just their benefits, are being met.

Getting the arrangement right matters

Taking the time to set up the right arrangement, whether an appointeeship or a power of attorney, is worth the effort, because it gives both you and the person you are helping clarity and protection. With the proper authority in place and good habits around record-keeping and reporting, managing someone's benefits becomes a straightforward part of looking after them. If you are ever unsure, advice is always available to help you do it properly and with full confidence.

Where to get help

Citizens Advice and Age UK can advise on appointeeship and power of attorney. See our guides to managing a Universal Credit account and free help with benefits.