LPA vs Will: What’s the Difference and Do You Need Both?

The one-sentence difference

Your will decides who inherits, who administers your estate and who raises your children after your death. Your LPA decides who can run your finances and make care decisions if illness or injury leaves you unable to decide for yourself while alive. There is no overlap: a will is powerless during your lifetime, and an LPA dies with you.

ClearLegacy LPA service — coming soon

We're preparing to launch a fixed-fee Lasting Power of Attorney service with the same no-appointment, plain-English approach as our £69 wills. Join the waitlist for first access and launch pricing.

Side-by-side

When it applies: will — after death; LPA — during incapacity in life.
Who acts: will — your executors; LPA — your attorneys.
Covers: will — inheritance, guardianship, funeral wishes; LPA — bank accounts, bills, property decisions, medical care, care-home choices.
Government fee: will — none; LPA — £92 per document.
Made online? will — yes (£69 with ClearLegacy); LPA — forms on gov.uk, registration takes 8–25 weeks.
Can it wait? Neither — a will can be needed any day; an LPA cannot be made after capacity is lost.

Which to do first

If you can only do one this month, do the will — it is cheaper (£69 vs £184 for both LPAs), faster (24 hours vs 2–6 months), and dying intestate causes the worse family outcome. Then start the LPA while healthy, because it is the one you cannot make later. The details you gather for your will (partner, children, trusted people, assets) are exactly what the LPA forms need — doing them close together is genuinely easier.

Frequently asked questions

No. A will has no effect while you are alive. Only a registered Lasting Power of Attorney gives someone legal authority to act for you during incapacity.

No. An LPA ends automatically at death. From that moment your will (or the intestacy rules, if you have none) takes over and your executors take charge.

If choosing, most people do the will first — it is cheaper and faster, and intestacy is the costlier failure. But an LPA can only be made while you have capacity, so do not leave it long.

Yes, and it is common — a spouse or adult child often serves as both. They are separate legal roles in separate documents.

Not necessarily. A ClearLegacy will is £69 online, checked against the Wills Act 1837. LPA forms are available on gov.uk; you pay the £92 registration fee per document. Complex estates or family situations may justify a solicitor for either.