Appointeeship | Becoming a DWP Benefits Appointee
Opening a bank account as an appointee and your role and responsibilities
Appointeeship - FAQ's
What is a corporate appointee? An explanation from Money Carer.
A DWP appointee is someone authorised to manage welfare benefits and financial matters for another person who cannot manage these themselves—perhaps due to mental or physical disability or other incapacity.
Their duties include ensuring benefit claims are correct, that payments come into a separate bank account, and that funds are used only for the person’s benefit. This also involves managing bills and making decisions about how money is spent.
To become a DWP appointee, you complete Form BF56, then undergo a visit from a DWP Visiting Officer to assess suitability.
Once appointed, the appointee has legal duties. They must act in the best interests of the person they represent, and they must follow the five principles set out in the Mental Capacity Act 2005.
View a video about this FAQ on the Money Carer YouTube channel
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Yes.
Uniquely, we have our own banking platform with Zempler Bank and this service is used by hundreds of law firms and local authorities to manage the finances of their own clients.
We are also able to open bank accounts for family members who are appointees, deputies, or have a lasting power of attorney.
The dedicated site for our banking platform is here.
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An appointee has to be aged 18 plus and can be a family member or trusted friend or a specialist organisation whom the DWP can authorise to become the person’s corporate appointee.
The local council can also act as the appointee, although there can be conflicts of interest when local authorities become appointees. As such, many local authorities are choosing to partner with organisations such as Money Carer. Many local authorities do not have enough resources to provide an appointeeship service, which is another reason they cannot take on the role.
Some care providers also still act as appointees however, again, due to the conflicts of interest, these arrangements are increasingly being discouraged by local authorities and the care services regulator as not reflecting best practice.
For further information about becoming a DWP appointee, please download our appointee guide for family members.
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The rationale behind making someone an appointee is that they will have regular contact with the service user and their circle of care. This may become problematic when the appointee lives overseas.
If a client with an existing appointee moves overseas and the appointee who is staying in the UK indicates that they wish to retain the role, the DWP will discuss the position with the appointee. Unless there is someone near to where the client is moving or an organisation that is able to take on the role, then it is possible for the existing appointee can remain in place.
If the appointee wishes to remain the appointee but moves abroad with the customer remaining in the UK then it may be more suitable to consider involving a new appointee or a Corporate Appointee service such as The Money Carer Foundation to resume responsibility for the required appointeeship.
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An appointee must inform the DWP if there is any change in a person’s circumstances that may affect their welfare benefits, including changes of address or bank account details.
The amount of benefits an individual can claim can be affected by the amount of savings they have. For example, means-tested benefits will typically be stopped if a benefit recipient has savings of £16,000 or above. Welfare benefit payments for means-tested benefits are reduced when a person’s capital breached £6000, however.
The appointee will check the balance of savings for their client regularly and inform the DWP, by letter, when the total amount of savings reaches the levels that may affect a benefit claim.
An appointee does not have the authority to deal directly with banks or with capital or other income belonging to the incapacitated person. An appointee does, however, have the authority to deal with an incapacitated person’s Post Office account.
For further information about becoming a DWP appointee, please download our appointee guide for family members.
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If the person does not have any friends or relatives to act as an appointee, then The Money Carer Foundation or another suitably experienced organisation can apply to become the DWP appointee.
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When a person with an appointee passes away, the appointee must notify the Department for Work & Pensions to inform them of the passing at the earliest opportunity. The DWP may require a copy of the official death certificate also.
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No. Unlike Lasting Power of Attorney agreements or Court of Protection deputyship orders, there can be only one legal appointee.
For further information about becoming a DWP appointee, please download our appointee guide for family members.
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Yes.
Social services can request an appointee as part of the best interest or safeguarding decisions. Social workers regularly request appointeeships when undertaking care plan assessments.
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An appointee may resign if they are no longer able to carry out the role by giving one month’s written notice to the DWP
The DWP also has the power to revoke the appointeeship. If there is evidence of an appointee not acting in the best interests of the claimant, the DWP must be informed and they will investigate such claims.
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Appointeeship - FAQ's
What is a corporate appointee? An explanation from Money Carer.
A DWP appointee is someone authorised to manage welfare benefits and financial matters for another person who cannot manage these themselves—perhaps due to mental or physical disability or other incapacity.
Their duties include ensuring benefit claims are correct, that payments come into a separate bank account, and that funds are used only for the person’s benefit. This also involves managing bills and making decisions about how money is spent.
To become a DWP appointee, you complete Form BF56, then undergo a visit from a DWP Visiting Officer to assess suitability.
Once appointed, the appointee has legal duties. They must act in the best interests of the person they represent, and they must follow the five principles set out in the Mental Capacity Act 2005.
View a video about this FAQ on the Money Carer YouTube channel
5
1
Yes.
Uniquely, we have our own banking platform with Zempler Bank and this service is used by hundreds of law firms and local authorities to manage the finances of their own clients.
We are also able to open bank accounts for family members who are appointees, deputies, or have a lasting power of attorney.
The dedicated site for our banking platform is here.
0
1
An appointee has to be aged 18 plus and can be a family member or trusted friend or a specialist organisation whom the DWP can authorise to become the person’s corporate appointee.
The local council can also act as the appointee, although there can be conflicts of interest when local authorities become appointees. As such, many local authorities are choosing to partner with organisations such as Money Carer. Many local authorities do not have enough resources to provide an appointeeship service, which is another reason they cannot take on the role.
Some care providers also still act as appointees however, again, due to the conflicts of interest, these arrangements are increasingly being discouraged by local authorities and the care services regulator as not reflecting best practice.
For further information about becoming a DWP appointee, please download our appointee guide for family members.
0
0
The rationale behind making someone an appointee is that they will have regular contact with the service user and their circle of care. This may become problematic when the appointee lives overseas.
If a client with an existing appointee moves overseas and the appointee who is staying in the UK indicates that they wish to retain the role, the DWP will discuss the position with the appointee. Unless there is someone near to where the client is moving or an organisation that is able to take on the role, then it is possible for the existing appointee can remain in place.
If the appointee wishes to remain the appointee but moves abroad with the customer remaining in the UK then it may be more suitable to consider involving a new appointee or a Corporate Appointee service such as The Money Carer Foundation to resume responsibility for the required appointeeship.
1
0
An appointee must inform the DWP if there is any change in a person’s circumstances that may affect their welfare benefits, including changes of address or bank account details.
The amount of benefits an individual can claim can be affected by the amount of savings they have. For example, means-tested benefits will typically be stopped if a benefit recipient has savings of £16,000 or above. Welfare benefit payments for means-tested benefits are reduced when a person’s capital breached £6000, however.
The appointee will check the balance of savings for their client regularly and inform the DWP, by letter, when the total amount of savings reaches the levels that may affect a benefit claim.
An appointee does not have the authority to deal directly with banks or with capital or other income belonging to the incapacitated person. An appointee does, however, have the authority to deal with an incapacitated person’s Post Office account.
For further information about becoming a DWP appointee, please download our appointee guide for family members.
0
0
If the person does not have any friends or relatives to act as an appointee, then The Money Carer Foundation or another suitably experienced organisation can apply to become the DWP appointee.
0
0
When a person with an appointee passes away, the appointee must notify the Department for Work & Pensions to inform them of the passing at the earliest opportunity. The DWP may require a copy of the official death certificate also.
1
1
No. Unlike Lasting Power of Attorney agreements or Court of Protection deputyship orders, there can be only one legal appointee.
For further information about becoming a DWP appointee, please download our appointee guide for family members.
0
0
Yes.
Social services can request an appointee as part of the best interest or safeguarding decisions. Social workers regularly request appointeeships when undertaking care plan assessments.
0
0
An appointee may resign if they are no longer able to carry out the role by giving one month’s written notice to the DWP
The DWP also has the power to revoke the appointeeship. If there is evidence of an appointee not acting in the best interests of the claimant, the DWP must be informed and they will investigate such claims.
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