Deputy and Trustee Service Charges

Deputy and Trustee Service Charges We currently charge an annual fee based on the number of hours worked and with fixed charges for items like tax returns and preparation of accounts.  The only other expense is an insurance called a ‘Master Bond’, which we have to provide for each client we have (£30–£100 per year). The amount is set by the Court of Protection, not by us, and we legally have to pay it.

The fees we charge are as follows (subject to approval by the Public Guardianship office).

Deputy and trustee service fee: £105 per hour
Tax returns: £185
Winding up fee for passing on a client or following the death of a client: £500
Master Bond: usually £30–£100 per year.

Our intention is to provide a high quality service to all of our clients.  We are only a small team and because we charge by the hour we have to work quickly, so we cannot always spend as much time with each client as we would like. 
Financial Controls Financial controls are very tight. Money cannot be spent from a client’s account without at least two people authorising the transaction. At the end of each year that we are your Deputy we have to provide full details to the OPG of every transaction that has been made and show that exactly the correct amount is in your account.

The whole organisation is also audited by an external auditor, who checks that our financial systems are tight, and that our accounts are correct.