Appointeeship

An appointeeship gives someone (the ‘appointee’) the authority to deal with benefits from the government on behalf of someone else. This is usually given when the individual is unable to make financial decisions for themselves due to limited mental capacity.

Unlike a power of attorney or Court of Protection order, with an appointeeship the appointee can only manage benefits and not any other form of income or savings the person may have.

Appointees manage benefit claims and payments on behalf of the person who’s mentally unable to do so. The appointee is also responsible for reporting any changes in that person’s circumstances.

If the person has the mental capacity to manage their own benefits but would like some support from a trusted individual, they would need to grant power of attorney instead.

Visit the government website to apply to become an appointee for someone claiming benefits.

An appointee can be a friend or family member of the individual, or an organisation or representative of an organisation – for example, a solicitor or local council. Only one appointee can act on behalf of someone.

When applying to become an appointee, we recommend you read about an appointee’s responsibilities.

Manage the account the benefits are paid into

Pay bills, including signing cheques

Use a debit card

Have statements sent to their address

Update address details

Add, remove and cancel standing orders and Direct Debits

An appointee can’t:

Have access to Telephone Banking or Online Banking

Appointees should keep accounts of the donor’s assets, income, spending and outgoings as the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) can ask to check these records.

Documents you will need

ID if you already bank with us:

You will find more information about what documentation will be needed on our identifications page.

If you are coming to see us in branch or in one of our Local sites and have a debit card, you will need to bring it with you and know your PIN.

ID if you do not already bank with us:

We will need you to verify your identity before we can register your authority. You can do this by using the Barclays app (verify your identity).

If you cannot verify your identity using the Barclays app, you can come and see us and bring documentation. You will find more information about what documentation will be needed on our identifications page.

Legal documents

We will need to see the full original BF57 form given to you by the DWP. You will need to have the full original or certified legal document, not just the summary page. This can be several pages long, so please make sure you have all the pages.

What happens next

Once we receive everything we need, we will aim to set up your access within 10 working days. If we need anything else from you, we will get in touch by email or phone.

When it is set up, we will send you a letter to confirm that you have access, along with anything else you asked for, such as Online and Telephone Banking details or debit cards.