Deputyship in Hertfordshire does not end when the court order arrives. It begins there. The order says what you can and cannot do. The Office of the Public Guardian starts supervising you, and the person's money can now pay for the care they need. This piece is about that first year.
Most of what families read about deputyship in Hertfordshire covers the application: the forms, the fees and the wait. Far less covers what happens afterwards. A son or daughter in St Albans or Hitchin is suddenly responsible for a parent's bank account. The home care invoice arrives at the same time.
Reassurance first. The rules are clearer than they look, and GOV.UK sets them out plainly. The habits that keep a deputy on the right side of the OPG are the same habits that make care at home run well. They are records, receipts and a written reason for every decision.
Starling Homecare is a family run, CQC registered home care provider. We work with family deputies, professional deputies and case managers across Hertfordshire, so we are used to the paperwork that comes with the role.
What the court order lets a deputy do
A property and financial affairs deputy receives the court order once any security bond the court asked for is in place. From that moment you can act. GOV.UK is precise about the starting point: once you have the order, you can start acting on the person's behalf.
Read the order before doing anything else. It sets out the decisions you may make. Some fall outside it, such as selling a jointly owned property, which needs a separate application. If the order contains a mistake, form COP9 goes back to the court within 21 days, and there is no fee.
Two points catch families out. First, you must consider the person's capacity every time you make a decision. You cannot assume it is the same for every decision or on every day. Second, a financial deputy does not decide where someone lives or what care they receive. Those are welfare decisions, which the court rarely hands to a deputy. The family and the professionals involved make them together, in the person's best interests.
Paying for care under a deputyship in Hertfordshire
The bank needs to see the original order or an official copy, plus proof of your own name and address. It may also need proof of the person's name or address if the account differs. The court sends official copies with the order, and extra copies cost £8 each. Ask for the copies back.
Keep your own money entirely separate from theirs. GOV.UK lists the records a financial deputy must keep: bank statements, contracts for services or tradespeople, receipts, and letters and emails about deputy activity. A home care agreement and its invoices fall squarely within that list, so file them from the first visit.
In our experience this is where a regulated provider earns its place for a deputy. Three documents do most of the work: a clear written agreement, an itemised monthly invoice, and a care plan that records what was done and why. Together they give you most of what the annual report will ask for. Our visiting care starts from £34 an hour and is VAT exempt, with the rate agreed after an assessment. As a result, the cost of care is a known figure in the accounts rather than a surprise.
The first year of deputyship in Hertfordshire: supervision and fees
Every new deputy starts on general supervision for the first year. The Office of the Public Guardian may contact or visit you to check you are meeting its standards. It can also give advice and support. A Court of Protection visitor telephones first to arrange any visit.
The fees are fixed, so write them into the budget. General supervision costs £320 a year, due on 31 March for the previous year. New deputies also pay a one off £100 assessment fee. After the first year a financial deputy managing less than £21,000 may move to minimal supervision at £35 a year, with a shorter report. Exemptions and reductions exist where the person receives certain benefits or has an income below £12,000.
You can pay these fees from the person's money. So can the application fee, which a property and affairs deputy can claim back from their funds. Record each one as you go.
The annual deputy report, and what it needs from you
You must send the OPG a report each year explaining the decisions you have made. GOV.UK says you can begin it straight away, recording decisions and transactions such as paying bills, and family deputies can complete it online. The OPG tells you when it is due.
The report asks for three things. It wants the reasons for each decision and why it was in the person's best interests. It wants to know who you spoke to, and why their input served the person's interests. For a financial deputy, it also wants the person's finances over the year.
A care decision therefore needs a line of reasoning, not just a receipt. Why care at home rather than a move. Why three visits a day rather than two. Who you consulted, which may be the GP, a social worker, the person themselves on a good day, and the care provider. Written down at the time, these are a few sentences. Reconstructed a year later, they are a lost weekend.
Gifts, expenses and the decisions that need the court again
The order says whether you can make gifts, including to charity, and whether there is an annual limit. GOV.UK's test is that gifts must be reasonable and must not reduce the level of care the person can afford. That second half matters to families paying for care. A generous Christmas is fine only if the care budget survives it.
You can claim expenses you incur as deputy, such as postage, telephone calls and travel on deputy business. You cannot claim travel for social visits, and a family deputy cannot charge for their time.
Some decisions need the court a second time. A one off decision outside the order costs £432. It needs a witness statement setting out the person's income, assets, property and the annual cost of their care. Tell the OPG before any major step, such as selling a home to pay for care, even where the order allows it.
Where deputyship in Hertfordshire meets care at home
A financial deputy signs the care agreement, receives the invoices and pays them from the person's account. The family and professionals plan the care itself in the person's best interests, with the deputy as one of the people consulted. A provider should never treat the deputy as the client in place of the person receiving care.
What we ask of a deputy is simple: a copy of the order for our file, a named contact, and clarity on who is told what. In return, a deputy should expect a plan that records reasons, invoices that itemise visits, and prompt notice of any change in need. A change in need is a change in cost. Our page for case managers, deputies and solicitors sets out how we work with professional deputies.
If you are still at the application stage, our guide to applying for deputyship in Harpenden covers the process, the forms and the costs. Where a lasting power of attorney already exists, no deputy is usually needed. Our guide to using a lasting power of attorney for care explains what an attorney can do instead.
Common questions about deputyship in Hertfordshire
Can a deputy pay for home care from the person's money?
A property and financial affairs deputy manages the person's money for their benefit within the terms of the court order. GOV.UK expects you to keep and report contracts for services and receipts. Paying for care the person needs is exactly the kind of spending the annual report exists to record. Keep the agreement, the invoices and a note of why you arranged the care.
How much does deputyship cost each year after the order?
For a deputyship in Hertfordshire, general supervision is £320 a year, plus a one off £100 assessment fee for new deputies. A financial deputy managing under £21,000 may later move to minimal supervision at £35 a year. Fee help is available where the person receives certain benefits or has an income under £12,000.
Do I need to be a deputy to manage my parent's benefits?
No. If the only money involved is benefits, you can apply to the Department for Work and Pensions to become an appointee instead. GOV.UK states that you do not need to be a deputy if you are just looking after someone's benefits. An appointee deals with benefits only, not savings, property or other income.
Keeping the year in order
The deputies who find deputyship in Hertfordshire manageable treat it as a monthly habit: file the statement, file the invoice, write the reason. The care runs, the report largely writes itself, and the OPG sees a deputy doing the job well.
If you would like to talk through arranging care at home under a deputyship in Hertfordshire, our St Albans office is on 01727 324 127. Our later life care page describes the support we arrange. The full guidance for deputies is on GOV.UK.
Fees and rules were checked on 17 September 2026 against the GOV.UK guide Deputies: make decisions for someone who lacks capacity (last updated 2 December 2024) and the GOV.UK page on becoming an appointee. This article is general information, not legal advice. The Court of Protection helpline is 0300 456 4600 and the Office of the Public Guardian is on 0300 456 0300.
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