Using a parent’s or partner’s bank card may seem the fastest way to pay bills or move savings. But it may not give you the authority accepted by the bank or NS&I.
The right arrangement depends on their capacity, the duration of help needed, and the savings product involved. The real risk is acting with good intentions but without accepted authority.
Managing savings for another adult depends on their mental capacity, your authority, and the provider’s rules. A third-party mandate can help with daily banking, while an attorney or deputy has wider duties. Keep their money separate, check accepted evidence, and review whether the product still suits them.
Start with capacity, authority and product
The right route depends on the adult’s capacity, the length of help needed, and the product involved.
Use this three-question decision tree
Start with the adult’s capacity for the exact task. If they understand and agree, a third-party mandate may suit limited help with an existing account. For lasting support, a Property and Financial Affairs Lasting Power of Attorney may be the better route.
- They have capacity and need short-term help: ask the provider about a third-party mandate or its own authority form.
- They have capacity and want lasting support: consider making and registering a Property and Financial Affairs LPA.
- They have lost capacity with a registered LPA: the attorney can ask each provider to recognise the LPA.
- They have lost capacity without an LPA: seek deputyship advice before moving savings or opening products.
A joint account is not a master key
A joint current account gives both named holders access to that joint account. It does not normally control the other person’s ISA, sole savings account, or Premium Bonds.
Think of it as a shared front-door key. It does not open every locked room in the house.
Mental capacity depends on the decision and the time. Someone may decide to keep money in savings, but need help with an ISA transfer or investment risk.
A diagnosis, age, illness, or brief confusion does not prove lost financial capacity. Give clear information, choose a good time, and offer written options or an interpreter where needed.
If a decision is disputed, keep a factual note. Record the support offered, what the adult understood, and why you used that authority.
Choose a mandate, LPA or deputyship
A third-party mandate helps with limited banking while the holder has capacity. A registered LPA supports ongoing financial decisions, while deputyship is the court route after lost capacity.
Which authority survives loss of capacity?
A third-party mandate usually depends on the adult keeping capacity. They can withdraw or change that permission.
An Ordinary or General Power of Attorney is usually unsuitable after the donor loses capacity. A registered Property and Financial Affairs LPA can continue after capacity is lost.
What can each route usually do?
This table is a starting point, not a provider promise. “May” means you must check the provider’s process, document wording, and the adult’s best interests.
| Authority route | Works after lost capacity? | Existing account access | Open or buy new product | Online access |
|---|
| Third-party mandate | Usually no | Often limited to named account | Usually no or provider-specific | Provider-specific |
| Ordinary/General Power | No | May be accepted | May be accepted | Often restricted |
| Registered LPA | Yes | Usually, after checks | May be allowed | Often limited or manual |
| Court deputyship | Yes | Usually within court order | Only within authority | Provider-specific |
A registered LPA or deputyship may let you manage savings. It does not automatically allow gifts, new investments, ISA transfers, or Premium Bonds purchases. Ask the provider about the exact action before sending money.
Match the authority to the exact instruction before acting. Access to one product does not mean access to every product.
A mandate may let you view a balance or arrange an existing-account withdrawal. It may not let you open accounts, fund a Cash ISA, or buy Premium Bonds.
An ordinary power may be accepted while the donor has capacity. A registered LPA or deputyship may work after lost capacity, subject to limits and provider checks.
Online access often has separate rules. A provider may require paper instructions or an attorney profile, even with valid legal authority.
Keep the adult’s money separate and visible
Use the adult’s own account to fund their savings where possible. This keeps ownership clear and gives you a clean payment record.
The cleanest way to pay in
For an ISA, use an account in the ISA holder’s name where the provider permits it. For Premium Bonds, follow NS&I’s payment route and check the registered holder is correct.
The ISA annual allowance belongs to the ISA holder. It does not belong to the attorney, deputy, or family member arranging payments.
- Good record: “£1,000 from Mrs Patel’s sole current account to her Cash ISA, 14 May, LPA registered, confirmation saved.”
- Risky record: “Sent ISA money from my account for Mum.”
- Better temporary record: “£300 paid from attorney’s account because donor’s card failed; donor reimbursed attorney from donor account on 16 May.”
Use your account only for a clear reason. Keep the arrangement traceable, and check that the provider permits it.
Never treat the adult’s money as a floating family pot. This matters more where benefits, care fees, inheritance tax plans, or relatives are involved.
Clear records protect both the adult and the person helping them.
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A labelled financial document folder can keep LPA copies, provider letters, and payment receipts together. It helps when several attorneys or relatives check the same paper trail.
- Separates NS&I, ISA, and bank paperwork from household documents
- Stores certified authority copies and identity checks in one place
- Makes it easier to keep receipts for payments made for the adult
View options on Amazon →
Check ISA rules before opening or moving money
An attorney or deputy may manage an adult’s Individual Savings Account. They must check the provider’s attorney process and the ISA rules.
Can an attorney open a new ISA?
Some providers accept a registered attorney or deputy for a new Cash ISA. Others allow management of existing products only.
Ask before moving funds. Ask whether the provider accepts a registered LPA for a new ISA, transfer, withdrawal, and online access.
Get the answer in writing where possible.
Transfers need more than a bank transfer
An ISA transfer should usually go through the receiving provider’s transfer process. Moving cash yourself may lose the ISA wrapper if replacement rules do not allow it.
Think of the wrapper as a labelled envelope. Once cash comes out, it may not always go back inside.
For the 2026/27 tax year, the ISA annual allowance is £20,000. This limit may change in later tax years.
The allowance belongs to the adult whose ISA it is. Confirm current rules with HMRC’s ISA information on GOV.UK before acting.
Handle premium bonds in the right name
Buying Premium Bonds as an adult gift differs from buying or managing them as an attorney or deputy.
Buying as attorney or deputy
An attorney under a registered LPA may instruct NS&I for the donor. NS&I checks and the LPA wording still apply.
A Court of Protection deputy may act only within the court order. In both cases, the adult remains the registered holder and beneficial owner.
Buying premium bonds as an adult gift
A genuine adult gift uses the giver’s money. The giver must intend the Bonds to belong to the adult recipient.
A gift does not let the giver manage, withdraw, or redirect the recipient’s existing NS&I holdings. Ownership follows the registered holder and gift terms, not who feels responsible.
The name on the holding matters most.
Prepare for joint attorneys and provider checks
The LPA wording decides who can sign, call a provider, submit forms, or instruct an ISA or Premium Bonds transaction.
What documents should you gather?
Keep originals safe and send only what the provider requests. Many organisations accept an online LPA access code or certified copy, but rules vary.
A certified copy is formally confirmed as true by an authorised person. It is not just a photocopy.
- Record the adult’s full name, address, date of birth, and customer or holder number.
- Check whether the authority is a mandate, registered LPA, EPA, or deputyship order.
- Read the attorney appointment wording and any restrictions.
- Prepare identity documents and proof of address for each acting attorney.
- Ask whether the provider needs its own authority form, certified copy, or access code.
- Keep dates, staff names, reference numbers, and copies of every instruction.
If capacity has been lost, do not carry on under an old mandate. If no LPA or valid EPA can be used, contact the provider and explain the position.
Consider deputyship through the Court of Protection.
For further information, the Office of the Public Guardian explains LPA registration and attorney duties in England and Wales.
This guidance does not apply when an adult manages their own finances and wants only a savings comparison. It also does not apply to money belonging to a child, business, trust, or estate. Seek urgent advice on safeguarding, fraud, capacity, or legal matters where there is a dispute, suspected abuse, or no valid authority.
FAQs
Can I open a savings account for another adult?
You can usually open one only if the provider accepts your authority for that account. A registered LPA or deputyship may work, but a mandate often covers existing accounts only.
Ask before applying.
Can I buy premium bonds for someone else?
You may buy Premium Bonds as an adult gift if NS&I’s current terms allow that route. A gift from your money differs from an attorney purchase using the adult’s money.
Check NS&I’s terms before paying.
Can an attorney buy premium bonds?
An attorney may buy Premium Bonds if NS&I accepts the registered LPA and the purchase serves the donor’s interests. The Bonds must belong to the adult, not the attorney.
Check the LPA wording and NS&I’s process.
Can I use my card for my parent’s ISA?
Using your card can create a poor audit trail and may break the provider’s payment rules. Use your parent’s account where possible.
Keep full evidence if a temporary reimbursement cannot be avoided.
Does next of kin status let me withdraw savings?
Next of kin status gives no automatic right to withdraw another adult’s sole savings in England. You need valid permission or provider-accepted legal authority.
Family status alone is not enough.
Can one joint attorney act alone?
One joint attorney can act alone only if the LPA says attorneys act jointly and severally. The LPA may also permit separate tasks.
If it says “jointly”, all relevant attorneys must act together.
What happens if an LPA is not registered?
An unregistered LPA is usually not enough after the donor has lost capacity. Register it with the Office of the Public Guardian before relying on it.
A provider may ask for an access code or certified copy.
Are premium bonds protected by the FSCS?
Premium Bonds are not FSCS protected because NS&I is backed by the Treasury. This is a government guarantee.
Bank and building society deposits may have FSCS protection.
Take the safest next action
The safest next action is to stop before moving money. Identify the adult’s capacity and authority route, then ask about the exact product instruction.
Keep the provider’s answer, payment evidence, and authority documents together. This helps when several relatives assist or when an ISA transfer and Premium Bonds purchase happen together.
The essentials:- Family status and joint-account access do not control another adult’s sole savings.
- A mandate, General Power, registered LPA, and deputyship have different limits after lost capacity.
- Use the adult’s own account where possible and record every payment or reimbursement.
- Check provider rules before opening, moving, gifting, or managing an ISA or Premium Bonds.
For the next decision, compare whether a Cash ISA or Premium Bonds better matches the adult’s need for access, certainty and tax-free savings. Do this only after authority and ownership are clear.
Further reading
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