Receipts

[Lynmax]

Advice appreciated please.

My siblings and I have a financial LPA which has been registered with mums bank. Up till now we only use to move money from her current account to her savings ( to protect it from scams) and for very occasional purchases. The only record we keep is a copy of the bank statement and I write on it if we have bought something but don't attach receipts etc. My sister does her food shopping each week and just asks mum for the cash but that is becoming a problem as mum is convinced she is actually giving her pocket money and is getting angry!

I want to start repaying my sister for the shopping by bank transfers but am not sure about keeping an account - I trust my sister implicitly but she tends to add mums stuff onto her weekly on line delivery so there is not a seperate receipt. Will it be sufficient for her just to write out a receipt to cover the weekly shop? She does not have time to go to the shops just for mum and I have mobility problems and cannot go.

We do have our own debit cards for mums account which my sister could use once she stops working in September and will be able to shop. To use it now, she would have to pay a delivery charge to get a seperate order just for mums card - obviously at the moment it all goes on her card and she gets free delivery.

Am I over thinking things, as I don't know if we need to record what we spend from mums account anyway through the LPA, does the OPG audit them? I know if there is a deputy ship that things are more stringent.

To summarise ( as I do rabbit on!) are handwritten "receipts" acceptable and if not, how do other people keep the accounts?

My sister is being made redundant and has decided not to look for another job as she wants to become mums carer for about 20 hours a week, we have agreed to pay her £10 an hour for this ( with delight as it will solve all our concerns for mum) which again I'll need to keep a record of.

I'm not sure how I took on the role of book keeper, I don't remember volunteering!

Thanks in advance.

 

[Duggies-girl]

Hi @Lynmax I have POA for my dad and I do his shopping. I don't keep receipts because dad spends the same amount every month. If he buys anything expensive then I do keep the receipt.

If dad gives his grandchildren any money as a gift then it would be a cheque and that would be recorded.

I don't have the time to keep accounts and dad's bank statements are clear for anyone to see if they need to.

 

[Sirena]

I think you are over thinking, it's very unlikely anyone is going to ask about these relatively small regular payments. The only thing I keep proper receipts for is big stuff like clothing, bedding, paying the accountant.

My mother is now in a CH and I order toiletries for her as part of my online shopping order. I used to keep the whole receipt and highlight the bits which were my mother's - your sister you do that. I don't actually bother any more, as it's only about £8 a month and I don't think anyone is going to care! I transfer the money to my account and there is a box which lets you note what it's for, so I do that.

 

[Rosettastone57]

Advice appreciated please.

My siblings and I have a financial LPA which has been registered with mums bank. Up till now we only use to move money from her current account to her savings ( to protect it from scams) and for very occasional purchases. The only record we keep is a copy of the bank statement and I write on it if we have bought something but don't attach receipts etc. My sister does her food shopping each week and just asks mum for the cash but that is becoming a problem as mum is convinced she is actually giving her pocket money and is getting angry!

I want to start repaying my sister for the shopping by bank transfers but am not sure about keeping an account - I trust my sister implicitly but she tends to add mums stuff onto her weekly on line delivery so there is not a seperate receipt. Will it be sufficient for her just to write out a receipt to cover the weekly shop? She does not have time to go to the shops just for mum and I have mobility problems and cannot go.

We do have our own debit cards for mums account which my sister could use once she stops working in September and will be able to shop. To use it now, she would have to pay a delivery charge to get a seperate order just for mums card - obviously at the moment it all goes on her card and she gets free delivery.

Am I over thinking things, as I don't know if we need to record what we spend from mums account anyway through the LPA, does the OPG audit them? I know if there is a deputy ship that things are more stringent.

To summarise ( as I do rabbit on!) are handwritten "receipts" acceptable and if not, how do other people keep the accounts?

My sister is being made redundant and has decided not to look for another job as she wants to become mums carer for about 20 hours a week, we have agreed to pay her £10 an hour for this ( with delight as it will solve all our concerns for mum) which again I'll need to keep a record of.

I'm not sure how I took on the role of book keeper, I don't remember volunteering!

Thanks in advance.

Don't get bogged down with this. I had POA for my mother-in-law for 5 years and did everything online. At no time was I ever asked to provide anything for the OPG. The only thing I kept receipts for was for some building work for mother-in-law house, which ran into several hundred pounds. There was no one in the family either who was remotely interested in what I was doing.

 

[2jays]

My sister is being made redundant and has decided not to look for another job as she wants to become mums carer for about 20 hours a week, we have agreed to pay her £10 an hour for this ( with delight as it will solve all our concerns for mum) which again I'll need to keep a record of.

This could be considered employment for tax, pension and insurance purposes

May I suggest you contact the helpline for legal clarification

 

[nitram]

This could be considered employment for tax, pension and insurance purposes

Have a read through this OPG practice note
https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/public-guardian-practice-note-family-care-payments
Contains a link to HMRC document at end

 

[Lynmax]

Thanks for this link Nitram, I have read it and found it very helpful. I understand it to refer to court appointed deputies but that attorneys under an LPA would find it helpful to use the guidelines and criteria - am I correct? I am sure then that we will be fine to make family payments to my sister, we seem to have considered all their guidelines and the costs will be made from Mums income, not from her savings as she has a very generous pension. We are planning to make the payments in line with the lowest cost of a self employed carer in our area and my sister will get no other financial advantages. It's really just to allow my sister to have a little help with her petrol costs and incidental expenses as her redundancy package will cover the rest of her living costs. She will be flexible in her hours and days to fit around mine and my brothers visits as we want to try to make sure she has some company every day with a cooked meal. My sister will be paid well less than the current tax allowances even though the guidelines say that family payments can be exempt from tax. We know this is the best thing for mum at the moment to allow her to remain in her own home for as long as possible. She is likely to be self funding for the rest of her life if she goes into residential care, she is 87 years old, owns a nice house and has plenty of investments. I am going to ask my best friend, a solicitor specialising in family law, to read through them first, she is aware of our possible plans and thinks we are doing the right thing for Mum.

Thanks also for the advice re keeping receipts and paperwork. I will devise a simple method to keep track of any payments we make, especially for any larger amounts, either by annotating the statement or in an old fashioned account book. Like others have said, her food needs are fairly low and pretty much the same each week so easy to identify and all bills are paid by direct debit.

I never thought I would be spending my retirement years worrying about such things!

 

[nitram]

I understand it to refer to court appointed deputies but that attorneys under an LPA would find it helpful to use the guidelines and criteria - am I correct?

That is also my interpretation.
Time to dig deeper in your specific case.
If you don't ask, you are unlikely to get

 

[Lynmax]

I am glad we agree Nitram.

My legal friend is happy with this interpretation as well, she told me not to worry!

Not how or where to dig deeper other than a direct question to the OPG.