Managing the finances of your loved one

Managing the finances of your loved one

Despite our best-laid plans, the unexpected can happen and we may find ourselves having to care for a loved one who has lost mental capacity.

We understand that these can be stressful times and are here to support you. If you need to manage the finances of a loved one during such a situation, please refer to the guide below.

Step-by-step guide

Step 1

Step 1

Check if there is a valid Lasting Power of Attorney (LPA)

Step 2

Step 2

Apply for Court Order (in the absence of an LPA)

Step 3

Step 3

Contact us at 1800 222 2121 for more information or book an appointment

With Lasting Power of Attorney (LPA)

What is an LPA
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A Lasting Power of Attorney (LPA) is a legal document which allows an individual who is at least 21 years old (called the 'Donor'), to voluntarily appoint one or more persons they trust (called the 'Donee(s)') to make decisions and act on their behalf should they lose mental capacity one day. The LPA gives the Donee the authority to sign deeds on the Donor's behalf.

A Donee can be appointed to act in the two broad areas of personal welfare such as making decisions related to healthcare, daily activities, where the Donor should live and/or property and affairs, which covers the Donor’s bank account and property.

The LPA can only be activated when the Donor has been certified by a medical practitioner to have lost mental capacity. For a sample of the medical report, please visit the official website of the Office of the Public Guardian. For medical reports which are issued in Singapore, the medical report must be issued by a certified medical practitioner registered with the Singapore Medical Council. For medical reports issued outside of Singapore, the medical report must be translated into English by a certified translator if the report is issued in a language other than English.

To be able to exercise authority under the LPA with us, you will need to provide us with the medical report as well as the electronic LPA obtained via the Office of the Public Guardian Online dashboard, together with any other supporting documents as we may require.

The lost of the Donor's medical capacity may be temporary or permanent and the medical report presented to us must clearly state the nature of the Donor's condition (i.e. whether temporary or permanent). If the condition is expressly stated to be temporary, the date of the medical report must be made within the last six months at the time of presentment to us.

Court-appointed Deputy (without LPA)

A Court-Appointed Deputy is someone appointed by the court to make certain decisions on behalf of a person who lacks mental capacity (referred to as P) and has not made an LPA. A Deputy may be authorised by the court to make decisions relating to personal welfare and/or property and affairs. A Deputy may be a family member, next-of-kin or close friend.

To be appointed as a Deputy, the applicant must be above 21 years of age and must apply to and obtain a court order from the Family Courts.

For more information on how to apply to be a Deputy (including the simplified and standard application processes), please visit the official website of the Singapore Courts.

Closing existing bank account(s)

Once you have obtained the medical report and LPA, or Court Order, please book an appointment at selected branches as indicated below.

The processing time for account(s) closure will vary according to the type and number of accounts held.

Note: Once the Bank is notified of the loss of mental capacity of the account holder, all operations of the account(s) may be restricted (including withdrawals).

Appointed Deputy/Donee(s) must be present in person with the following documents for the account closure:

  • Medical Report and LPA; or Court Order
  • Identity Document(s) of appointed Deputy/Donee(s) (NRIC – Singaporean/PR, Passport – Foreigner)

Appointed Deputy/Donee(s) will need to sign the necessary instructions and forms. We may request for additional documents or exercise special handling depending on the account type, where required.

Appointed Deputy/Donee(s) and all joint account holders must be present in person with the following documents for the account closure:

  • Medical Report and LPA; or Court Order
  • Identity Document(s) of appointed Deputy/Donee(s) and all joint account holder(s) (NRIC – Singaporean/PR, Passport – Foreigner)

Appointed Deputy/Donee(s) and all joint account holders will need to sign the necessary instructions and forms. We may request for additional documents or exercise special handling depending on the account type, where required.

Opening a Deputy/Donee Account

A new Deputy/Donee Account will be set up for appointed Deputy/Donee(s) to manage the account. The account is usually named as such: 

Deputy of <XXX> or Donee of <XXX>, whereby XXX is the name of the Donor (under the LPA) or P (under the Court Order).

We will need all appointed Deputy/Donee(s) to be present in person with the following documents:

  • Medical Report and LPA; or Court Order
  • Identity Document(s) of all Deputy/Donee(s) and Donor (under the LPA) or P (under the Court Order). (NRIC – Singaporean/PR, Passport – Foreigner)
  • Proof of Residential Address of Deputy/Donee(s) and Donor (under the LPA) or P (under the Court Order). This is applicable to foreigners only.

Book an appointment

Main Branch
No. 80 Raffles Place UOB Plaza 1, Singapore 048624
JEM Branch
No. 50 Jurong Gateway Road #02-15, JEM, Singapore 608549
Pasir Ris Branch
Blk 443 Pasir Ris Drive 6, #01-20/22, Singapore 510443
Thomson Branch
No. 251/253 Upper Thomson Road, Singapore 574376
Woodleigh Mall Branch
No. 11 Bidadari Park Drive, #01-43 Woodleigh Mall, Singapore 367803

As part of continual efforts to serve customers better, we are centralising the opening and/or closing of accounts that require special handling at specific branch locations. By making prior appointments, this helps to provide customers with a more seamless and efficient service experience. Please book an appointment at one of the above selected branches.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

There is more than one appointed Deputy/Donee, do all of them need to be present at the branch for the account closure?
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If more than one Deputy/Donee is appointed, the number of parties required to be present for account closure for existing accounts will depend on whether the LPA/Court Order is stated as 'jointly' or 'jointly or severally'. If it is 'jointly', then all the appointed Deputy/Donee(s) will need to be present.

No, the Deputy/Donee will not be issued with Personal Internet Banking service.

The Bank may issue only one ATM card to the Deputy/Donee(s) regardless of the number of Deputy/Donee(s) appointed, subject to the following conditions:

  1. Where there is more than one Deputy/Donee(s), each Deputy or Donee is authorised to act singly. For the avoidance of doubt, ATM service cannot be made available where the Deputy/Donee(s) have to act jointly.
  2. For LPA: Only if the LPA Form 1 allows the Donee to make ALL decisions on matters relating to property and affairs.
  3. For Court Order: Only if the Deputy is empowered to make decisions relating to the property and affairs of P, including the opening and operation of bank accounts (without any restriction on the use of ATM services).

The minimum initial deposit will be determined by the type of account selected.

For Singaporeans/Permanent Residents
• Current Accounts: S$1,000
• Savings Accounts: S$500
For foreigners
Current and Savings Accounts: S$1,000

Disclaimer

Disclaimer
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The information herein is provided for general information only and is not intended to provide, and should not be relied on for, legal, financial, tax or other advice. You should consult your own professional advisors (including your own legal advisors) on matters concerning your financial affairs, financial situation and particular needs. United Overseas Bank Limited (“UOB”) and its employees make no representation or warranty of any kind, express, implied or statutory, and shall not be responsible or liable for the completeness or accuracy of the information provided herein. As such, UOB and its employees accept no liability for any error, inaccuracy, omission or any consequence or any loss/damage howsoever suffered by any person, arising from any reliance by any person on the information provided herein.

Singapore dollar deposits of non-bank depositors and monies and deposits denominated in Singapore dollars under the Supplementary Retirement Scheme are insured by the Singapore Deposit Insurance Corporation, for up to S$100,000 in aggregate per depositor per Scheme member by law. Monies and deposits denominated in Singapore dollars under the CPF Investment Scheme and CPF Retirement Sum Scheme are aggregated and separately insured up to S$100,000 for each depositor per Scheme member. Foreign currency deposits, dual currency investments, structured deposits and other investment products are not insured. Please refer to UOB Insured Deposit Register for a list of UOB accounts/products that are covered under the Scheme.

Find out more

Open a Deputy/Donee Account at selected branches. Book an appointment