Higher subsidies for LPA applications under new campaign to promote better end-of-life planning

SINGAPORE – Subsidies for lasting power of attorney applications have increased as part of the launch of a new campaign to encourage more Singaporeans above the age of 50 to have better end-of-life planning.

The aim is to get 240,000 people aged 50 and above to set up an LPA – which allows decisions to be handed over to a trusted person if the applicant loses his or her mental capacity – by 2025.

Of the 220,000 LPA applications made in Singapore to date, only about three quarters or 165,000 were made by people aged 50 and above, according to the Office of the Public Guardian (OPG), a division of the Ministry of Social and Family Development.

The increased subsidy will come in the form of a waiver of the legal fee, typically worth between $25 and $80. This is in addition to a waiver of the $75 application fee, a current scheme that will run until the end of March 2026.

The increased subsidy is only available when applications are made at a roving booth. This weekend, the booth is located at Our Tampines Hub. Next month, the booth will be at Queenstown Community Centre. Other locations will be announced at a later date.

An April survey of 1,000 Singaporeans aged 30 to 79 found that most people were not aware of LPA. The low take-up rate for LPA and ACP had also been attributed to people not thinking much about the plans and not wanting to go through the trouble of applying for them. There was also no urgency to do so as the respondents felt healthy.

But their lack of knowledge of the two plans, the majority of respondents agreed that they are important for providing greater peace of mind for their families.

Minister for Social and Family Development Masagos Zulkifli, who launched the pre-planning campaign on Saturday, cited a case of how one woman did not make an LPA before she was diagnosed with advanced dementia. If an LPA had been made, her brother would not have to apply to the Court to be appointed as her deputy, a process which took six months and cost $7,000, to care for her.

“The truth is that incidents can happen quite suddenly. Rather than leave things to chance, it is better to convey our wishes early on and identify the people we trust to advocate for us and make decisions on our behalf,” said Mr Masagos.

Addressing the community at Our Tampines Hub, he brought up the one-stop portal MyLegacy@LifeSG, which guides people to create a will, make an LPA and ACP, make nominations for the Central Provident Fund, and document funeral wishes.

He also noted that people can make their LPA on the online portal Office of the Public Guardian Online (OPGO). Launched in November, the platform prompted more than 57,000 people to submit their LPA applications online. Since April, the public can also book online sessions to discuss advance care planning with an ACP facilitator.

He urged Singaporeans to make their LPA, adding that the extension of the application fee waiver till March 2026 is the final extension.

Estate planner Bernard Chan told The Straits Times how his deceased father’s ACP enabled his final wishes to be fulfilled. His dad wanted to die at home instead of at the hospital, to have a five-day funeral and sea burial.

The 79-year-old, who had chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, did the ACP about a year before his death in 2018.

He and his sisters even did their father’s intravenous injections. “All these nursing duties done by ourselves became much more meaningful.”

“We were thankful to be able to have a last act of service for him – an opportunity created because his ACP was executed in time,” said Mr Chan.