SINGAPORE - The certification fees for making a lasting power of attorney (LPA) have been waived as part of a new campaign launched on Saturday to encourage more Singaporeans above the age of 50 to have better pre-planning.
In addition, the waiver of the $75 application fee, a current government scheme, will be extended until the end of March 2026.
The aim is to get 240,000 people aged 50 and above to set up an LPA by 2025. An LPA allows decisions to be handed over to a trusted person if the applicant loses his or her mental capacity.
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, a division of the Ministry of Social and Family Development.
Certification, typically priced between $25 and $300,will now be handled by pro bono lawyers via a mobile booth.
The certification fee waiver is available only for applications made at the roving booth. This weekend, the booth is located at Our Tampines Hub. In August, 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 an LPA. The low take-up rate for LPA and Advance Care Planning (ACP) was also attributed to people not thinking much about these 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.
Despite their lack of knowledge about the two plans, the majority of respondents agreed 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 had to apply to the court to be appointed her deputy – a process which took six months and cost $7,000 – to care for her.
Mr Masagos said: “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.”
Addressing the community at Our Tampines Hub, he brought up the one-stop portal MyLegacy@LifeSG, which guides people on how 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 via the online portal Office of the Public Guardian Online.
Launched last November, the platform prompted more than 57,000 people to submit their LPA applications online. Since April 2023, the public can also book online sessions on MyLegacy@LifeSG to discuss advance care planning with an ACP facilitator.
Mr Masagos urged Singaporeans to make their LPA, adding that the extension of the application fee waiver till March 2026 will be the final one.
Estate planner Bernard Chan told The Straits Times how his deceased father’s ACP enabled the elderly man’s final wishes to be fulfilled. His dad wanted to die at home instead of at a hospital, and to have a five-day funeral and sea burial.
The 79-year-old, who had chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, made the ACP about a year before his death in 2018. Mr Chan and his sisters even administered their father’s intravenous injections.
“All these nursing duties done by ourselves became much more meaningful,” said Mr Chan.
“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.”
