If you or someone you know needs help with their money

If you need some help with paying essential living expenses, you can ask us to open a Carer’s Account for you. This is separate from your main accounts, allowing someone you trust to access your money.

Importantly, you keep control of your main accounts and you decide how much and how often you want to transfer to the Carer’s Account.

The Carer’s Account has its own debit card and PIN, and the carer doesn’t have access to your main account or your security details.

The carer can:

• withdraw cash from cash machines up to the daily withdrawal limit*
• buy goods or services using their debit card up to the daily limit*
• buy goods or services online up to the daily limit*

The carer will not be able to:

• have access to any of your other accounts or be able to make any changes to them
• apply for any new products or services such as credit cards or loans
• access your online banking
• use contactless

*The default daily limit is £100 but the customer can set a limit between zero and £150; the carer can access either the daily limit or the total amount of money available in the account, whichever is lower

To open a Carer’s Account you can phone 0345 600 2882, and the carer will also need to go to any of our branches with photographic ID to confirm their identity.

NOTE: A Carer’s Account can only be opened for your benefit if you, the customer, have mental capacity. The account agreement with the carer will stop if you no longer have capacity. It is the carer’s responsibility to tell us if this changes and we may be able to offer additional support.

There may come a time in your life when you need someone to manage your property or finances for you because you’re no longer capable. We want to support you if you find yourself in this position.

You can formally appoint a friend, relative or professional to hold a Power of Attorney that will allow them to act on your behalf. In Northern Ireland, there are two types of Power of Attorney: Ordinary and Enduring.

(These apply specifically to Northern Ireland. If you have assets outside Northern Ireland, you’ll need to seek separate advice on how to manage these in the future.)

Ordinary Power of Attorney

This is a legal document that allows you to appoint one or more trusted people to act on your behalf. You can continue to operate your own account, supported by whoever you have appointed under the Ordinary Power of Attorney.

You can allow them to act on your behalf for all of your affairs, or you can restrict them to managing your finances or even just managing specific accounts.

• You must be mentally capable to set up an Ordinary Power of Attorney.
• The attorney(s) may remain in place for as long as you have the mental capacity to manage your own affairs.
• You can revoke the Ordinary Power of Attorney at any time if you change your mind, and we can remove the attorney from your account if you tell us to.
• It is important to note that an Ordinary Power of Attorney is automatically revoked if you lose mental capacity.
• It may be a more suitable option for temporary situations, such as for a period when you are living abroad and need someone to manage your finances for you.

This option isn’t suitable:

• If you or the third party are under 18 years of age.
• If you want to put an arrangement in place that will continue if you lose mental capacity.

Enduring Power of Attorney

This is similar to an Ordinary Power of Attorney; however, it will remain effective, or only take effect, when you no longer have mental capacity to manage your own financial affairs.

• You must be mentally capable at the time you make an Enduring Power of Attorney.
• If you lose mental capacity it must be registered with a division of the High Court called the Office of Care and Protection.
• You can choose for it to either take effect immediately, or if and when you lose mental capacity.

This isn’t suitable if:

• If you or the third party are under 18 years of age.
• If you do not want the attorney to retain power after you have lost mental capacity.

Can I appoint more than one attorney?

You can appoint more than one attorney, for example, your two children. You will need to consider whether you’d like them to act ‘jointly’ or ‘jointly and severally’ as this will affect how they manage your accounts.

A solicitor or independent adviser can guide you on which option is best suited to you. The differences below show how this decision affects the way they can operate your accounts.

• Jointly – all attorneys will need to authorise any transaction. This means that they aren’t able to manage your account over the phone, or through eBanking. They also won’t be able to have use of a debit card.
• Jointly and severally – attorneys can act independently, or together. This means that either or both attorneys can manage your account.

Some useful links:

To help you get started, you can get support from a range of local Government, voluntary and community sector organisations.

Setting up a power of attorney in Northern Ireland (MoneyHelper)

Information on Enduring Powers of Attorney (Department of Justice)

Managing your affairs and enduring power of attorney (NI Direct)

You can also talk to a solicitor, to guide you through the process.

You may need an appointee if you are incapable of managing your own finances due to physical or mental incapacity and cannot cope with claiming benefits, paying bills or managing money. You may need an appointee to provide help on a temporary or permanent basis.

The appointed person can only help claim and manage a claimant’s benefits, not the rest of their finances. Only one appointee can act on behalf of someone who is entitled to benefits from the Department for Communities.

The form authorising an individual’s appointment is known as the BF57 and is available from the Department for Communities. Find out more about becoming an appointee on the NI Direct website .

Who can become an appointee?

• An individual such as a relative or friend of the claimant
• An organisation or representative of an organisation such as a solicitor or Health and Social Care Trust.

An individual won’t be made an appointed person if the claimant is mentally capable but simply needs some assistance in claiming their benefit. There is a separate procedure in this case and the individual will need to make contact with the Department for Communities in this case.

The appointee’s responsibilities

• Making and maintaining benefit claims and managing how they’re spent
• Telling the benefit office of any change in circumstances that may affect the amount the claimant gets
• Spending the benefit in the best interests of the customer and not on themselves
• Repaying any overpayments if they knowingly provide wrong information

Can Danske Bank add an appointee to an existing customer’s account?

We prefer to create a new, separate account for the appointee (at no extra charge) that’s linked to the customer who’s claiming the benefit payment. That way we can make sure that the appointee doesn’t have unauthorised access to funds.

Can an appointee access any benefit payments made before they were appointed?

No. An appointee’s right to deal with benefit payments only starts from the date they’re appointed.

Can an appointee ask to be removed?

Yes, by giving the Department for Communities one month’s written notice. Any new appointee will need to submit a BF57 form of their own.

If someone you know has lost the mental capacity to manage their finances without having made an Enduring Power of Attorney, and appointeeship isn’t a suitable option, you can apply to become their ‘controller'.

An Order (known as a ‘Control Order’ or ‘Short Procedure Order’) may be granted by a division of the High Court called the Office of Care and Protection. This allows a relative, friend, professional adviser, or solicitor to be made an appointed ‘controller’ or ‘authorised person’ to deal with the day to day management of their affairs.

Find out more about how to apply to become a Controller on the Department of Justice website .