Joint account?

DH was named as joint holder on MILs bank current account. He did also have POA, but the advantage explained by the bank was that the account was not frozen when she died, allowing him to pay for funeral and household bills directly. The solicitor doing the estate settlement was aware, and DH kept records/ receipts etc. He left her savings account in her name only.
While she was alive it meant he was able to review her statements. It worked well and there were no tax issues as he took no income from it and no benefits to consider etc.

For registration of an LPA some banks let you do this online now so might be worth looking at the website for your mum's bank (and if they don't do online they'll tell you what their requirements are regarding ID etc for registration and account access

Is the PoA registered with the Office of the Public Guardian?

if it is, then all you need to do is take it into the bank and get them to register it on her accounts. Some banks need you to make an appointment to do this. Check their website before making a trip to a branch.

Don’t just go into the bank. Ring them first, or look online on the bank’s website for information about what to do. You’ll probably need to make an appointment, and you’ll need to find out what ID is required. But honestly, just use the POA.

I went to the bank with the POA doc any my IDs etc. I now have a card on the account and all statements come to me plus I have telephone banking set up. I haven't got round to internet banking yet as it hasn't been necessary.

Your mum doesn't need to be there. When I activated POA for my parents I just went to the bank. They were so helpful. They didn't contact my parents at all so it wouldn't matter that your mum is in hospital.

Third party authorisation allows you to do all of what you are wanting. And it’s much easier to set up than registering POA. Just need to go into the bank with your mother and various bits of ID and she gives permission for you to have access. You get a debit card and internet access. Can pay bills and transfer etc. the only thing you can’t do is open and close accounts or change addresses.

Don't get a joint account. I'm pretty sure there'd be tax implications, issues if either of you need to claim benefits and could lead to inheritance complications eventually too.

@DustyLee123 to activate the POA with her bank just go in with the POA documents and your ID they will be able to set it up for you. My husband "runs" my FILs bank accounts and deals with broadband/phone etc as FIL is 96 and although fully alert and independent has visual and hearing problems so it's been a life saver for us. Husband keeps spreadsheet of any expenditure he authorises through the account eg paying bills good luck.

If you are on any means tested benefits they would be affected if there is ever a lot of money in the joint account which added to your own savings puts you over the savings threshold.

I guess what a lot of us are saying is you can't have a joint account but decide it's not really joint when it suits.

You would be better to ask the bank how you can access your parents account as you have power of attorney.

My DH has a joint account with his Mum. She is housebound and doesn't do anything online. My DH does her shopping etc. No problem setting it up.
I have a joint account with my brother to manage joint financial matters again no problem setting it ip

We held my mother’s bank card and got her cash out as needed. I paid her bills and she paid me back in cash. We never told the bank.

I did something similar (converted parent's account into a joint account) as the solicitor was sitting on the POA paperwork and being difficult about releasing it. The bank staff seemed uneasy with this, but did actually convert the account to a joint account so it is possible. I did not investigate the tax implications but probably should have.

I'm on my Dads current accounts and one of his savings. His others with the main chunks of cash in are purely in his name. Me and my brother also have POA in place. Being on his accounts means when he dies whatever money is in those accounts becomes mine and I can pay for a funeral and any other expenses (eg his house bills) without either having to stump up myself or wait for probate. There will be no issue with giving my brother his share, we trust each other and he will absolutely get what's rightly his, Dad only chose me as I'm local and brother is 200 miles away and it will be me who sorts the practicalities anyway.

Mum and Dad both did this for their parents (on the advice of a solicitor following the first parent death) and it works well.

My DH and FIL have a joint account at Santander

If she’s able to get out and about , could you both go to her bank and explain ( I’m sure they’ve heard it before ) and you could be added for the internet banking ( DH did that at Santander , he was already joint bank account holder , but FIL doesn’t believe in internet banking , at least now DH can keep an eye on what’s going on )

Could she just give you the login details for her online banking account?

Disclaimer: DM has always refused to have online banking and direct debits (bar one) so I've never had to deal with this. But I know someone else who works it this way.

If you are married or long term ch habituating or have someone other than your mum listed as a beneficiary in your will do not get a JA as if you do her money becomes part of the divorce or death pot

You can get cards that allow limited carer access- there’s various ones, one an app, one a thing promoted by the bank.

The problem with her suggestion is that when she dies the money in that joint account becomes yours, and doesn’t form part of her estate. That could cause problems if you have siblings.

It could be seen as deprivation of assets, if she needs care. There could be charges of elder abuse.

I know it Seems like the obvious way. I wonder whether it actually is, but they don’t publicise it because of the complications!

Could you explain to her that the POA means you can jointly manage her money but it isn't owned jointly.. it remains hers?

I became a joint account holder on my Mum's account when she became very susceptible to fraudsters - she was very gullible at the beginning of her Dementia diagnosis, and despite having a POA I couldn't stop her writing cheques and going into the branch to try and make CHAPS payments etc, so adding a 'both to sign over X amount' gave us both peace of mind.

Sounds like it wasn't explained to her well enough when she signed

Ah I see. No, POA is your mum’s way of giving you the authority to be her financial personal assistant. This is what I did for my mum - she had capacity til the day she died.