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Caring for someone vulnerable
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Life Moments

Caring for someone vulnerable

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Third party access Open in new window

Acceptable forms of identification Open in new window

Appointeeship Open in new window

Protecting against financial abuse Open in new window

Frequently asked questions Open in new window

Additional support Open in new window

Are you caring for someone that needs additional help?

Research from Carers UK in 2022 suggested the amount of unpaid carers was as high as 10.6 million (Carers UK, Carers Week 2022 research report). If you’re caring for someone, we want to make navigating their finances as simple as possible for you.

Third party access

Use the information below to help you understand which type of access is right for you and those you care for.

Power of Attorney

A Power of Attorney (POA) gives legal power to one or more persons to help make decisions on behalf of a person who is no longer capable of making decisions for themself, or does not want to make decisions for themself.

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Third Party Mandate

If an RBS customer is mentally capable, a third-party mandate can be put in place to allow another person to access their bank accounts and take care of everyday banking activities.

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Guardianship Orders

If there is no Power of Attorney in place and you need to manage an incapable adult’s wider financial affairs, an application can be made to the Sheriff Court for you, or someone else to be appointed as ‘Guardian’.

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Access to Funds

An Access to Funds (ATF) allows a person, local authority, or organisation to apply for authority to access and manage the finances of an adult that is unable to manage these themselves. An ATF is usually appropriate when the adult’s financial affairs are straightforward and can be easily handled by someone else.

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Acceptable forms of identification

When registering for one of our third party access types we will often need one item to confirm your identity and another document that we can accept as proof of your address.

For information on registering your chosen access type use the appropriate button above to take you to more detailed guidance on this.

Select the options below to take a look at the different documents:

Choose a different option

Clear selection

Proof of identity we accept

UK Passport, Biometric Residence Permit, Foreign Passport & Visa

To be accepted, the following criteria must be met:

Be the original document.
Match the exact name used when applying.
Match the exact date of birth used when applying.
Be valid/in date.
Must have at least 6 months left to run on visa (if visa is required) for all non-EU applicants presenting a foreign passport.
EU nationals include Switzerland, Norway, Iceland, Lichtenstein, Romania and Bulgaria.

EU and EEA National Identity Card

To be accepted, the following criteria must be met:

Be photographic and clearly state the country of issue.
Match the exact name used when applying.
Match the exact date of birth used when applying.
Be valid/in date.

Please note, from 1st April 2019 we no longer accept Romanian ID cards.

Benefits entitlement letter issued within last 12 months

To be accepted, the following criteria must be met:

Issued by DWP, Scottish public pensions agency, local authority, UC welcome letter, pensions benefits, housing benefits, child benefits, disability and sickness benefits.
Specific to the individual about benefits currently being received.
Must Include either NI number or DOB.
Must confirm the customer is currently in receipt of benefit.
Match the exact name used when applying.
Match the exact address used when applying.
Be valid/in date.
Can only be used as proof of identity or proof of address. Not both.

A benefits letter that is addressed to a carer but is for the person opening the account can also be used but only as a last resort. The applicant's name must be mentioned in the letter and the carer must reside at the same address as the applicant.

HMRC Tax notifications & correspondence

To be accepted, the following criteria must be met:

The documents we can accept are:

A notice of tax coding or
A national insurance confirmation letter.

The document:

Must be specific to the individual.
Must include either NI number or date of birth.
Match the exact name and address used when applying.
Must be issued in the last 12 months.

Can only be used as proof of identity or proof of address. Not both.

UK/EU/EAA Driving Licence

To be accepted, the following criteria must be met:

Be a full photocard licence (the paper counterpart is no longer valid as legal ID), issued in the UK, Iceland, Norway, Switzerland or EU member countries.
Match the date of birth used when applying.
Match the exact name used when applying.
Match the exact address used when applying.
Be valid/in date.

Can only be used as proof of identity or proof of address. Not both.

Travel documents issued by the UK Government

To be accepted, the following criteria must be met:

An immigration and National Directorate (IND) Registration Card:

Must match the exact name used when applying.
Must match all other personal details used when applying.
And can be provided if applicant is unemployed.

A travel document issued by the Government of the UK and Northern Ireland:

Must match the exact name used when applying.
Must match all other personal details used when applying.
Must be issued in the UK prior to 31 Dec 2004, if presented with a grant of status letter or entry clearance visa providing indefinite right to remain.
Must be in date, and have more than 3 months left to run.

Northern Ireland voters card

To be accepted, the following criteria must be met:

Match the exact name used when applying.
Match the exact address used when applying.
Match the exact date of birth used when applying.
Be valid/in date.

Armed forces / Military ID card

To be accepted, the following criteria must be met:

Must match the exact name used when applying.
Must match the date of birth used when applying.
Be valid/in date.
The card must contain your staff serial number.

Proof of address we accept

UK/EU/EAA Driving Licence

For your Driving licence to be accepted, the following criteria must be met:

Be a full photocard licence (the paper counterpart is no longer valid as legal ID), issued in the UK, Iceland, Norway, Switzerland or EU member countries.
Match the date of birth used when applying.
Match the exact name used when applying.
Match the exact address used when applying.
Be valid/in date.

Can only be used as proof of identity or proof of address. Not both.

Council tax bill/demand letter/exemption certificate issued within 12 months

We can accept the following documents:

Council tax bill, including reminders.
Council tax adjustment notice letter.
Current council tax arrears letter.
Council tax letter for direct debits.
Council tax exemption letter.
Council tax payment card accompanied by a letter issued by the council which confirms the council tax reference.
Council tax benefit letter provided it has been sent to your current address and shows the council tax reference. This can be accepted to confirm either your identity or address. Not both.

The above documents must:

Be less than 12 months old.
Be for the property you reside at & match the exact address used when applying.
Have your name in the addressee part of the document.
The name must match the exact name provided when applying.

Where an e-statement/e-bill or pdf of your Council tax is used this can only be used where one of the following has been used as identification:

UK Passport, Foreign Passport/Visa.
UK Driving Licence.
EU/EEA National Identity Card.
Military ID Card.

If you have not used one of the above as your identification, you cannot use an e-statement/e-bill or pdf of your Council Tax as address verification.

Bank/Building Society statement

To be accepted, the document must either be:

The original, sent to your current home address.
An online PDF statement.
A Post Office statement.

All must:

Be less than 6 months old.
Match the exact address used when applying.
Match the exact name used when applying.

Where an e-statement/e-bill or pdf of your Bank/Building Society statement is used and has not been provided by Royal Bank of Scotland or Natwest this can only be used where one of the following has been used as identification:

UK Passport/Foreign Passport/Visa.
UK Driving Licence.
EU/EEA National Identity Card.
Military ID Card.

If you haven't used one of the above as your identification and the statement has not been issued by RBS/Natwest, you cannot use an e-statement/e-bill or pdf of your Bank/ Building Society statement as address verification.

Benefits entitlement letter issued within the last 12 months

To be accepted, the following criteria must be met:

Those issued by DWP, Scottish Public pensions agency, local authority, UC welcome letter, pensions benefits, housing benefit, child benefits, disability and sickness benefits.
Specific to the individual about benefits currently being received.
Must Include either NI number or Date of birth.
Must confirm the applicant is currently in receipt of benefit.
Match the exact name and address used when applying.
Be valid/in date.

Can only be used as proof of identity or proof of address. Not both.

Where an e-statement/e-bill or pdf of your documentation from the Benefits Agency is used, this can only be used when one of the following has been used as identification:

UK Passport, Foreign Passport/Visa.
UK Driving Licence.
EU/EEA national identity Card.
Military ID Card.

If you haven't used one of the above as your identification you cannot use an e-statement/e-bill or pdf of your documentation from the Benefits Agency as address verification.

Credit union statement

To be accepted, the following criteria must be met:

The name and address must match the application.
Please ensure the credit union appears as approved/authorised on the FCA search page.

HMRC Tax notifications & correspondence

To be accepted, the following criteria must be met:

The documents we can accept are:

A notice of tax coding or
A national insurance confirmation letter.

The document:

Must be specific to the individual.
Must include either NI number or date of birth.
Match the exact name and address used when applying.
Must be issued in the last 12 months.

Can only be used as proof of identity or proof of address. Not both.

Where an e-statement/e-bill or pdf of your HMRC tax notifications & correspondence is used, this can only be used where one of the following has been used as identification:

UK Passport, Foreign Passport/Visa.
UK Driving Licence.
EU/EEA national identity Card.
Military ID Card.

If you have not used one of the above as your identification you cannot use an e-statement/e-bill or pdf of your HMRC tax notifications and correspondence as address verification.

UK utility bill (gas, electricity, water, telephone landline)

To be accepted, the following criteria must be met:

Be less than 6 months old.
Match the exact name and address used when applying.

Be a:

Utility bill.
Utility statement.
Reminder bill.
A letter on headed paper from the utility company confirming direct debit payments.
A utility bill for internet services that confirms the price to be paid each month.

An e-statement/e-bill or pdf of your Utility bill/ statement can only be used when one of the following has been used as identification:

UK Passport/Foreign Passport/Visa.
UK Driving Licence.
EU/EEA national Identity Card.
Military ID Card.

If you haven't used one of the above as your identification, you cannot use an e-statement/e-bill or pdf of your Utility bill/ statement as address verification.

We cannot accept:

Mobile telephone bills
TV licences
A utility bill that is addressed to a different address to where the utility is being provided.
A delivery bill for oil, coal and logs.

UK/EU/EEA Mortgage statement / Mortgage correspondence

To be accepted the document must:

Be the original and less than 12 months old or
Be a pdf/e-bill/e-statement of your mortgage statement and be less than 12 months old.
Match the exact name and address used when applying.

Where an e-statement/e-bill or pdf of your mortgage statement is used this can only be used where one of the following has been used as identification:

UK Passport/Foreign Passport/Visa.
UK Driving Licence.
EU/EEA National Identity ID Card.
Military ID Card.

If you haven't used one of the above as your identification, you cannot use an e-statement/e-bill or pdf of your mortgage statement as address verification.

Tenancy agreement from local council or housing association issued within 12 months

To be accepted, this document must either:

Be a current local council tenancy agreement.
Be a Housing association tenancy agreement.
Be a valid temporary tenancy agreement.

All documents must:

Be issued by a recognised local authority, or from a well known housing association.
Be on headed paper and bear the stamp of the relevant council/housing association.
Match the exact name used in the application.
Match the exact address used in the application.

Appointeeship

Use the sections below to find out what appointeeship is and how you can open an account with us as an appointee.

What is Appointeeship?

An Appointeeship is an arrangement where you can apply for the right to manage an individual’s benefits due to them being incapable of doing so themselves. An Appointeeship may be the best course of action if the person has a low level of financial assets, is in receipt of benefits and doesn't have any other sources of income.

An appointee does not have the authority to deal with other income or finances belonging to the vulnerable person.

For more information on appointeeships or if you’re looking to become an appointee, please visit this page.

Opening an account as an appointee

If you’ve been made an appointee and are looking to open an account with us to receive these benefits, please see our information on what you need to open a current account.

Once your account has been opened, you will need to visit your local branch with proof of your appointeeship. To find your local branch please use our branch locator.

Protecting against financial abuse

Financial abuse (also referred to as economic abuse) can take a variety of different forms. It might be financial control, exploitation or sabotage. It can happen in a range of different relationships, for instance, with partners, family members, or carers. Financial abuse could happen to anyone. If you think you have been affected by financial abuse, we can offer support.

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Frequently asked questions

How can I find my local Royal Bank branch?

Use our branch locator tool to help you find a branch close to you for third party access registrations or any other everyday banking activities.

You can also visit our local banking services page for more details on Community Pop-Ups, Mobile Branches, and Banking Hubs.

How can I protect a vulnerable person from scams?

While scams are on the rise it is more important than ever that you know how to keep those you care about safe. The list below shows some tips you can follow:

Only shop with trusted sites.
Make sure online payments are secure.
Look out for red flags.
If it sounds too good to be true it usually is.
Hang up if a call seems suspicious.

For more information on common types of scams and how you can protect yourself and others please visit our Security centre page.

Once I gain third party access how do I register for online banking?

For more information, check out our guide to online banking. You can find out how to register and make the most of the services available.

Other ways we can help

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Online Banking available to customers aged 11+ with a Royal Bank account. App available to customers aged 11+ with compatible iOS and Android devices and a UK or international mobile number in specific countries.

Banking My Way

A free service that allows you to record information about the support or adjustments you need to make banking easier.

Available to customers aged 16 or over in the mobile app or online Banking. For customers under 16, parental consent is required and information must be recorded in branch or over the phone.

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Help banking from home

Find out how we can help you with online and mobile banking, with helpful videos and step-by-step guides to get you started.

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Banking with RBS Open in new window

Bereavement

Coping with the loss of a loved one is difficult, and we're here to make the journey easier for you. Visit our bereavement page to understand how we can take care of the banking details so you can focus on what matters most.

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Organisations offering additional support

Make the most of extra support available to help you care for someone vulnerable. There are several organisations who could help with additional support.

NHS Social care and support guide Open in new window

Government services and benefits for carers Open in new window

Citizens Advice Open in new window

Carers UK information and support Open in new window

Money Helper information and support Open in new window

Age UK help for carers Open in new window