Helping a parent with money: shared access (UK)

Helping a parent with their money usually starts with a small worry, such as a letter they are not sure about, a bill that has gone up or a payment they do not recognise, and it grows into a standing job. Guardian access in Era is built for that. Your parent stays in charge of their own accounts and chooses what you can see, and you can look at what they share, notice when something looks wrong and help them sort it out together.

How can I help a parent with their money without taking over?

Ask them to invite you as a guardian in Era, and let them decide what you can see. They choose which accounts to share, and they can change or end that at any time. You see what they have chosen to share, and nothing else.

Nothing happens in their name unless they approve it, so they keep the final say, which is how most parents would want it.

What can I see as a guardian?

You can see the accounts, balances and transactions your parent has chosen to share, and any letters, statements or bills they have uploaded to the document library and chosen to share. You can ask Claude, ChatGPT or Gemini about what you can see, such as whether anything new has started billing.

Together you can spot a scam payment, an energy bill that has jumped or a subscription they have forgotten before it costs them much.

Is guardian access the same as a power of attorney?

No. A lasting power of attorney is a legal document that lets someone make decisions on another person's behalf, and gov.uk explains how to make one on its power of attorney page. Guardian access is about helping and seeing what a parent chooses to share, with the parent in charge.

See power of attorney page. For many families it is the first step, and it sits comfortably alongside a lasting power of attorney if one is put in place later.

Setting it up together

1. Your parent creates a free Era account, which takes a few minutes.
2. They connect their bank accounts through open banking, or add accounts by hand, and upload any letters or statements they would like help with.
3. They invite you as a guardian and choose what you can see.
4. You connect your own assistant, and ask about what they have shared.

You can sit together the first time, which many families find is the nicest part. Our guide to adding manual accounts is useful if your parent holds accounts that do not connect.

What helps most day to day

• A subscription check. Ask the assistant to list every recurring payment, and cancel what they no longer use. See how to see every subscription on a card.
• A look at the documents. Bills, letters and tax forms such as a P60 are read and filed, so you can ask "what does this letter say?" and get a plain answer.
• A shared picture. Everyone helping, such as a sibling, can be given the same view if your parent agrees.

Era connects accounts across the US, the UK, Canada, France, Germany, Spain, and 40+ countries in all. It starts on a free plan, and the pricing page lists what each plan includes.