Anyone can suddenly become an informal carer. An informal carer is someone who gives long-term care to someone they know without receiving payment. You might do this because the person is ill, or because they can’t take care of themselves. This could involve help around the house, or maybe with administrative tasks. You may even be asked to take over their banking. On this page, we’ll explain how ABN AMRO can help.
If you need access to another person’s account to arrange payments or check transactions, for example, you’ll need a mandate. The account holder must give consent. Once you have a mandate, you can check the account and make payments. The mandate expires if consent is withdrawn or if the account holder dies.
If you’re already a client, the account holder should complete the online mandate form. You’ll be able to use the mandate through Internet Banking or your own ABN AMRO app within two days.
If you’re not a client, you will have to go through an identification process so that we know who is being mandated. We’ll then ask you to download the ABN AMRO app and if you’re given a mandate, you’ll receive a debit card.
It’s possible that an account holder becomes unable to make autonomous decisions. This can have huge implications. In such cases, someone else is usually appointed to make financial decisions for them and take over their day-to-day banking. This could also be more than one person. The account holder must ask a notary to draw up a power of attorney or living will to arrange this.
If you’re an informal carer who does the account holder’s grocery shopping, an additional debit card may come in handy. You can use it to pay in shops or withdraw cash. The account holder must request the debit card and authorise you to use it. The card will be sent to you within three working days.
An administrator is someone appointed by the court to manage money or property for someone else. This is because the person concerned is no longer able to do this and needs help. In most cases, there is no power of attorney, so the court decides who will be the administrator.
The administrator puts the person’s affairs in order by making payment arrangements if the person has got into arrears, for example, or setting a weekly shopping budget.
You can be an informal carer and an administrator at the same time. If you do this for a relative, you will be called a family administrator. There are various ways you can help them. You could open a living allowance account, for example. The person under administration is given their own debit card, but the administrator decides about the balance and keeps an eye on the account. Or you could open a savings account for your relative.
You can’t simply apply to be an administrator. We need all kinds of documents and will sometimes conduct a client investigation, a process that could take several weeks.
Click here to find out more about family administration and the options open to you and your relatives (in Dutch).
As an informal carer, you have a lot deal with. We understand that you may have questions about someone else’s day-to-day banking. ABN AMRO can help. That’s why we’ve set up a special Help with Banking line. Our specialists are ready and waiting to help you, free of charge.
Feel free to call us for questions about:
Call the Help with Banking line on +31 (0)88 226 26 12. Lines are open on weekdays from 8 am to 5.30 pm, but closed at weekends and on public holidays.
As an informal carer, it’s a nice idea to live close to the person you’re caring for, so that you’re always on hand. An ancillary dwelling or intergenerational home makes this easier. These are dwellings built on your property or within your own home.
You don’t need a permit for them, but you must comply with certain regulations, and of course, you need funds. ABN AMRO can help you with this.
Want to find out more about ancillary dwellings and intergenerational homes?
Read our extra information about this living option (in Dutch).
ABN AMRO believes it is important that everyone can bank independently. Even if you’re an informal carer, we’ll do all that we can to ensure that the person you’re caring for retains maximum independence. We have various tools to help.
These include our page (in Dutch) with help videos, which offers over 20 videos featuring handy tips and clear explanations about online banking. We also provide free courses. An adviser gives a step-by-step explanation of how online banking works. The courses can be followed at home. Click the button below to see all the options and types of help available.
