diff --git a/admin_dashboard.php b/admin_dashboard.php
index 862c0b0..8cd8b74 100644
--- a/admin_dashboard.php
+++ b/admin_dashboard.php
@@ -1,5 +1,6 @@
 <?php
 session_start();
+// Check if user is Super User
 if (!isset($_SESSION["user_id"]) || ($_SESSION["user_role"] ?? '') !== 'Super User') {
     header("Location: login.php");
     exit;
@@ -12,6 +13,7 @@ $lpas_count = 0;
 $users = [];
 $lpas = [];
 $migration_history = [];
+$backups = [];
 
 try {
     $db = db();
@@ -29,9 +31,25 @@ try {
     try {
         $migration_history = $db->query("SELECT * FROM migration_history ORDER BY executed_at DESC")->fetchAll();
     } catch (PDOException $e) {
-        // migration_history might not exist yet if installer hasn't run or table not created
         $migration_history = [];
     }
+
+    // Get backups from filesystem
+    $backups_dir = __DIR__ . '/backups';
+    if (is_dir($backups_dir)) {
+        $backup_files = glob($backups_dir . '/backup_*.sql');
+        foreach ($backup_files as $file) {
+            $backups[] = [
+                'filename' => basename($file),
+                'size' => round(filesize($file) / 1024, 2) . ' KB',
+                'created_at' => filemtime($file)
+            ];
+        }
+        // Sort by created_at descending
+        usort($backups, function($a, $b) {
+            return $b['created_at'] - $a['created_at'];
+        });
+    }
 } catch (PDOException $e) {
     error_log($e->getMessage());
 }
@@ -132,8 +150,9 @@ try {
                                     <th class="ps-4">Name</th>
                                     <th>Email</th>
                                     <th>Role</th>
+                                    <th>Credits</th>
                                     <th>Verified</th>
-                                    <th class="text-end pe-4">Joined</th>
+                                    <th class="text-end pe-4">Actions</th>
                                 </tr>
                             </thead>
                             <tbody>
@@ -146,6 +165,9 @@ try {
                                                 <?php echo htmlspecialchars($u['role'] ?? 'Standard User'); ?>
                                             </span>
                                         </td>
+                                        <td>
+                                            <span class="fw-bold text-primary"><?php echo (int)($u['credits'] ?? 0); ?></span>
+                                        </td>
                                         <td>
                                             <?php if ($u['is_verified']): ?>
                                                 <span class="text-success small">
@@ -155,7 +177,9 @@ try {
                                                 <span class="text-muted small">No</span>
                                             <?php endif; ?>
                                         </td>
-                                        <td class="text-end pe-4 text-muted small"><?php echo date('M d, Y', strtotime($u['created_at'])); ?></td>
+                                        <td class="text-end pe-4">
+                                            <button onclick="showCreditModal(<?php echo $u['id']; ?>, '<?php echo htmlspecialchars($u['name'] ?? $u['email']); ?>', <?php echo (int)($u['credits'] ?? 0); ?>)" class="btn btn-sm btn-outline-primary px-3 rounded-pill">Adjust Credits</button>
+                                        </td>
                                     </tr>
                                 <?php endforeach; ?>
                             </tbody>
@@ -217,8 +241,8 @@ try {
                 </div>
             </div>
 
-            <div class="col-lg-12 mt-5">
-                <div class="card border-0 shadow-sm mb-5">
+            <div class="col-lg-6 mt-5">
+                <div class="card border-0 shadow-sm mb-5 h-100">
                     <div class="card-header bg-white py-3 border-bottom-0">
                         <h5 class="fw-bold mb-0">Migration History</h5>
                     </div>
@@ -246,11 +270,117 @@ try {
                     </div>
                 </div>
             </div>
+
+            <div class="col-lg-6 mt-5">
+                <div class="card border-0 shadow-sm mb-5 h-100">
+                    <div class="card-header bg-white py-3 border-bottom-0 d-flex justify-content-between align-items-center">
+                        <h5 class="fw-bold mb-0">Backups</h5>
+                        <span class="badge rounded-pill bg-light text-muted fw-normal">Last 5 kept</span>
+                    </div>
+                    <div class="table-responsive">
+                        <table class="table table-hover align-middle mb-0">
+                            <thead class="bg-light">
+                                <tr class="small text-uppercase tracking-wider">
+                                    <th class="ps-4">File Name</th>
+                                    <th>Size</th>
+                                    <th class="text-end pe-4">Actions</th>
+                                </tr>
+                            </thead>
+                            <tbody>
+                                <?php if (count($backups) > 0): ?>
+                                    <?php foreach ($backups as $b): ?>
+                                        <tr>
+                                            <td class="ps-4">
+                                                <div class="fw-medium small"><?php echo htmlspecialchars($b['filename']); ?></div>
+                                                <div class="text-muted" style="font-size: 0.75rem;"><?php echo date('M d, Y H:i', $b['created_at']); ?></div>
+                                            </td>
+                                            <td class="text-muted small"><?php echo $b['size']; ?></td>
+                                            <td class="text-end pe-4">
+                                                <a href="api/download_backup.php?filename=<?php echo urlencode($b['filename']); ?>" class="btn btn-sm btn-link text-primary text-decoration-none p-0">
+                                                    <svg width="18" height="18" viewBox="0 0 24 24" fill="none" stroke="currentColor" stroke-width="2" stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round" class="me-1"><path d="M21 15v4a2 2 0 0 1-2 2H5a2 2 0 0 1-2-2v-4"></path><polyline points="7 10 12 15 17 10"></polyline><line x1="12" y1="15" x2="12" y2="3"></line></svg>
+                                                    Download
+                                                </a>
+                                            </td>
+                                        </tr>
+                                    <?php endforeach; ?>
+                                <?php else: ?>
+                                    <tr><td colspan="3" class="text-center py-4 text-muted small">No backups found. Backups are created automatically before migrations.</td></tr>
+                                <?php endif; ?>
+                            </tbody>
+                        </table>
+                    </div>
+                </div>
+            </div>
+        </div>
+    </div>
+
+    <!-- Credit Adjustment Modal -->
+    <div class="modal fade" id="creditModal" tabindex="-1" aria-labelledby="creditModalLabel" aria-hidden="true">
+        <div class="modal-dialog modal-dialog-centered">
+            <div class="modal-content border-0 shadow-lg rounded-4">
+                <div class="modal-header border-bottom-0 pb-0">
+                    <h5 class="modal-title fw-bold" id="creditModalLabel">Adjust Credits</h5>
+                    <button type="button" class="btn-close" data-bs-dismiss="modal" aria-label="Close"></button>
+                </div>
+                <div class="modal-body pt-3">
+                    <p class="text-muted small mb-4">Adjust LPA credits for <strong id="modalUserName"></strong>. Current balance: <strong id="modalCurrentCredits"></strong></p>
+                    
+                    <form id="creditForm">
+                        <input type="hidden" id="modalUserId" name="user_id">
+                        <div class="mb-3">
+                            <label class="form-label small fw-bold text-uppercase">Action</label>
+                            <select class="form-select rounded-3" name="action" id="creditAction">
+                                <option value="add">Add Credits (+)</option>
+                                <option value="set">Set Total Credits (=)</option>
+                            </select>
+                        </div>
+                        <div class="mb-4">
+                            <label class="form-label small fw-bold text-uppercase">Amount</label>
+                            <input type="number" class="form-control rounded-3" name="credits" id="creditAmount" min="0" value="1" required>
+                        </div>
+                        <div class="d-grid">
+                            <button type="submit" class="btn btn-primary py-2 rounded-pill fw-bold">Update Credits</button>
+                        </div>
+                    </form>
+                </div>
+            </div>
         </div>
     </div>
 
     <script src="https://cdn.jsdelivr.net/npm/bootstrap@5.3.0/dist/js/bootstrap.bundle.min.js"></script>
     <script>
+        const creditModal = new bootstrap.Modal(document.getElementById('creditModal'));
+        
+        function showCreditModal(id, name, current) {
+            document.getElementById('modalUserId').value = id;
+            document.getElementById('modalUserName').textContent = name;
+            document.getElementById('modalCurrentCredits').textContent = current;
+            document.getElementById('creditAmount').value = 1;
+            creditModal.show();
+        }
+
+        document.getElementById('creditForm').addEventListener('submit', function(e) {
+            e.preventDefault();
+            const formData = new FormData(this);
+            
+            fetch('api/allocate_credits.php', {
+                method: 'POST',
+                body: formData
+            })
+            .then(response => response.json())
+            .then(data => {
+                if (data.success) {
+                    location.reload();
+                } else {
+                    alert('Error: ' + data.error);
+                }
+            })
+            .catch(error => {
+                console.error('Error:', error);
+                alert('An unexpected error occurred.');
+            });
+        });
+
         function deleteLPA(id) {
             if (confirm('Are you sure you want to delete this LPA application? This action cannot be undone.')) {
                 fetch('api/delete_lpa.php', {
@@ -280,7 +410,7 @@ try {
         }
 
         function runMigrations() {
-            if (!confirm('Run database migrations? This will execute all SQL files in db/migrations/ and may take a moment.')) return;
+            if (!confirm('Run database migrations? A database backup will be created automatically before proceeding.')) return;
             
             const alertBox = document.getElementById('migration-alert');
             const messageEl = document.getElementById('migration-message');
@@ -292,9 +422,10 @@ try {
             .then(data => {
                 alertBox.style.display = 'block';
                 if (data.success) {
-                    messageEl.textContent = data.message + ' Page will reload in 2 seconds.';
+                    const backupMsg = data.backup ? ` Backup created: ${data.backup}.` : '';
+                    messageEl.textContent = data.message + backupMsg + ' Page will reload in 3 seconds.';
                     messageEl.parentElement.className = 'alert alert-success alert-dismissible fade show rounded-3 shadow-sm border-0 mb-4';
-                    setTimeout(() => location.reload(), 2000);
+                    setTimeout(() => location.reload(), 3000);
                 } else {
                     messageEl.textContent = 'Error: ' + data.error;
                     messageEl.parentElement.className = 'alert alert-danger alert-dismissible fade show rounded-3 shadow-sm border-0 mb-4';
diff --git a/api/allocate_credits.php b/api/allocate_credits.php
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..30aa733
--- /dev/null
+++ b/api/allocate_credits.php
@@ -0,0 +1,39 @@
+<?php
+header('Content-Type: application/json');
+require_once __DIR__ . '/../db/config.php';
+session_start();
+
+// Security: Only Super Users can allocate credits
+if (!isset($_SESSION["user_id"]) || ($_SESSION["user_role"] ?? '') !== 'Super User') {
+    echo json_encode(['success' => false, 'error' => 'Unauthorized access.']);
+    exit;
+}
+
+if ($_SERVER['REQUEST_METHOD'] === 'POST') {
+    $target_user_id = isset($_POST['user_id']) ? (int)$_POST['user_id'] : null;
+    $credits = isset($_POST['credits']) ? (int)$_POST['credits'] : 0;
+    $action = $_POST['action'] ?? 'set'; // 'set' or 'add'
+
+    if (!$target_user_id) {
+        echo json_encode(['success' => false, 'error' => 'User ID is required.']);
+        exit;
+    }
+
+    try {
+        if ($action === 'add') {
+            $stmt = db()->prepare("UPDATE users SET credits = credits + ? WHERE id = ?");
+            $stmt->execute([$credits, $target_user_id]);
+            $message = "Successfully added $credits credits.";
+        } else {
+            $stmt = db()->prepare("UPDATE users SET credits = ? WHERE id = ?");
+            $stmt->execute([$credits, $target_user_id]);
+            $message = "Successfully set credits to $credits.";
+        }
+
+        echo json_encode(['success' => true, 'message' => $message]);
+    } catch (PDOException $e) {
+        echo json_encode(['success' => false, 'error' => 'Database error: ' . $e->getMessage()]);
+    }
+} else {
+    echo json_encode(['success' => false, 'error' => 'Invalid request method.']);
+}
diff --git a/api/download_backup.php b/api/download_backup.php
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..df53466
--- /dev/null
+++ b/api/download_backup.php
@@ -0,0 +1,46 @@
+<?php
+/**
+ * Secure Backup Download API
+ * 
+ * Only accessible by authenticated administrators.
+ */
+
+session_start();
+
+// Authentication and role-based access control
+if (!isset($_SESSION['user_id']) || !isset($_SESSION['role']) || $_SESSION['role'] !== 'admin') {
+    http_response_code(403);
+    echo json_encode(['error' => 'Forbidden: Only administrators can access this resource.']);
+    exit;
+}
+
+// Input validation
+if (!isset($_GET['filename'])) {
+    http_response_code(400);
+    echo json_encode(['error' => 'Bad Request: Filename is required.']);
+    exit;
+}
+
+$filename = basename($_GET['filename']); // Prevent directory traversal
+$backups_dir = realpath(__DIR__ . '/../backups');
+$filepath = "{$backups_dir}/{$filename}";
+
+// Security check: ensure the file exists and is within the backups directory
+if (!$backups_dir || !file_exists($filepath) || strpos(realpath($filepath), $backups_dir) !== 0) {
+    http_response_code(404);
+    echo json_encode(['error' => 'Not Found: Backup file not found or access denied.']);
+    exit;
+}
+
+// Determine content type
+header('Content-Description: File Transfer');
+header('Content-Type: application/sql');
+header('Content-Disposition: attachment; filename="' . $filename . '"');
+header('Expires: 0');
+header('Cache-Control: must-revalidate');
+header('Pragma: public');
+header('Content-Length: ' . filesize($filepath));
+
+// Stream the file for download
+readfile($filepath);
+exit;
diff --git a/api/run_migrations.php b/api/run_migrations.php
index cc4fb23..e517eab 100644
--- a/api/run_migrations.php
+++ b/api/run_migrations.php
@@ -8,23 +8,27 @@ if (!isset($_SESSION["user_id"]) || ($_SESSION["user_role"] ?? '') !== 'Super Us
 }
 
 require_once '../db/config.php';
+require_once '../db/backup_helper.php';
 
 try {
     $db = db();
     
-    // 1. Ensure migration_history table exists
+    // 1. Perform database backup before migrations
+    $backup_info = backup_db();
+    
+    // 2. Ensure migration_history table exists
     $db->exec("CREATE TABLE IF NOT EXISTS migration_history (
         id INT AUTO_INCREMENT PRIMARY KEY,
         filename VARCHAR(255) NOT NULL UNIQUE,
         executed_at TIMESTAMP DEFAULT CURRENT_TIMESTAMP
     ) ENGINE=InnoDB DEFAULT CHARSET=utf8mb4 COLLATE=utf8mb4_unicode_ci;");
 
-    // 2. Scan migrations directory
+    // 3. Scan migrations directory
     $migrations_dir = __DIR__ . '/../db/migrations/';
     $migration_files = glob($migrations_dir . '*.sql');
     sort($migration_files);
 
-    // 3. Get list of already executed migrations
+    // 4. Get list of already executed migrations
     $stmt = $db->query("SELECT filename FROM migration_history");
     $executed_migrations = $stmt->fetchAll(PDO::FETCH_COLUMN);
 
@@ -56,7 +60,8 @@ try {
 
     echo json_encode([
         'success' => true, 
-        'message' => "Migration process complete.",
+        'message' => "Backup and migration process complete.",
+        'backup' => $backup_info['filename'],
         'executed' => $executed_count,
         'skipped' => $skipped_count,
         'new_migrations' => $new_migrations
@@ -64,6 +69,6 @@ try {
 } catch (Exception $e) {
     echo json_encode([
         'success' => false, 
-        'error' => 'Migration failed: ' . $e->getMessage()
+        'error' => 'Migration/Backup failed: ' . $e->getMessage()
     ]);
-}
\ No newline at end of file
+}
diff --git a/api/save_lpa.php b/api/save_lpa.php
index 752411e..c7e82f7 100644
--- a/api/save_lpa.php
+++ b/api/save_lpa.php
@@ -121,10 +121,24 @@ if ($_SERVER['REQUEST_METHOD'] === 'POST') {
                 $stmt->execute([$lpa_type, $donor_name, $other_names, $donor_dob, $customer_email, $address1, $address2, $town, $postcode, $user_id, $lpa_id]);
                 $id = $lpa_id;
             } else {
+                // Create new - CHECK CREDITS
+                $userCheck = db()->prepare("SELECT credits FROM users WHERE id = ?");
+                $userCheck->execute([$user_id]);
+                $userData = $userCheck->fetch();
+                
+                if (!$userData || (int)$userData['credits'] < 1) {
+                    echo json_encode(['success' => false, 'error' => 'You do not have enough credits to start a new LPA application. Please contact your administrator.']);
+                    exit;
+                }
+
                 // Create new
                 $stmt = db()->prepare("INSERT INTO lpa_applications (practice_id, user_id, lpa_type, donor_name, other_names, donor_dob, customer_email, donor_address_line1, donor_address_line2, donor_town, donor_postcode, step_reached) VALUES (?, ?, ?, ?, ?, ?, ?, ?, ?, ?, ?, ?)");
                 $stmt->execute([1, $user_id, $lpa_type, $donor_name, $other_names, $donor_dob, $customer_email, $address1, $address2, $town, $postcode, 1]);
                 $id = db()->lastInsertId();
+
+                // DECREMENT CREDITS
+                $updateCredits = db()->prepare("UPDATE users SET credits = credits - 1 WHERE id = ?");
+                $updateCredits->execute([$user_id]);
             }
             
             echo json_encode(['success' => true, 'id' => (int)$id, 'next_step' => 2, 'message' => 'Step 1 saved successfully.']);
diff --git a/apply.php b/apply.php
index 6d96bdc..096d17f 100644
--- a/apply.php
+++ b/apply.php
@@ -12,6 +12,19 @@ $project_name = $_SERVER['PROJECT_NAME'] ?? 'LPA Online';
 $step = isset($_GET['step']) ? (int)$_GET['step'] : 1;
 $lpa_id = isset($_GET['id']) ? (int)$_GET['id'] : null;
 
+// If starting a NEW LPA (Step 1, no ID), check for credits
+if ($step === 1 && !$lpa_id) {
+    $credits_stmt = db()->prepare("SELECT credits FROM users WHERE id = ?");
+    $credits_stmt->execute([$user_id]);
+    $credits = (int)$credits_stmt->fetchColumn();
+    
+    if ($credits < 1) {
+        // Redirect back to dashboard with error
+        header("Location: dashboard.php?error=no_credits");
+        exit;
+    }
+}
+
 $lpa_data = null;
 if ($lpa_id) {
     $stmt = db()->prepare("SELECT * FROM lpa_applications WHERE id = ?");
@@ -1020,7 +1033,7 @@ foreach ($notified_persons as $np) {
 
                             <div class="mt-5 d-flex justify-content-between align-items-center">
                                 <a href="apply.php?step=11&id=<?php echo $lpa_id; ?>" class="btn btn-link text-decoration-none text-muted p-0">Back to Step 11</a>
-                                <button type="submit" class="btn btn-primary btn-lg px-5">Continue to Step 13</button>
+                                <button type="submit" class="btn btn-primary btn-lg px-5">Continue to Step 12</button>
                             </div>
                         </form>
                     <?php elseif ($step === 13): ?>
diff --git a/backups/backup_2026-03-01_00-59-10.sql b/backups/backup_2026-03-01_00-59-10.sql
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..7245a62
--- /dev/null
+++ b/backups/backup_2026-03-01_00-59-10.sql
@@ -0,0 +1,280 @@
+/*M!999999\- enable the sandbox mode */ 
+-- MariaDB dump 10.19  Distrib 10.11.14-MariaDB, for debian-linux-gnu (x86_64)
+--
+-- Host: 127.0.0.1    Database: app_37684
+-- ------------------------------------------------------
+-- Server version	10.11.14-MariaDB-0+deb12u2
+
+/*!40101 SET @OLD_CHARACTER_SET_CLIENT=@@CHARACTER_SET_CLIENT */;
+/*!40101 SET @OLD_CHARACTER_SET_RESULTS=@@CHARACTER_SET_RESULTS */;
+/*!40101 SET @OLD_COLLATION_CONNECTION=@@COLLATION_CONNECTION */;
+/*!40101 SET NAMES utf8mb4 */;
+/*!40103 SET @OLD_TIME_ZONE=@@TIME_ZONE */;
+/*!40103 SET TIME_ZONE='+00:00' */;
+/*!40014 SET @OLD_UNIQUE_CHECKS=@@UNIQUE_CHECKS, UNIQUE_CHECKS=0 */;
+/*!40014 SET @OLD_FOREIGN_KEY_CHECKS=@@FOREIGN_KEY_CHECKS, FOREIGN_KEY_CHECKS=0 */;
+/*!40101 SET @OLD_SQL_MODE=@@SQL_MODE, SQL_MODE='NO_AUTO_VALUE_ON_ZERO' */;
+/*!40111 SET @OLD_SQL_NOTES=@@SQL_NOTES, SQL_NOTES=0 */;
+
+--
+-- Table structure for table `lpa_applications`
+--
+
+DROP TABLE IF EXISTS `lpa_applications`;
+/*!40101 SET @saved_cs_client     = @@character_set_client */;
+/*!40101 SET character_set_client = utf8mb4 */;
+CREATE TABLE `lpa_applications` (
+  `id` int(11) NOT NULL AUTO_INCREMENT,
+  `practice_id` int(11) DEFAULT 1,
+  `user_id` int(11) DEFAULT NULL,
+  `customer_email` varchar(255) DEFAULT NULL,
+  `lpa_type` enum('Health & Welfare','Property & Financial') NOT NULL,
+  `donor_name` varchar(255) DEFAULT NULL,
+  `other_names` varchar(255) DEFAULT NULL,
+  `donor_dob` date DEFAULT NULL,
+  `donor_address_line1` varchar(255) DEFAULT NULL,
+  `donor_address_line2` varchar(255) DEFAULT NULL,
+  `donor_town` varchar(255) DEFAULT NULL,
+  `donor_postcode` varchar(20) DEFAULT NULL,
+  `donor_phone` varchar(20) DEFAULT NULL,
+  `status` enum('draft','completed') DEFAULT 'draft',
+  `step_reached` int(11) DEFAULT 1,
+  `attorney_decision_type` varchar(255) DEFAULT NULL,
+  `created_at` timestamp NULL DEFAULT current_timestamp(),
+  `updated_at` timestamp NULL DEFAULT current_timestamp() ON UPDATE current_timestamp(),
+  `life_sustaining_treatment` enum('Option A','Option B') DEFAULT NULL,
+  `witness_title` varchar(20) DEFAULT NULL,
+  `witness_first_name` varchar(255) DEFAULT NULL,
+  `witness_last_name` varchar(255) DEFAULT NULL,
+  `witness_address_line1` varchar(255) DEFAULT NULL,
+  `witness_address_line2` varchar(255) DEFAULT NULL,
+  `witness_address_line3` varchar(255) DEFAULT NULL,
+  `witness_postcode` varchar(20) DEFAULT NULL,
+  `preferences` text DEFAULT NULL,
+  `instructions` text DEFAULT NULL,
+  `certificate_provider_title` varchar(20) DEFAULT NULL,
+  `certificate_provider_first_name` varchar(255) DEFAULT NULL,
+  `certificate_provider_last_name` varchar(255) DEFAULT NULL,
+  `certificate_provider_address_line1` varchar(255) DEFAULT NULL,
+  `certificate_provider_address_line2` varchar(255) DEFAULT NULL,
+  `certificate_provider_address_line3` varchar(255) DEFAULT NULL,
+  `certificate_provider_postcode` varchar(20) DEFAULT NULL,
+  `registration_who` varchar(20) DEFAULT NULL,
+  `registering_attorneys_ids` text DEFAULT NULL,
+  `correspondence_who` varchar(20) DEFAULT NULL,
+  `correspondence_attorney_id` int(11) DEFAULT NULL,
+  `correspondence_title` varchar(20) DEFAULT NULL,
+  `correspondence_first_name` varchar(255) DEFAULT NULL,
+  `correspondence_last_name` varchar(255) DEFAULT NULL,
+  `correspondence_company_name` varchar(255) DEFAULT NULL,
+  `correspondence_address_line1` varchar(255) DEFAULT NULL,
+  `correspondence_address_line2` varchar(255) DEFAULT NULL,
+  `correspondence_address_line3` varchar(255) DEFAULT NULL,
+  `correspondence_postcode` varchar(20) DEFAULT NULL,
+  `correspondence_contact_preference` varchar(50) DEFAULT NULL,
+  `correspondence_phone` varchar(20) DEFAULT NULL,
+  `correspondence_email` varchar(255) DEFAULT NULL,
+  `payment_method` varchar(20) DEFAULT NULL,
+  `payment_phone` varchar(20) DEFAULT NULL,
+  `reduced_fee_eligibility` varchar(10) DEFAULT NULL,
+  `is_repeat_application` tinyint(1) DEFAULT 0,
+  `repeat_case_number` varchar(50) DEFAULT NULL,
+  PRIMARY KEY (`id`),
+  KEY `fk_user_id` (`user_id`),
+  CONSTRAINT `fk_user_id` FOREIGN KEY (`user_id`) REFERENCES `users` (`id`) ON DELETE SET NULL
+) ENGINE=InnoDB AUTO_INCREMENT=6 DEFAULT CHARSET=utf8mb4 COLLATE=utf8mb4_unicode_ci;
+/*!40101 SET character_set_client = @saved_cs_client */;
+
+--
+-- Dumping data for table `lpa_applications`
+--
+
+LOCK TABLES `lpa_applications` WRITE;
+/*!40000 ALTER TABLE `lpa_applications` DISABLE KEYS */;
+/*!40000 ALTER TABLE `lpa_applications` ENABLE KEYS */;
+UNLOCK TABLES;
+
+--
+-- Table structure for table `lpa_attorneys`
+--
+
+DROP TABLE IF EXISTS `lpa_attorneys`;
+/*!40101 SET @saved_cs_client     = @@character_set_client */;
+/*!40101 SET character_set_client = utf8mb4 */;
+CREATE TABLE `lpa_attorneys` (
+  `id` int(11) NOT NULL AUTO_INCREMENT,
+  `lpa_id` int(11) NOT NULL,
+  `type` enum('primary','replacement') DEFAULT 'primary',
+  `title` varchar(20) DEFAULT NULL,
+  `first_name` varchar(255) NOT NULL,
+  `last_name` varchar(255) NOT NULL,
+  `email` varchar(255) NOT NULL,
+  `dob` date NOT NULL,
+  `address_line1` varchar(255) NOT NULL,
+  `address_line2` varchar(255) DEFAULT NULL,
+  `address_line3` varchar(255) DEFAULT NULL,
+  `town` varchar(255) NOT NULL,
+  `postcode` varchar(20) NOT NULL,
+  `relationship` varchar(100) DEFAULT NULL,
+  `created_at` timestamp NULL DEFAULT current_timestamp(),
+  `witness_title` varchar(255) DEFAULT NULL,
+  `witness_first_name` varchar(255) DEFAULT NULL,
+  `witness_last_name` varchar(255) DEFAULT NULL,
+  `witness_address_line1` varchar(255) DEFAULT NULL,
+  `witness_address_line2` varchar(255) DEFAULT NULL,
+  `witness_address_line3` varchar(255) DEFAULT NULL,
+  `witness_postcode` varchar(255) DEFAULT NULL,
+  PRIMARY KEY (`id`),
+  KEY `lpa_id` (`lpa_id`),
+  CONSTRAINT `lpa_attorneys_ibfk_1` FOREIGN KEY (`lpa_id`) REFERENCES `lpa_applications` (`id`) ON DELETE CASCADE
+) ENGINE=InnoDB AUTO_INCREMENT=14 DEFAULT CHARSET=utf8mb4 COLLATE=utf8mb4_unicode_ci;
+/*!40101 SET character_set_client = @saved_cs_client */;
+
+--
+-- Dumping data for table `lpa_attorneys`
+--
+
+LOCK TABLES `lpa_attorneys` WRITE;
+/*!40000 ALTER TABLE `lpa_attorneys` DISABLE KEYS */;
+/*!40000 ALTER TABLE `lpa_attorneys` ENABLE KEYS */;
+UNLOCK TABLES;
+
+--
+-- Table structure for table `lpa_notified_persons`
+--
+
+DROP TABLE IF EXISTS `lpa_notified_persons`;
+/*!40101 SET @saved_cs_client     = @@character_set_client */;
+/*!40101 SET character_set_client = utf8mb4 */;
+CREATE TABLE `lpa_notified_persons` (
+  `id` int(11) NOT NULL AUTO_INCREMENT,
+  `application_id` int(11) NOT NULL,
+  `title` varchar(20) DEFAULT NULL,
+  `first_name` varchar(100) DEFAULT NULL,
+  `last_name` varchar(100) DEFAULT NULL,
+  `address_line1` varchar(255) DEFAULT NULL,
+  `address_line2` varchar(255) DEFAULT NULL,
+  `address_line3` varchar(255) DEFAULT NULL,
+  `postcode` varchar(20) DEFAULT NULL,
+  `created_at` timestamp NULL DEFAULT current_timestamp(),
+  PRIMARY KEY (`id`)
+) ENGINE=InnoDB AUTO_INCREMENT=2 DEFAULT CHARSET=utf8mb4 COLLATE=utf8mb4_unicode_ci;
+/*!40101 SET character_set_client = @saved_cs_client */;
+
+--
+-- Dumping data for table `lpa_notified_persons`
+--
+
+LOCK TABLES `lpa_notified_persons` WRITE;
+/*!40000 ALTER TABLE `lpa_notified_persons` DISABLE KEYS */;
+/*!40000 ALTER TABLE `lpa_notified_persons` ENABLE KEYS */;
+UNLOCK TABLES;
+
+--
+-- Table structure for table `migration_history`
+--
+
+DROP TABLE IF EXISTS `migration_history`;
+/*!40101 SET @saved_cs_client     = @@character_set_client */;
+/*!40101 SET character_set_client = utf8mb4 */;
+CREATE TABLE `migration_history` (
+  `id` int(11) NOT NULL AUTO_INCREMENT,
+  `filename` varchar(255) NOT NULL,
+  `executed_at` timestamp NULL DEFAULT current_timestamp(),
+  PRIMARY KEY (`id`),
+  UNIQUE KEY `filename` (`filename`)
+) ENGINE=InnoDB AUTO_INCREMENT=7 DEFAULT CHARSET=utf8mb4 COLLATE=utf8mb4_unicode_ci;
+/*!40101 SET character_set_client = @saved_cs_client */;
+
+--
+-- Dumping data for table `migration_history`
+--
+
+LOCK TABLES `migration_history` WRITE;
+/*!40000 ALTER TABLE `migration_history` DISABLE KEYS */;
+INSERT INTO `migration_history` VALUES
+(1,'01_create_users_table.sql','2026-03-01 00:57:47'),
+(2,'02_update_users_for_signup.sql','2026-03-01 00:57:47'),
+(3,'03_add_reset_password_fields.sql','2026-03-01 00:57:47'),
+(4,'04_add_role_column.sql','2026-03-01 00:57:47'),
+(5,'05_add_user_id_to_lpa_applications.sql','2026-03-01 00:57:47'),
+(6,'06_create_migration_history_table.sql','2026-03-01 00:57:47');
+/*!40000 ALTER TABLE `migration_history` ENABLE KEYS */;
+UNLOCK TABLES;
+
+--
+-- Table structure for table `practices`
+--
+
+DROP TABLE IF EXISTS `practices`;
+/*!40101 SET @saved_cs_client     = @@character_set_client */;
+/*!40101 SET character_set_client = utf8mb4 */;
+CREATE TABLE `practices` (
+  `id` int(11) NOT NULL AUTO_INCREMENT,
+  `name` varchar(255) NOT NULL,
+  `slug` varchar(100) NOT NULL,
+  `created_at` timestamp NULL DEFAULT current_timestamp(),
+  PRIMARY KEY (`id`),
+  UNIQUE KEY `slug` (`slug`)
+) ENGINE=InnoDB AUTO_INCREMENT=2 DEFAULT CHARSET=utf8mb4 COLLATE=utf8mb4_unicode_ci;
+/*!40101 SET character_set_client = @saved_cs_client */;
+
+--
+-- Dumping data for table `practices`
+--
+
+LOCK TABLES `practices` WRITE;
+/*!40000 ALTER TABLE `practices` DISABLE KEYS */;
+INSERT INTO `practices` VALUES
+(1,'Elite Estate Planning','elite-estate','2026-02-28 17:36:29');
+/*!40000 ALTER TABLE `practices` ENABLE KEYS */;
+UNLOCK TABLES;
+
+--
+-- Table structure for table `users`
+--
+
+DROP TABLE IF EXISTS `users`;
+/*!40101 SET @saved_cs_client     = @@character_set_client */;
+/*!40101 SET character_set_client = utf8mb4 */;
+CREATE TABLE `users` (
+  `id` int(11) NOT NULL AUTO_INCREMENT,
+  `name` varchar(255) DEFAULT NULL,
+  `email` varchar(255) NOT NULL,
+  `password` varchar(255) NOT NULL,
+  `created_at` timestamp NULL DEFAULT current_timestamp(),
+  `is_verified` tinyint(1) DEFAULT 0,
+  `verification_token` varchar(64) DEFAULT NULL,
+  `role` enum('Standard User','Super User') DEFAULT 'Standard User',
+  `reset_token` varchar(64) DEFAULT NULL,
+  `reset_expires_at` datetime DEFAULT NULL,
+  PRIMARY KEY (`id`),
+  UNIQUE KEY `email` (`email`)
+) ENGINE=InnoDB AUTO_INCREMENT=7 DEFAULT CHARSET=utf8mb4 COLLATE=utf8mb4_unicode_ci;
+/*!40101 SET character_set_client = @saved_cs_client */;
+
+--
+-- Dumping data for table `users`
+--
+
+LOCK TABLES `users` WRITE;
+/*!40000 ALTER TABLE `users` DISABLE KEYS */;
+INSERT INTO `users` VALUES
+(1,NULL,'test@example.com','$2y$10$xeVgbO3f09/R4FF0bEwqSeTH3bdNp1CcDLE6R27Slc6yNBHK8Cxq.','2026-02-28 23:23:36',1,NULL,'Standard User',NULL,NULL),
+(3,'Admin','advice@estateguardians.co.uk','$2y$10$.vu3rXV4RHCa4JIs2GVa/OJvfe4c2dhLOgb60Uw0boPHRCVeDKtq6','2026-03-01 00:00:01',1,NULL,'Super User',NULL,NULL),
+(4,'Neel Shah (Profitise)','neel@profitise.co','$2y$10$332.cCj/4WY6.1r6aPQe1ed4QBwl4AYODFtiEeHymgCrvVapiU956','2026-03-01 00:16:28',1,NULL,'Standard User',NULL,NULL),
+(5,'Neel Shah','neel@neel.me.uk','$2y$10$6.jb/U/rjKYfXJSwzfdmquJBqjij.RDqlhYKmZNnELnNgyA635u0.','2026-03-01 00:36:13',1,NULL,'Standard User',NULL,NULL),
+(6,'Cogent FS','cogentfs@gmail.com','$2y$10$g23tK9toSrpgqQKXF7902eK7P5Hg98VtYZd4lB4O1Vpi/XtY.KlEq','2026-03-01 00:39:16',1,NULL,'Standard User',NULL,NULL);
+/*!40000 ALTER TABLE `users` ENABLE KEYS */;
+UNLOCK TABLES;
+/*!40103 SET TIME_ZONE=@OLD_TIME_ZONE */;
+
+/*!40101 SET SQL_MODE=@OLD_SQL_MODE */;
+/*!40014 SET FOREIGN_KEY_CHECKS=@OLD_FOREIGN_KEY_CHECKS */;
+/*!40014 SET UNIQUE_CHECKS=@OLD_UNIQUE_CHECKS */;
+/*!40101 SET CHARACTER_SET_CLIENT=@OLD_CHARACTER_SET_CLIENT */;
+/*!40101 SET CHARACTER_SET_RESULTS=@OLD_CHARACTER_SET_RESULTS */;
+/*!40101 SET COLLATION_CONNECTION=@OLD_COLLATION_CONNECTION */;
+/*!40111 SET SQL_NOTES=@OLD_SQL_NOTES */;
+
+-- Dump completed on 2026-03-01  0:59:11
diff --git a/backups/backup_2026-03-01_01-03-59.sql b/backups/backup_2026-03-01_01-03-59.sql
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..73e3892
--- /dev/null
+++ b/backups/backup_2026-03-01_01-03-59.sql
@@ -0,0 +1,280 @@
+/*M!999999\- enable the sandbox mode */ 
+-- MariaDB dump 10.19  Distrib 10.11.14-MariaDB, for debian-linux-gnu (x86_64)
+--
+-- Host: 127.0.0.1    Database: app_37684
+-- ------------------------------------------------------
+-- Server version	10.11.14-MariaDB-0+deb12u2
+
+/*!40101 SET @OLD_CHARACTER_SET_CLIENT=@@CHARACTER_SET_CLIENT */;
+/*!40101 SET @OLD_CHARACTER_SET_RESULTS=@@CHARACTER_SET_RESULTS */;
+/*!40101 SET @OLD_COLLATION_CONNECTION=@@COLLATION_CONNECTION */;
+/*!40101 SET NAMES utf8mb4 */;
+/*!40103 SET @OLD_TIME_ZONE=@@TIME_ZONE */;
+/*!40103 SET TIME_ZONE='+00:00' */;
+/*!40014 SET @OLD_UNIQUE_CHECKS=@@UNIQUE_CHECKS, UNIQUE_CHECKS=0 */;
+/*!40014 SET @OLD_FOREIGN_KEY_CHECKS=@@FOREIGN_KEY_CHECKS, FOREIGN_KEY_CHECKS=0 */;
+/*!40101 SET @OLD_SQL_MODE=@@SQL_MODE, SQL_MODE='NO_AUTO_VALUE_ON_ZERO' */;
+/*!40111 SET @OLD_SQL_NOTES=@@SQL_NOTES, SQL_NOTES=0 */;
+
+--
+-- Table structure for table `lpa_applications`
+--
+
+DROP TABLE IF EXISTS `lpa_applications`;
+/*!40101 SET @saved_cs_client     = @@character_set_client */;
+/*!40101 SET character_set_client = utf8mb4 */;
+CREATE TABLE `lpa_applications` (
+  `id` int(11) NOT NULL AUTO_INCREMENT,
+  `practice_id` int(11) DEFAULT 1,
+  `user_id` int(11) DEFAULT NULL,
+  `customer_email` varchar(255) DEFAULT NULL,
+  `lpa_type` enum('Health & Welfare','Property & Financial') NOT NULL,
+  `donor_name` varchar(255) DEFAULT NULL,
+  `other_names` varchar(255) DEFAULT NULL,
+  `donor_dob` date DEFAULT NULL,
+  `donor_address_line1` varchar(255) DEFAULT NULL,
+  `donor_address_line2` varchar(255) DEFAULT NULL,
+  `donor_town` varchar(255) DEFAULT NULL,
+  `donor_postcode` varchar(20) DEFAULT NULL,
+  `donor_phone` varchar(20) DEFAULT NULL,
+  `status` enum('draft','completed') DEFAULT 'draft',
+  `step_reached` int(11) DEFAULT 1,
+  `attorney_decision_type` varchar(255) DEFAULT NULL,
+  `created_at` timestamp NULL DEFAULT current_timestamp(),
+  `updated_at` timestamp NULL DEFAULT current_timestamp() ON UPDATE current_timestamp(),
+  `life_sustaining_treatment` enum('Option A','Option B') DEFAULT NULL,
+  `witness_title` varchar(20) DEFAULT NULL,
+  `witness_first_name` varchar(255) DEFAULT NULL,
+  `witness_last_name` varchar(255) DEFAULT NULL,
+  `witness_address_line1` varchar(255) DEFAULT NULL,
+  `witness_address_line2` varchar(255) DEFAULT NULL,
+  `witness_address_line3` varchar(255) DEFAULT NULL,
+  `witness_postcode` varchar(20) DEFAULT NULL,
+  `preferences` text DEFAULT NULL,
+  `instructions` text DEFAULT NULL,
+  `certificate_provider_title` varchar(20) DEFAULT NULL,
+  `certificate_provider_first_name` varchar(255) DEFAULT NULL,
+  `certificate_provider_last_name` varchar(255) DEFAULT NULL,
+  `certificate_provider_address_line1` varchar(255) DEFAULT NULL,
+  `certificate_provider_address_line2` varchar(255) DEFAULT NULL,
+  `certificate_provider_address_line3` varchar(255) DEFAULT NULL,
+  `certificate_provider_postcode` varchar(20) DEFAULT NULL,
+  `registration_who` varchar(20) DEFAULT NULL,
+  `registering_attorneys_ids` text DEFAULT NULL,
+  `correspondence_who` varchar(20) DEFAULT NULL,
+  `correspondence_attorney_id` int(11) DEFAULT NULL,
+  `correspondence_title` varchar(20) DEFAULT NULL,
+  `correspondence_first_name` varchar(255) DEFAULT NULL,
+  `correspondence_last_name` varchar(255) DEFAULT NULL,
+  `correspondence_company_name` varchar(255) DEFAULT NULL,
+  `correspondence_address_line1` varchar(255) DEFAULT NULL,
+  `correspondence_address_line2` varchar(255) DEFAULT NULL,
+  `correspondence_address_line3` varchar(255) DEFAULT NULL,
+  `correspondence_postcode` varchar(20) DEFAULT NULL,
+  `correspondence_contact_preference` varchar(50) DEFAULT NULL,
+  `correspondence_phone` varchar(20) DEFAULT NULL,
+  `correspondence_email` varchar(255) DEFAULT NULL,
+  `payment_method` varchar(20) DEFAULT NULL,
+  `payment_phone` varchar(20) DEFAULT NULL,
+  `reduced_fee_eligibility` varchar(10) DEFAULT NULL,
+  `is_repeat_application` tinyint(1) DEFAULT 0,
+  `repeat_case_number` varchar(50) DEFAULT NULL,
+  PRIMARY KEY (`id`),
+  KEY `fk_user_id` (`user_id`),
+  CONSTRAINT `fk_user_id` FOREIGN KEY (`user_id`) REFERENCES `users` (`id`) ON DELETE SET NULL
+) ENGINE=InnoDB AUTO_INCREMENT=6 DEFAULT CHARSET=utf8mb4 COLLATE=utf8mb4_unicode_ci;
+/*!40101 SET character_set_client = @saved_cs_client */;
+
+--
+-- Dumping data for table `lpa_applications`
+--
+
+LOCK TABLES `lpa_applications` WRITE;
+/*!40000 ALTER TABLE `lpa_applications` DISABLE KEYS */;
+/*!40000 ALTER TABLE `lpa_applications` ENABLE KEYS */;
+UNLOCK TABLES;
+
+--
+-- Table structure for table `lpa_attorneys`
+--
+
+DROP TABLE IF EXISTS `lpa_attorneys`;
+/*!40101 SET @saved_cs_client     = @@character_set_client */;
+/*!40101 SET character_set_client = utf8mb4 */;
+CREATE TABLE `lpa_attorneys` (
+  `id` int(11) NOT NULL AUTO_INCREMENT,
+  `lpa_id` int(11) NOT NULL,
+  `type` enum('primary','replacement') DEFAULT 'primary',
+  `title` varchar(20) DEFAULT NULL,
+  `first_name` varchar(255) NOT NULL,
+  `last_name` varchar(255) NOT NULL,
+  `email` varchar(255) NOT NULL,
+  `dob` date NOT NULL,
+  `address_line1` varchar(255) NOT NULL,
+  `address_line2` varchar(255) DEFAULT NULL,
+  `address_line3` varchar(255) DEFAULT NULL,
+  `town` varchar(255) NOT NULL,
+  `postcode` varchar(20) NOT NULL,
+  `relationship` varchar(100) DEFAULT NULL,
+  `created_at` timestamp NULL DEFAULT current_timestamp(),
+  `witness_title` varchar(255) DEFAULT NULL,
+  `witness_first_name` varchar(255) DEFAULT NULL,
+  `witness_last_name` varchar(255) DEFAULT NULL,
+  `witness_address_line1` varchar(255) DEFAULT NULL,
+  `witness_address_line2` varchar(255) DEFAULT NULL,
+  `witness_address_line3` varchar(255) DEFAULT NULL,
+  `witness_postcode` varchar(255) DEFAULT NULL,
+  PRIMARY KEY (`id`),
+  KEY `lpa_id` (`lpa_id`),
+  CONSTRAINT `lpa_attorneys_ibfk_1` FOREIGN KEY (`lpa_id`) REFERENCES `lpa_applications` (`id`) ON DELETE CASCADE
+) ENGINE=InnoDB AUTO_INCREMENT=14 DEFAULT CHARSET=utf8mb4 COLLATE=utf8mb4_unicode_ci;
+/*!40101 SET character_set_client = @saved_cs_client */;
+
+--
+-- Dumping data for table `lpa_attorneys`
+--
+
+LOCK TABLES `lpa_attorneys` WRITE;
+/*!40000 ALTER TABLE `lpa_attorneys` DISABLE KEYS */;
+/*!40000 ALTER TABLE `lpa_attorneys` ENABLE KEYS */;
+UNLOCK TABLES;
+
+--
+-- Table structure for table `lpa_notified_persons`
+--
+
+DROP TABLE IF EXISTS `lpa_notified_persons`;
+/*!40101 SET @saved_cs_client     = @@character_set_client */;
+/*!40101 SET character_set_client = utf8mb4 */;
+CREATE TABLE `lpa_notified_persons` (
+  `id` int(11) NOT NULL AUTO_INCREMENT,
+  `application_id` int(11) NOT NULL,
+  `title` varchar(20) DEFAULT NULL,
+  `first_name` varchar(100) DEFAULT NULL,
+  `last_name` varchar(100) DEFAULT NULL,
+  `address_line1` varchar(255) DEFAULT NULL,
+  `address_line2` varchar(255) DEFAULT NULL,
+  `address_line3` varchar(255) DEFAULT NULL,
+  `postcode` varchar(20) DEFAULT NULL,
+  `created_at` timestamp NULL DEFAULT current_timestamp(),
+  PRIMARY KEY (`id`)
+) ENGINE=InnoDB AUTO_INCREMENT=2 DEFAULT CHARSET=utf8mb4 COLLATE=utf8mb4_unicode_ci;
+/*!40101 SET character_set_client = @saved_cs_client */;
+
+--
+-- Dumping data for table `lpa_notified_persons`
+--
+
+LOCK TABLES `lpa_notified_persons` WRITE;
+/*!40000 ALTER TABLE `lpa_notified_persons` DISABLE KEYS */;
+/*!40000 ALTER TABLE `lpa_notified_persons` ENABLE KEYS */;
+UNLOCK TABLES;
+
+--
+-- Table structure for table `migration_history`
+--
+
+DROP TABLE IF EXISTS `migration_history`;
+/*!40101 SET @saved_cs_client     = @@character_set_client */;
+/*!40101 SET character_set_client = utf8mb4 */;
+CREATE TABLE `migration_history` (
+  `id` int(11) NOT NULL AUTO_INCREMENT,
+  `filename` varchar(255) NOT NULL,
+  `executed_at` timestamp NULL DEFAULT current_timestamp(),
+  PRIMARY KEY (`id`),
+  UNIQUE KEY `filename` (`filename`)
+) ENGINE=InnoDB AUTO_INCREMENT=7 DEFAULT CHARSET=utf8mb4 COLLATE=utf8mb4_unicode_ci;
+/*!40101 SET character_set_client = @saved_cs_client */;
+
+--
+-- Dumping data for table `migration_history`
+--
+
+LOCK TABLES `migration_history` WRITE;
+/*!40000 ALTER TABLE `migration_history` DISABLE KEYS */;
+INSERT INTO `migration_history` VALUES
+(1,'01_create_users_table.sql','2026-03-01 00:57:47'),
+(2,'02_update_users_for_signup.sql','2026-03-01 00:57:47'),
+(3,'03_add_reset_password_fields.sql','2026-03-01 00:57:47'),
+(4,'04_add_role_column.sql','2026-03-01 00:57:47'),
+(5,'05_add_user_id_to_lpa_applications.sql','2026-03-01 00:57:47'),
+(6,'06_create_migration_history_table.sql','2026-03-01 00:57:47');
+/*!40000 ALTER TABLE `migration_history` ENABLE KEYS */;
+UNLOCK TABLES;
+
+--
+-- Table structure for table `practices`
+--
+
+DROP TABLE IF EXISTS `practices`;
+/*!40101 SET @saved_cs_client     = @@character_set_client */;
+/*!40101 SET character_set_client = utf8mb4 */;
+CREATE TABLE `practices` (
+  `id` int(11) NOT NULL AUTO_INCREMENT,
+  `name` varchar(255) NOT NULL,
+  `slug` varchar(100) NOT NULL,
+  `created_at` timestamp NULL DEFAULT current_timestamp(),
+  PRIMARY KEY (`id`),
+  UNIQUE KEY `slug` (`slug`)
+) ENGINE=InnoDB AUTO_INCREMENT=2 DEFAULT CHARSET=utf8mb4 COLLATE=utf8mb4_unicode_ci;
+/*!40101 SET character_set_client = @saved_cs_client */;
+
+--
+-- Dumping data for table `practices`
+--
+
+LOCK TABLES `practices` WRITE;
+/*!40000 ALTER TABLE `practices` DISABLE KEYS */;
+INSERT INTO `practices` VALUES
+(1,'Elite Estate Planning','elite-estate','2026-02-28 17:36:29');
+/*!40000 ALTER TABLE `practices` ENABLE KEYS */;
+UNLOCK TABLES;
+
+--
+-- Table structure for table `users`
+--
+
+DROP TABLE IF EXISTS `users`;
+/*!40101 SET @saved_cs_client     = @@character_set_client */;
+/*!40101 SET character_set_client = utf8mb4 */;
+CREATE TABLE `users` (
+  `id` int(11) NOT NULL AUTO_INCREMENT,
+  `name` varchar(255) DEFAULT NULL,
+  `email` varchar(255) NOT NULL,
+  `password` varchar(255) NOT NULL,
+  `created_at` timestamp NULL DEFAULT current_timestamp(),
+  `is_verified` tinyint(1) DEFAULT 0,
+  `verification_token` varchar(64) DEFAULT NULL,
+  `role` enum('Standard User','Super User') DEFAULT 'Standard User',
+  `reset_token` varchar(64) DEFAULT NULL,
+  `reset_expires_at` datetime DEFAULT NULL,
+  PRIMARY KEY (`id`),
+  UNIQUE KEY `email` (`email`)
+) ENGINE=InnoDB AUTO_INCREMENT=7 DEFAULT CHARSET=utf8mb4 COLLATE=utf8mb4_unicode_ci;
+/*!40101 SET character_set_client = @saved_cs_client */;
+
+--
+-- Dumping data for table `users`
+--
+
+LOCK TABLES `users` WRITE;
+/*!40000 ALTER TABLE `users` DISABLE KEYS */;
+INSERT INTO `users` VALUES
+(1,NULL,'test@example.com','$2y$10$xeVgbO3f09/R4FF0bEwqSeTH3bdNp1CcDLE6R27Slc6yNBHK8Cxq.','2026-02-28 23:23:36',1,NULL,'Standard User',NULL,NULL),
+(3,'Admin','advice@estateguardians.co.uk','$2y$10$.vu3rXV4RHCa4JIs2GVa/OJvfe4c2dhLOgb60Uw0boPHRCVeDKtq6','2026-03-01 00:00:01',1,NULL,'Super User',NULL,NULL),
+(4,'Neel Shah (Profitise)','neel@profitise.co','$2y$10$332.cCj/4WY6.1r6aPQe1ed4QBwl4AYODFtiEeHymgCrvVapiU956','2026-03-01 00:16:28',1,NULL,'Standard User',NULL,NULL),
+(5,'Neel Shah','neel@neel.me.uk','$2y$10$6.jb/U/rjKYfXJSwzfdmquJBqjij.RDqlhYKmZNnELnNgyA635u0.','2026-03-01 00:36:13',1,NULL,'Standard User',NULL,NULL),
+(6,'Cogent FS','cogentfs@gmail.com','$2y$10$g23tK9toSrpgqQKXF7902eK7P5Hg98VtYZd4lB4O1Vpi/XtY.KlEq','2026-03-01 00:39:16',1,NULL,'Standard User',NULL,NULL);
+/*!40000 ALTER TABLE `users` ENABLE KEYS */;
+UNLOCK TABLES;
+/*!40103 SET TIME_ZONE=@OLD_TIME_ZONE */;
+
+/*!40101 SET SQL_MODE=@OLD_SQL_MODE */;
+/*!40014 SET FOREIGN_KEY_CHECKS=@OLD_FOREIGN_KEY_CHECKS */;
+/*!40014 SET UNIQUE_CHECKS=@OLD_UNIQUE_CHECKS */;
+/*!40101 SET CHARACTER_SET_CLIENT=@OLD_CHARACTER_SET_CLIENT */;
+/*!40101 SET CHARACTER_SET_RESULTS=@OLD_CHARACTER_SET_RESULTS */;
+/*!40101 SET COLLATION_CONNECTION=@OLD_COLLATION_CONNECTION */;
+/*!40111 SET SQL_NOTES=@OLD_SQL_NOTES */;
+
+-- Dump completed on 2026-03-01  1:03:59
diff --git a/dashboard.php b/dashboard.php
index 61c822a..521a593 100644
--- a/dashboard.php
+++ b/dashboard.php
@@ -9,8 +9,15 @@ $project_name = $_SERVER['PROJECT_NAME'] ?? 'LPA Online';
 $user_id = $_SESSION["user_id"];
 
 $lpas = [];
+$user_credits = 0;
 try {
-    $stmt = db()->prepare("SELECT * FROM lpa_applications WHERE user_id = ? ORDER BY created_at DESC");
+    $db = db();
+    // Get user credits
+    $user_stmt = $db->prepare("SELECT credits FROM users WHERE id = ?");
+    $user_stmt->execute([$user_id]);
+    $user_credits = $user_stmt->fetchColumn() ?: 0;
+
+    $stmt = $db->prepare("SELECT * FROM lpa_applications WHERE user_id = ? ORDER BY created_at DESC");
     $stmt->execute([$user_id]);
     $lpas = $stmt->fetchAll();
 } catch (PDOException $e) {
@@ -49,13 +56,27 @@ try {
                 <h1 class="h3 fw-bold mb-1">Your Applications</h1>
                 <p class="text-muted small mb-0">Track and manage your Lasting Powers of Attorney progress.</p>
             </div>
-            <div class="col-auto">
+            <div class="col-auto d-flex align-items-center">
+                 <div class="me-4 text-end">
+                     <span class="text-muted small d-block mb-0 text-uppercase tracking-wider fw-bold">Available Credits</span>
+                     <h4 class="fw-bold mb-0 text-primary"><?php echo (int)$user_credits; ?> <span class="text-muted h6 fw-normal">LPA<?php echo $user_credits != 1 ? 's' : ''; ?></span></h4>
+                 </div>
                  <?php if (count($lpas) > 0): ?>
                     <a href="/apply.php" class="btn btn-outline-primary px-4 rounded-pill">New Application</a>
                  <?php endif; ?>
             </div>
         </div>
 
+        <?php if (isset($_GET['error']) && $_GET['error'] === 'no_credits'): ?>
+            <div class="alert alert-danger alert-dismissible fade show border-0 shadow-sm mb-4" role="alert">
+                <div class="d-flex align-items-center">
+                    <svg width="20" height="20" viewBox="0 0 24 24" fill="none" stroke="currentColor" stroke-width="2" stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round" class="me-2"><circle cx="12" cy="12" r="10"></circle><line x1="12" y1="8" x2="12" y2="12"></line><line x1="12" y1="16" x2="12.01" y2="16"></line></svg>
+                    <span><strong>Insufficient Credits:</strong> You do not have enough credits to start a new LPA application. Please contact your administrator to allocate more credits.</span>
+                </div>
+                <button type="button" class="btn-close" data-bs-dismiss="alert" aria-label="Close"></button>
+            </div>
+        <?php endif; ?>
+
         <?php if (isset($_GET['completed_step'])): ?>
             <div class="alert alert-success alert-dismissible fade show border-0 shadow-sm mb-4" role="alert">
                 <div class="d-flex align-items-center">
diff --git a/db/backup_helper.php b/db/backup_helper.php
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..2ee7a8a
--- /dev/null
+++ b/db/backup_helper.php
@@ -0,0 +1,82 @@
+<?php
+/**
+ * Database Backup Helper
+ * 
+ * Provides functionality to back up the current database to the /backups directory.
+ */
+
+function backup_db() {
+    // Determine path to backups directory (relative to db/config.php's folder)
+    $backups_dir = realpath(__DIR__ . '/../backups');
+    
+    // Ensure the backups directory exists
+    if (!$backups_dir) {
+        $backups_dir = __DIR__ . '/../backups';
+        if (!is_dir($backups_dir)) {
+            if (!mkdir($backups_dir, 0775, true)) {
+                throw new Exception("Could not create backups directory: $backups_dir");
+            }
+        }
+        $backups_dir = realpath($backups_dir);
+    }
+
+    // Load DB config if not already loaded (might be called from various places)
+    require_once __DIR__ . '/config.php';
+
+    $timestamp = date('Y-m-d_H-i-s');
+    $filename = "backup_{$timestamp}.sql";
+    $filepath = "{$backups_dir}/{$filename}";
+
+    // Use mysqldump to create the backup
+    $command = sprintf(
+        'mysqldump --host=%s --user=%s --password=%s %s > %s 2>&1',
+        escapeshellarg(DB_HOST),
+        escapeshellarg(DB_USER),
+        escapeshellarg(DB_PASS),
+        escapeshellarg(DB_NAME),
+        escapeshellarg($filepath)
+    );
+
+    $output = [];
+    $return_var = null;
+    exec($command, $output, $return_var);
+
+    if ($return_var !== 0) {
+        $error_msg = implode("\n", $output);
+        throw new Exception("Database backup failed with exit code {$return_var}: " . $error_msg);
+    }
+
+    // Automatic cleanup: keep only the last 5 backups
+    cleanup_backups($backups_dir, 5);
+
+    return [
+        'filename' => $filename,
+        'filepath' => $filepath,
+        'size' => filesize($filepath)
+    ];
+}
+
+/**
+ * Cleanup old backups, keeping only the most recent $keep_count files.
+ * 
+ * @param string $backups_dir Path to backups directory
+ * @param int $keep_count Number of backups to retain
+ */
+function cleanup_backups($backups_dir, $keep_count = 5) {
+    $files = glob("{$backups_dir}/backup_*.sql");
+    
+    // Sort by modification time (newest first)
+    usort($files, function($a, $b) {
+        return filemtime($b) - filemtime($a);
+    });
+
+    // Remove files beyond the keep count
+    if (count($files) > $keep_count) {
+        $files_to_remove = array_slice($files, $keep_count);
+        foreach ($files_to_remove as $file) {
+            if (is_file($file)) {
+                unlink($file);
+            }
+        }
+    }
+}
\ No newline at end of file
diff --git a/db/migrations/07_add_credits_to_users.sql b/db/migrations/07_add_credits_to_users.sql
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..9c5162f
--- /dev/null
+++ b/db/migrations/07_add_credits_to_users.sql
@@ -0,0 +1,2 @@
+-- Add credits column to users table
+ALTER TABLE users ADD COLUMN credits INT DEFAULT 0;