Getting your trust distributions right

Are you sure your trust distribution minutes are correct? Want a second opinion from an expert?

Start by having a look at our Trust Distributions Guide here.

We provide a year-end trust distribution preparation and checking service to accountants and other administrators of discretionary and unit trusts.

We will:

Review your trust deed;
Take into account what you would like to achieve from a ‘trust law income’ and ‘tax law income’ perspective;
Tell you if any deed amendments are required to achieve what you are after; and
Then either draft, or review and amend your trust distribution minutes or resolutions.

As part of this process, we will:

Take into account potential differences in the definitions of trust law income and tax law income;
Assist with valid streaming of capital gains and franked dividends;
Assist with the valid distribution of concessional capital gains tax amounts;
Provide options with respect to default distributions; and
Provide wording for valid distributions of capital and other non-taxable amounts.

We charge a modest flat fee per trust for the preparation or review of the minutes or resolutions.

If we believe any amendments are required to the trust deed, we will clearly tell you why, and provide a fixed quote for this additional work.

Call us now on 1300 654 590 or email us to take the worry and guesswork out of your year-end trust distributions.

Want to better understand the distinction between ‘trust law income’ and ‘tax law income’? Click here

What we will need to undertake the review:

The trust deed;
Any amendments to the trust deed;
The draft trust accounts;
Your draft tax calculations, (i.e. any differences between accounts and tax values);
Details of any capital gains (including concecssions claimed);
Details of any franked dividend income;
A list of beneficiaries and how much each is to receive, (i.e. how much of each category of income or capital distribution);
Who is to receive any balance or default distributions; and
Details of any family trust elections or interposed entity elections.

If you have any questions, please contact us on 1300 654 590 or email us.

Our Great Lawyer Guarantee

We want to be part of your team over the long term. We'll achieve this by sticking closely to the following principles:

We'll listen carefully to understand what you want to achieve. Then we'll thoroughly explain our advice and step you through the documents. You can be sure you'll know the full consequences.
Our lawyers work as a team, so someone will always be available to answer your questions, or point you in the right direction. You will also benefit from a range of perspectives and experience.
One of our key goals is to pass on as much knowledge as we can, so you can make your own informed decisions. We want to make you truly independent.
We only do what we're good at. You can be confident that we know what we're doing and won't pass on the cost of our learning.
For advice and documents, we provide a fixed or capped quote so you don’t take price risk. If you're in a dispute, we'll map out the process and costs so you know what to expect.
We're not in this game for our egos. We're in it for a front row seat to witness your success.

We measure our success on how efficiently we have facilitated your objectives, enhanced your relationships, and reduced the level of stress for all involved.