You have finally retired and applied to Centrelink for a pension. Unfortunately, Centrelink takes issue with the fact that you have an old discretionary trust that was created 30 years ago. It hasn’t been used for years. There is no money left in it. The trust has a nil value. It has no assets and no debts.
What can you do?
You need to formally wind up (vest) the trust to close down this unused structure. Build this Vesting a Discretionary Trust deed on our law firm’s website.
Every year, you pay to prepare Trust tax returns for trusts that are no longer in use. Perhaps your Trust was set up for a specific purpose. But that time has passed.
Is the Trust no longer required? Vesting your trust and closing it saves you money. Perhaps an opportunity may arise in the future for your old trust? Rarely is reusing a trust worthwhile. A Discretionary Trust Deed is like a car, it requires regular updates. These are called Deeds of Variation. The cost to set up a new trust is usually less expensive than updating an old Discretionary Trust deed. And a new trust does not have any baggage or festering problems with it.
The rule of thumb is to get rid of old Family Trust deeds, companies and Unit Trust deeds. This as often and as quickly as possible. If any of those vehicles get down to a zero balance sheet take advantage of getting rid of them.
You may think you know what your own trusts have been up to over the years. But that is often not the case. Also, laws and tax rules change.
Also, trust deeds go out of date. On average in Australia, every 6 – 7 years your trust deed needs to be updated. You can update Family Trust Deeds here. But it is generally more expensive. A new trust deed is less expensive.
You have an old Family Discretionary Trust. Your accountant or financial planner suggests that it is more trouble than it is worth. The Vest Family Trust Deed is simple and straightforward. Just build this Terminate a Discretionary Trust deed.
• The Trust has achieved its original purpose
• It has no assets (if it has debts do a Debt Forgiveness Deed first)
• The controllers of the trust don’t want to continue
• The trust has reached its vesting date
1. Distribute any capital that is left
2. Build a Debt Forgiveness Deed to forgive loans and Unpaid Present Entitlements owed to beneficiaries
3. Prepare any outstanding tax returns
4. Build and sign the Windup Family Trust Deed and the minutes
A ‘minute’ is a record of something you have done. It is just recording an event. In contrast, a Deed of Variation to vest your Trust is the actual document that vests and winds up your Trust.
The Discretionary Trust Deed started the trust. The way to terminate the Trust is to do another Deed. A minute is not good enough. It is not best practice and your accountant would not be prepared to take the risk of just using a ‘minute’. A ‘minute’ does not satisfy the ATO or other government departments. See Taxation Ruling TR 2018/6.
Provided you follow the procedures set out in our covering letter (which comes with the Deed of Variation) there are no Capital Gains Tax issues. There is also no ad valorem stamp (transfer) duty in any Australian State or Territory.
This is because your Balance Sheet has nothing on it. You need to get your Balance Sheet to almost zero before you can wind up and get rid of your old Family Trust.
Your documents to close a family trust are drafted so that there is no stamp duty, transfer duty nor Capital Gains Tax.
Stamp Duty and Transfer Duty are State-based taxes. However, in all Australian States and Territories, they do not apply to the closing of a family trust prepared by Legal Consolidated Barristers & Solicitors
Capital Gains Tax is a tax levied by the Federal Government. Again there is no CGT payable on these vesting documents.
However, we confirm that you have not instructed us to provide you with any taxation advice.
This Family Trust Vesting Kit is on the basis that there are no assets in the Family Trust. The Balance Sheet is zero, or close to zero.
However, if you do vest a Family Trust with assets in it, then, upon vesting, one or more of the beneficiaries become “absolutely entitled” to the assets as against the trustee.
If there is one beneficiary who becomes absolutely entitled to an asset, CGT event E5 happens. And the trustee becomes liable for CGT on the difference between the market value of the assets and their cost base. See Income Tax Assessment Act 1997 (Cth), s 104-75(1), (3).
Ofcourse, the tax liability is, instead, ultimately borne by the beneficiaries if:
If two or more beneficiaries become absolutely entitled to a trust asset CGT event E5 may not happen, depending upon the view one takes of “absolute entitlement” and the nature of the trust property. See Draft Taxation Rulings TR 2004/D25 and TR 2017/D10 at [18]-[19].
Build and sign a Deed of Debt Forgiveness to get rid of Family Trust UPEs.
Before you wind up your Family Trust the balance sheet must show zero. No assets and no liabilities of the family trust you are about to get rid of.
However, often there are Unpaid Present Entitlements (UPEs) on the Family Trust balance sheet. A UPE is created when your Family Trust distributes income to a beneficiary. The beneficiary rarely sees the money. Instead, the beneficiary merely ‘lends’ the money back to the Family Trust.
As the years go by the UPE builds up. It is not uncommon to have UPEs where the Family Trust owes millions of dollars to beneficiaries.
A UPE is a liability on the Family Trust balance sheet. To get rid of the UPE the beneficiary forgives the ‘loan’. The beneficiary signs a Deed of Debt Forgiveness. Build that document here.
Question: Our Trust has a $60K capital loss. This is the balance of the beneficiary loan accounts. Is this the debt to be forgiven?
Answer: Along with non-financial and non-produced asset transactions your accountant may include debt forgiveness in the capital account. We, however, are not accountants. You need to talk with your accountant.
Question: So if my husband and I are forgiving the debt would we each be able to claim the capital loss on our own personal tax returns of the amount forgiven?
Answer: You need to speak with your accountant. I would have thought not. You forgave the debt for ‘natural love and affection’. Read the letter of advice that comes with the Deed of Debt Forgiveness. And speak to your accountant.
Question: Do we purchase two debt forgiveness agreements? And then this Family Trust Deed of vesting?
Answer: Yes. You need to build those three documents.
ATO Taxation Ruling TR 2018/6 sets out the views on the income tax consequences of a trust vesting. Our vesting deed complies with the ruling.
A trust’s ‘vesting” or ‘termination’ date is the day on which the beneficiaries’ interests in the property of the trust become ‘vested in interest and possession’.
To get Centrelink, you move your assets into your Family Trust. In 2002 the laws changed and Centrelink and the ATO started data-matching. I remember it well. I was sitting on the Tax Institutes’ Education Committee and organised a paper to be delivered. Try as I might I couldn’t find a taxation lawyer to present the paper. So I had to write and deliver the paper myself.
Family trusts are flexible. There are over 400,000 beneficiaries in an Australian trust. But you generally only distribute to your immediate family. Centrelink’s specific assessment rules do not cope. They are far too broad-reaching. Centrelink has an unrefined and unfair catch-all set of attribution rules. If you had any involvement with a family trust as an appointor, trustee or one of the 400,000 beneficiaries, you:
This is under Centrelink’s attribution rules.
Sadly, little old grandmas, destined to get none of the assets out of their children and grandchildren’s family trusts are caught up in this. Centrelink is harsh and unsympathetic.
We had one disabled nephew client (who did not even know he was a potential beneficiary) attacked by the shameful and heavy-handed Centrelink.
Sadly, even family trusts with no assets in them attract the enmity of Centrelink. Wind up the Family Trust and escape the Centrelink attacks.
If your Family Trust still has assets and you want to keep it going then talk with your accountant about changing the Trustee and Appointor.
A Family Trust deed often states a date that it must end. This is usually 80 years. Stupidly it may be less.
The Family Trust deed often calls this the ‘vesting date’ or ‘termination date’.
On vesting, the beneficial interests in the property of the trust become fixed. This is to avoid breaching the ‘rule against perpetuities’. If your Family Trust has reached its vesting date then build this Vesting Deed kit.
Legal Consolidated Family Trust Deeds do not have a vesting date for South Australia. Legal Consolidated South Australian Family Trusts can go on forever.
Also if the 80 year limitation period is ever rescinded, in a particular State, then the Legal Consolidated Family Trust vesting periods are extended to infinity. This is automatic.
Q: Dear Dr Davies, our law firm is instructed to close an old discretionary family trust he set up in 1976. The husband and his wife are the Primary Beneficiaries. The wife is dead.
The trust has never been varied. So it is hopelessly out of date. And we want to get rid of it as soon as possible.
Where normally the Vesting Day is 80 years minus one day. For this Family Trust Deed, the Vesting Date is:
“Vesting Day is the 21st anniversary of the death of the last survivor of the issue of the now living of his Late Majesty King George VI or such earlier day as the Trustee may in their absolute discretion at any time during the lifetime of the Guardian with the consent of the Guardian OR if the Vesting Day is later than the day of the death of the last surviving Guardian then after such last-mentioned date without any consent appoints PROVIDED ALWAYS that notwithstanding anything herein contained all powers and dispositions made by or pursuant to or contained in this Deed which but for this provision would or might vest take effect or be exercisable after the expiration of the perpetuity period shall vest and take effect and be exercisable only until the last day of the perpetuity period.”
I am setting out this definition in full as it is written in the most archaic language. It is not what you find in a Legal Consolidated discretionary trust!
The accountant is preparing the Family Trust balance sheet showing nil assets. I confirm:
A: The Vesting Day wording is common for Family Trusts of this vintage. That wording is fine. I note the vesting day definition also states ‘or such earlier day’. But this lifeline is not required.
A: The full answer is contained elsewhere on this page. And it is repeated in the covering letter that comes with the Vesting Kit.
The short answer is that whoever is the Backup Appointor signs as the Appointor/Guardian. This is the person mentioned in the Family Trust deed. It is often expressly stated to be Dad or the children. While it is not good practice the Backup Appointors maybe Mum’s ‘legal personal representative’. These are the executors of Mum’s Will.
A: The full answer is contained elsewhere on this page. And it is repeated in the covering letter that comes with the Vesting Kit.
The short answer is to treat the “Supervisor” as one of the controllers of the Family Trust. And have them sign, in effect, as one of the Appointors. It is a conservative and cautious position to take. The more people that ‘seem’ to be in control of the Family Trust that sign the Vesting Deed, the better.
I know that Dad is not dead. But if Dad was dead, then his next of kin or executors sign where Dad would normally sign the Vesting Deed.
A: We have been providing Deeds of Vesting of a Family Trust since 1988. The kit you are building is based on 100s of ATO desktop audits that we have attended or accountants have relayed to us.
As with all Legal Consolidated documents you build on our website, they cannot and should not be altered.
A Family Trust with no assets is no longer a trust. So from a trust law position, the Family Trust ended the moment you got to that empty balance sheet from your client’s accountant. This vesting deed is to formally close the family trust to the satisfaction of the Australian Taxation Office, and to a lesser extent, the state (stamp) duty office.
A: Yes. Telephone for help as often as you require.
Start building the Vesting Kit. The building process is highly educational, informative and fun. Well, it is not much fun, but it does guide you into questions you should be asking. And then the automated system seeks to answer them.
6. What about the Primary Beneficiaries being dead?
A: You did not ask this question. But it needs to be addressed. Often, the Primary (Default) Beneficiaries are dead when the Family Trust is ready to be vested. The Primary Beneficiaries, in that capacity, do not need to consent to the vesting.
Q: My Family Trust Deed already confers on the trustee the power to terminate the Discretionary Trust at any time. Therefore, what additional benefit does your Family Trust Vesting Deed pack provide?
A: The Family Trust Vesting pack contains 5 items. One of them is a Family Trust Winding up deed. But this Family Trust Winding up deed does a lot more than just amend the old Family Trust deed to allow for a winding up.
You are correct. Most Family Trust deeds and Unit Trust deeds already have the power to end the trust. The Deed of Variation to wind up a Family Trust contains many things. This includes expressly allowing you to terminate the Family trust and the process to follow.
Also, often the vesting powers in the old trust deed do not allow ‘earlier’ vesting. Or the old deed requires a vesting process which may no longer be sanctioned or best practice. The Family Trust winding up pack complies with the ATO’s latest rulings.
Further, the power to end the trust in the old trust deed is only part of the process. The Family Trust vesting pack contains five documents:
Q: The old Family Trust Deed confers on the Trustee a wide power to amend any provisions of the Trust Deed. This includes the Vesting Date. It also sets out how the Family Trust is to be terminated. What additional benefit does your Family Trust Vesting Deed pack provide?
A: The Family Trust was created by a Deed. Entities and trusts created by a deed should be ended by a deed. The other method to use is to end the Unit Trust via Minutes. However, few accountants and lawyers would recommend ending a trust via only minutes. And, I have never known an accountant or lawyer courageous enough to put in writing that minutes are enough.
Instead, in years to come, if the Family Court, Bankruptcy Court, Centrelink or the ATO come to review the affairs of the Family Trust then you have the documentation. This is signed off by us, as your lawyers.
Our Family Trust vesting pack follows best practice. It complies with the ATO’s latest rulings. It is for clients that like to sleep at night, and not take risks or shortcuts. The Family Trust vesting pack provides peace of mind.
Q: The Family Trust Deed has an Appointor. But she is dead. To repeat the same thing three times (sorry but I want to make the question clear):
Who signs for the dead Appointor? Can her husband sign? Can we get the Trustee of the Family Trust to appoint the husband as the Appointor?
Secondly, the husband is named as a separate type of person called a Supervisor. He is alive. Therefore, there are two people that need to sign as ‘controllers’ of the Family Trust? These are:
A: I would not get too delicate here. It may have been a breach of:
that the Trustee has been merrily distributing income and capital out of the Family Trust without the Appointor’s approval. This is for all these years since your wife died.
We are not instructed in the above. And you will need to get your own legal and accounting advice on the above matter. Rather, Legal Consolidated is only accepting instructions to prepare a Family Trust Vesting Kit. And this is on the basis that the Family Trust has no assets in it. So, at trust law, the Family Trust has already ceased to exist.
Now, having said that, let us answer your two questions:
So let us say:
Then this is how you answer the Appointor question for Family Trust Vesting Deed:
You ask if there is any value in the Trustee of the Family Trust now appointing you, as the husband, as the Appointor.
Trustees normally do not have that power. You could, however, include the Trustee as a third Appointor. In which case, in the above example, the Trustee wears two hats. One as the trustee. And the second is as the 3rd Appointor. It is probably not needed but will do no harm.
Q: Our accountant prepared the tax return for the Family Trust for the financial year that just ended. He intends to notify ATO the Family Trust is not lodging tax returns in the future. We now need to build the Family Trust Vesting pack. Is it necessary to prepare a return for the period for the following financial year? Or can we simply rely on the tax return for last year’s financial year?
A: Best practice is to sign all the documents relating to the Family Trust Vesting Deed and then lodge the final Family Trust tax return. But if the final Family Trust tax return has already been correctly lodged then you do not need to do another one. But you do need to let the ATO know that the Family Trust is finished. Our letter of advice sets out how the accountant does this.
Q: Our accountant has financial statements for the Family Trust for the last financial year. If we wish to build your Family Trust Vesting Deed pack is it necessary to prepare financial statements for the following financial year? Or can we simply rely on the financial statements for the last financial year?
A: A balance sheet (statement of financial position) provides a snapshot of your assets and liabilities. It shows the Family Trust’s net worth. This is at a single point in time. (This is unlike other financial statements. Such as profit and loss reports. These only give information about your Family Trust over a period of time.)
The ATO is not so interested, from a CGT point of view, in financial statements. Rather it wants to see a Family Trust balance sheet showing zero. Before you wind up your Family Trust you need to have your accountant prepare a Balance Sheet showing the Family Trust has (or will have) no assets.
Q:. In your FAQ section for the Family Trust Vesting Deed, you state as to the Minutes: “Pass a resolution stating the that the trust is vested (terminated)”. Two questions:
A: The minutes are in the Sample. Have a look at the Sample to see the answer to that question. And, of course, that Minute is in the Family Trust winding up pack. Have a look at the Sample for what you get.
Start building the Family Trust Vesting Deed. Read the many hints for each question. Answer as many questions as you can. And then telephone the law firm for a good chat. If you want to speak to me personally you can always get me on my personal mobile: 0477 796 959.
We have been winding up Family Trusts deeds since 1988. Your ‘unique’ questions about your individual circumstances regarding the winding up of your Family Trust may already be addressed in the many hints you can read during the building process.
Your Family Trust vesting kit includes:
1. Letter of advice – signed by a partner of Legal Consolidated Barristers & Solicitors
2. Minutes – for your Accountant’s due diligence file
3. Termination of Family Trust Deed – just print and sign, it amends your Family Trust deed to allow it to be vested and wound up
4. Certificate of Vesting
Have a look at the Vest Family Trust sample document. Plus there are many training videos and hints as you build the Family Trust vesting kit.
These free resources empower you on how to deal with Centrelink:
Unfortunately, Centrelink takes issue with the fact that you have an old trust that was created 30 years ago. It hasn’t been used for years. There is no money left in it. The trust has a nil value. It has no assets and no debts. What can you do? You need to formally wind up (vest) the trust to close down this unused structure, you can do so with this Vesting Deed
– The Trust has achieved its original purpose
– It has no assets
– The trust has reached its vesting date
1. Distribute to beneficiaries the trust capital.
2. Payout all trust liabilities. Or get them to forgive all debt with a Deed of Debt Forgiveness. This includes any existing or future
tax liabilities that arise as a result of the termination of the trust.
3. The Trustee must pass a resolution determining that the trust is to be vested (terminated).
4. The final accounts of the trust, including a final tax return, must be prepared.
Once this is done, you can build our Deed of Vesting of a Trust and build a set of documents which allows you to vest and close the family trust.
1. Family Trust – Deed of Variation of Vesting
2. Minutes
3. law firm Letter of advice
1. The capital of the trust must be distributed in accordance with the trust deed.
2. The Trustee must satisfy any existing liabilities of the trust. This includes any existing or future
taxation liabilities that arise as a result of ending the trust.
3. The Trustee must pass a resolution determining that the trust is to be vested (terminated).
4. The final accounts of the trust, including a final tax return, must be prepared.
5. Build this document
1. The Trust name (e.g. Jones Family Trust)
2. Date the Trust Deed, that established the Trust, was signed
3. The Settlor’s name.
The trust name is a ‘nickname’. It is not registered anywhere. It just helps you and your accountant identify your Trust.
Take out your Deed of Trust that first started your Trust. Have a look at the front cover. It often has the name of your Trust. It repeats in the body of the Deed as well. Check any subsequent Deeds of Variation, to make sure that your Trust didn’t change its name.
Be careful to not confuse the Family Trust name with your Trustee. Your Trustee (e.g. XYZ Pty Ltd) is not your trust name.
– Family Discretionary Trust
– Family Trust
– Discretionary Trust
We, tax lawyers, tend to call them ‘Discretionary Trusts’. This is because we like the fact that every year the Trustee has the discretion to distribute income to different beneficiaries.
While, our friends the accountants, usually call them ‘Family Trusts’. This is because only mum and dad and the immediate family operate a family business or hold assets in a ‘Family Trust’. If people out of the immediate family are involved in the business then a ‘Family Trust’ is not appropriate.
‘Resettlement’ happens when you alter the Trust to such a level that it becomes a new trust. You would then suffer Capital Gains Tax, Stamp Duty and other issues. Resettlements are bad.
Your Discretionary Trust vesting kit complies with:
1. Commissioner of Taxation v Clark and the subsequent
release of Taxation Determination TD 2012/21.
2. High Court decision in FC of T v Commercial Nominees [2001] HCA 33
3. ATO’s (now withdrawn, but still loved by many at the ATO) Statement of Principles on the Creation of a New Trust. Plus the related ATO’s Decision Impact Statement.
Yes. All our documents come in soft copy. This is a locked PDF. A copy is emailed to you within a few seconds of you paying for the Family Trust Vesting Deed with your credit card. You can also log in anytime to “Your Documents” and download the document again.
Adj Professor, Dr Brett Davies, CTA, AIAMA, BJuris, LLB, Dip Ed, BArts(Hons), LLM, MBA, SJD
Legal Consolidated Barristers and Solicitors
National Australian law firm
National: 1800 141 612
Mobile: 0477 796 959
Email: [email protected]d.com