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1. Settlor Gather the following details about the settlor (or each settlor, where there is more than one): full name and courtesy title status date of birth address domicile nationality usual residence a schedule of assets and liabilities (for this purpose, a separate schedule is useful) 2. Name of the trust Confirm with the settlor what the trust should be named 3. ...
Determine whether a business relationship is being established: Does a business relationship already exist? If so, no checks for discrepancies are at present required Will the firm deliver services to the trustees, eg agreed terms of business? Will the relationship be ongoing rather than a single instruction? ...
Automatic Exchange of Information (AEOI) is the worldwide benchmark for routinely transmitting taxpayers’ financial details between jurisdictions to deter tax evasion. A trust resident in the UK is generally brought within the UK AEOI framework through the International Tax Compliance Regulations 2015 (SI 2015/878), as amended (the ‘ITC Regulations’). The ITC Regulations give domestic effect to the UK’s AEOI commitments under the Common Reporting Standard (CRS) and the UK‑US FATCA Agreement (FATCA). Refer to Practice Notes: Automatic exchange of information-outline; Automatic exchange of information for UK trustees-key obligations; and FATCA and UK Trusts. HMRC’s guidance appears in the International Exchange of Information Manual (IEIM400000). This Checklist summarises the principal matters trustees must consider under the UK AEOI regime. Scope and Threshold Question: Does AEOI Apply? Has the trust’s UK tax residence position been determined for AEOI purposes? Has it been verified whether the ITC Regulations 2015 apply to the trust (CRS and/or FATCA)? Is the trust in scope of AEOI as a possible Financial...
Representation of Zedra Trust Company (Suisse) SA re C and D Trusts [2023] JRC 213 What are the practical implications of this case Although resolved on its own facts, the court offered broadly useful guidance for trustees managing dynastic trusts intended to support multiple generations. As a family’s philosophy evolves, trustees should assess whether the trust still embodies that shift and, if not, consider whether substantive modifications are required. The ruling will interest practitioners as it confronts public policy and human rights considerations within the framework of trust deed provisions and settlors’ expressed wishes. It underlines that letters of wishes are not binding on trustees, and certainly not on the court, and demonstrates judicial backing for a trustee departing from a settlor’s clear wishes to prevent family discord, here arising from the exclusion of the female line from benefitting from the Trusts. In short, the decision encourages trustees of long‑running family trusts to think carefully about alignment with changing family...
Lorenz v Caruana and others [2025] EWCA Civ 606 What are the practical implications of this case? The ruling underscores that claims premised on obligations said to arise from spoken discussions will seldom be apt for summary judgment. Here, the supposed duty took the form of a secret trust; nonetheless, the reasoning equally touches claims of purported oral contracts more broadly. It serves as a prompt to advisers that, where a case turns mainly on witness accounts, save in exceptional instances the court will be unable to resolve factual disputes ahead of trial. A bid for summary judgment is therefore unlikely to prosper unless the material refuting the existence of any oral bargain is compelling in the extreme, or the asserted obligation conflicts with a settled legal principle, on both the facts and the law advanced. What was the background?...
Refer to the Q&A: Which options are open to an individual who aims to pass their residuary estate, in a tax‑efficient manner, on trust for a spouse for life, followed by a flexible charitable benefit with the trustees choosing the charitable recipients? Would the estate qualify for the residence nil rate band? Charitable Will trusts Practice Note: Will drafting—gifts to charities, particularly the section entitled ‘Charitable Will trusts’, explores ways in which a person may place assets on trust for charity. Although charitable trusts are, in principle, treated as relevant property for IHT, legislation intervenes to exempt property held solely for charitable purposes, whether for a limited period or otherwise...
Context Jurisdiction clauses frequently appear in commercial contracts and are typically framed as either: Exclusive jurisdiction clauses (see Practice Note:Jurisdiction agreements—exclusive jurisdiction agreements) Non-exclusive jurisdiction clauses (see Practice Note: Jurisdiction agreements—non-exclusive jurisdiction agreements) Where parties have chosen an exclusive jurisdiction term, the default position is that the English court will ordinarily ‘exercise its discretion… to secure compliance with the contractual bargain’. Such provisions now appear ever more often in trust instruments. Nevertheless, several questions arise concerning: the drafting of such clauses the areas to be covered by such clauses the interpretation and effects of such clauses Two examples of jurisdiction clauses As presently encountered, trust jurisdiction provisions create a series of connected issues, including how they are drafted, what they should cover, and how they are interpreted and what they achieve. Before considering their operation, it is useful to look at a couple of typical illustrations: a Jersey law...
Money Laundering Regulations 2017 and Money Laundering Regulations 2020 The Money Laundering, Terrorist Financing and Transfer of Funds (Information on the Payer) Regulations 2017 (MLR 2017), SI 2017/692, sit within the UK’s anti-money laundering and counter-terrorist financing framework. They took effect on 26 June 2017 to implement the EU’s Fourth Anti-Money Laundering Directive, Directive (EU) 2015/849 (4MLD), and have subsequently been broadened significantly by the Money Laundering and Terrorist Financing (Amendment) (EU Exit) Regulations 2020 (MLR 2020), SI 2020/991. Those 2020 amendments give effect to aspects of the EU’s Fifth Anti-Money Laundering Directive, Directive (EU) 2018/843 (5MLD), concerning the registration of trusts. The Money Laundering and Terrorist Financing (Amendment) Regulations 2019, SI 2019/1511, also transposed elements of 5MLD into UK law; however, they addressed areas other than trust registration and therefore fall outside the ambit of this Practice Note. Unless indicated otherwise, references in this Practice Note to MLR 2017, SI 2017/692, should be read as including the changes introduced by MLR 2020, SI 2020/991. The chief focus of...
Follow the link below to download the presentation. Contents Updates to APR/BPR Transfer between spouses Reasons asset targeting falls short APR/BPR trust clause Funding the trust Case study Case study solution Anti‑fragmentation Administration checklist Client communications Pitfalls and risks Summary These PowerPoint slides are designed as a foundation for a training session on Agricultural and Business Property Relief for the relevant fee earners. The presenter can tailor them—by trimming or expanding the points—to match the audience. How to use these slides Allow around two minutes per slide, and use the case study for a 20‑minute breakout. If more depth is required, the content can be delivered over two or three separate training sessions. Further reading Autumn Budget 2024—Private Client analysis Hot topic—the reform of business property relief and agricultural property relief Change in the approach to IHT planning for farmers Tax—Finance Act 2026...
Claimant [ initial and family name ]: First: [ date ] BEFORE [ HIGH COURT OF JUSTICE ] [ CHANCERY DIVISION ] [ BUSINESS AND PROPERTY COURTS OF ENGLAND AND WALES ] [ PROPERTY, TRUSTS AND PROBATE LIST ] Claim Reference...
[Your] Will—[ name of testator ]— [ explanatory note ] This [ explanatory note ] sets out the key provisions of your Will in plain terms. Please review it carefully alongside your Will. If anything does not reflect our wishes, please tell [ me OR [ name of person to contact ] ] [ before you sign. ] Revocation When you execute this Will, any earlier Wills or codicils concerning [ your UK estate OR your worldwide estate ] are revoked. As a result, only this Will records your wishes on death in relation to [ your UK estate OR your worldwide estate ]. [ International aspects ] [ [ Your Will only covers your UK assets [ and your assets outside the UK will be dealt with by a separate, local Will OR and your assets outside the UK have already been dealt with by a separate, local Will ] OR Your Will covers your worldwide...
[Your ]Will—[ name of testator ]—[ explanatory note ] This [ explanatory note ] sets out, in clear terms, the key provisions of your Will. Please review it carefully alongside your Will. If anything fails to match your wishes, please inform [me OR [name of person to contact]] before you sign your Will. Revocation When you execute this Will, all earlier Wills or codicils concerning [your UK estate OR your worldwide estate] are revoked. Consequently, only this Will records your intentions on death. [ International aspects [ [ Your Will only covers your UK property [ and your property outside the UK will be dealt with by a separate, local Will OR and your property outside the UK has already been dealt with by a separate, local Will ] OR Your Will covers your worldwide estate ] . ] [ You state that you are domiciled in [ insert appropriate jurisdiction ]. ] [ You have chosen...
This Q&A assumes that the trust corporation is a company incorporated and registered in the UK under the Companies Act 2006 (CA 2006) CA 2006 sets the framework for how a company formed under that Act allots and issues its shares. The exact process varies by the nature of the company proposing the allotment and factors such as whether it has a single share class or several classes already in issue. For further detail, see the sub-topic: Allotment, issue and pre-emption—overview, with particular reference to the Practice Note: Allotment and issue of shares—introductory points. For guidance on the consequences of breaching the CA 2006 provisions on allotting and issuing shares, consult Practice Note: Allotment and issue of shares—penalties...
Amendments to the International Tax Compliance Regulations 2015 (2015 regs), SI 2015/878, introduced by the International Tax Compliance (Amendment) Regulations 2025, SI 2025/740, have brought in a compulsory Automatic Exchange of Information (AEOI) registration obligation for certain trusts treated as ‘specified non-reporting financial institutions’. Under the 2015 regs, SI 2015/878, reg 24(1), a specified non-reporting financial institution is ‘a non-reporting financial institution which is a trust within the meaning of Section VIII(B)(1)(e) of the CRS or paragraph II(D) of Annex II to the FATCA agreement’. Set out below is a concise overview of the components of that definition. Financial institution (IEIM400610) The FATCA and CRS frameworks recognise four common categories of Financial Institution: custodial institution depository institution investment entity specified insurance company Where a private trust satisfies any Financial Institution definition, it will most commonly be treated as an Investment Entity...
We proceed on the basis that the default legacy will take the form of a discretionary trust in favour of the testator’s grandchildren and does not create an immediate post-death interest (IPDI) trust under section 49A of the Inheritance Tax Act 1984 (IHTA 1984). We further assume that it is not a disabled trust within IHTA 1984, s 89...