5 Rights That Trust Beneficiaries Have

Many persons involved with trusts, particularly the Trust Beneficiaries and the Settlors are concerned with what rights and obligations they may have. Our Temecula and Murrieta attorneys provide an overview of some of these rights and obligations.

Beneficiaries

As a trust beneficiary, you may feel that you are at the mercy of the trustee, but depending on the type of trust, beneficiaries may have the right to ensure the trust is properly managed.

A trust is a legal arrangement through which one person, called a “settlor” or “grantor,” gives assets to another person (or an institution, such as a bank or law firm), called a “trustee.” The trustee holds legal title to the assets for another person, called a “beneficiary.” The rights of a trust beneficiary depend on the type of trust and the type of beneficiary.

If the trust is revocable—meaning the person who set up the trust can change it or revoke it at any time–the trust beneficiaries other than the settlor have very few rights. Because the settlor can change the trust at any time, he or she can also change the beneficiaries at any time. 

Often a trust is revocable until the settlor dies and then it becomes irrevocable. An irrevocable trust is a trust that cannot be changed except in rare cases by court order.

Beneficiaries of an irrevocable trust have rights to information about the trust and to make sure the trustee is acting properly. The scope of those rights depends on the type of beneficiary. 

Current beneficiaries are beneficiaries who are currently entitled to income from the trust. The remainder or contingent beneficiaries have an interest in the trust after the current beneficiaries’ interest is over. For example, a wife may set up a trust that leaves income to her husband for life (the current beneficiary) and then the remainder of the property to her children (the remainder beneficiaries).

State law and the terms of the trust determine exactly what rights a beneficiary has, but the following are five common rights given to beneficiaries of irrevocable trusts:

• Payment. Current beneficiaries have the right to distributions as outlined in the trust document.
• Right to information. Current and remainder beneficiaries have the right to be provided enough information about the trust and its administration to know how to enforce their rights.
• Right to an accounting. Current beneficiaries are entitled to an accounting. Accounting is a detailed report of all income, expenses, and distributions from the trust. Usually, trustees are required to provide an accounting annually, but that may vary, depending on the terms of the trust. Beneficiaries may also be able to waive the accounting.
• Remove the trustee. Current and remainder beneficiaries have the right to petition the court for the removal of the trustee if they believe the trustee is not acting in their best interest. Trustees must balance the needs of the current beneficiary with the needs of the remainder beneficiaries, which can be difficult to manage.
• End the trust. In some circumstances, if all the current and remainder beneficiaries agree, they can petition the court to end the trust. State laws vary on when this is allowed. Usually, the purpose of the trust must have been fulfilled or be impossible.

If you are interested in learning more about these rights, speak to our Temecula and Murrieta elder law or estate planning attorney. To schedule an appointment at our Temecula office or one of our other offices located throughout the state of California, contact us at  (800) 244-8814

If you have any further questions about asset protection planning and strategies to shield your wealth, or if you’d like to have your current asset protection plan reviewed to make sure it still meets your needs, please contact us at our California asset protection office at 800-244-8814 to set up a consultation.