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ChecklistTrustsMedium
Trust Administration Checklist
Trust Administration Checklist for preparing documents, facts, dates, and questions connected to trusts.
Time to prepare3-6 hours
Before you start
0/2 completedNeed help with this checklist?
Get support from a lawyer who works with trusts matters.
Before trust decisions or advice
0/2 completedOn consultation day
0/2 completedAfterwards
0/2 completedWhen It Applies
A South African trust needs cleaner administration records, trustee decision records, or a legal review.
You need to brief a trust, estate, tax, property, or commercial lawyer about trust governance.
Not For
- Tax planning, investment advice, estate planning, or trust litigation without specialist advice.
Documents
- Trust deed
- Letters of authority
- Trustee IDs
- Trustee resolutions
- Minutes
- Bank statements
- Financial statements
- Tax records
- Asset records
- Beneficiary details
- Master correspondence
Timeline
- Before advice: confirm trustee authority and trust deed terms.
- Before decisions: prepare resolutions and financial records.
- After decisions: save signed proof and update the trust file.
- Ongoing: calendar tax, accounting, banking, and Master follow-ups.
Tips
- Check the trust deed before assuming how trustees may decide.
- Keep signed resolutions with the transaction they approve.
- Separate beneficiary communication from trustee decision records.
- Ask for advice before transferring property, lending money, or distributing large amounts.
Warning Signs
- A trustee has resigned or died but records were not updated.
- A bank, buyer, SARS, or the Master questions trustee authority.
- Trust assets and personal assets are mixed.
- A beneficiary disputes information, distributions, or trustee conduct.
Official sources
- Department of Justice Master: TrustsTrust registration, trustee authority, and Master context.
- Department of Justice Master formsMaster forms and trust-administration document context.
- Trust Property Control Act 57 of 1988Trustee control and trust-property legal context.
This checklist is for general information only and does not constitute legal advice.
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