Trust Planning
Trust planning for London families — protective property trusts, discretionary trusts, and life interest trusts. Expert advice on using trusts to protect assets, reduce inheritance tax, and ensure your estate reaches the right people.
Get matched free
Free · No obligation · 24hr response
Paid by our network, never by you
Get matched free
Free · No obligation · 24hr response
Paid by our network, never by you
Trust Planning: what you need to know
Trusts are legal arrangements that hold assets for the benefit of named or described beneficiaries, managed by trustees. In estate planning, trusts serve several important purposes: protecting assets from care fee means testing, reducing inheritance tax exposure, controlling how and when beneficiaries receive assets, and protecting vulnerable or minor beneficiaries.
London property values mean that many families now have estates that exceed the inheritance tax threshold. Proper trust planning — whether through protective property trusts incorporated into wills, or standalone discretionary trusts — can significantly reduce the tax burden on your estate and ensure more of what you have worked for passes to your family.
Trust planning requires genuinely specialist advice. The wrong trust structure can create unintended tax consequences, complicate estate administration, or fail to achieve its intended purpose. Our matched trust planning specialists explain your options clearly, model the financial impact, and recommend solutions that are genuinely appropriate for your situation.
Why it matters for your estate
Care Fee Asset Protection
A protective property trust (or life interest trust) in your will can protect your share of the family home from being included in the surviving spouse's assets for care fee means testing after you die. This can preserve significant value for your children or other intended beneficiaries.
Inheritance Tax Mitigation
Various trust structures can reduce the inheritance tax payable on your estate. Nil-rate band trusts, charitable trusts, and strategic use of exemptions and reliefs can significantly reduce the IHT burden on larger London estates.
Control Over Distribution
Discretionary trusts allow trustees to decide who receives assets, how much, and when — giving flexibility to respond to changing family circumstances. This is particularly valuable for protecting assets from a beneficiary's divorce, creditors, or financial vulnerability.
Protection for Vulnerable Beneficiaries
Trusts can be structured to protect beneficiaries who are minors, have mental health difficulties, or receive means-tested benefits. A bare trust for a minor or a disabled persons trust can provide significant long-term protection for vulnerable family members.
Common mistakes
Three mistakes that turn trust planning into a tax problem
1. Setting up a trust without considering the IHT entry charge
Settlements over the £325k nil-rate band can trigger an immediate 20% lifetime IHT charge plus 10-yearly periodic charges. A trust that "saves IHT" can actually accelerate it if structured carelessly. Specialists model the full cost over a 30-year horizon before recommending any trust.
2. Naming yourself or your spouse as trustee and beneficiary
A trust where the settlor retains too much control can be treated as a "gift with reservation of benefit" and pulled back into the estate for IHT — defeating the entire purpose. Independent professional trusteeship or carefully structured arrangements protect against this.
3. Ignoring the trust's own income tax and capital gains exposure
Trusts pay income tax at the trust rate (45% on most income above £1,000) and CGT at 24% on residential property gains. A trust that holds a buy-to-let or investment portfolio may produce a worse net-of-tax outcome than direct ownership. Specialist tax advice up front prevents this.
Pairs well with
Estate Planning
Trusts only work as part of a coordinated estate plan — the trust deed, the will, the lifetime gifts, and the IHT calculations have to align. Engaging a full estate planning review at the same time ensures the trust isn't built in isolation.
See estate planningIs trust planning right for you?
Trust planning is particularly valuable for:
- Couples with children who want to protect the family home from care fee means testing after the first death
- Those with estates exceeding the nil-rate band (£325,000 per person) who want to reduce their IHT exposure
- Parents wanting to control how and when children or grandchildren receive inheritances
- Those with vulnerable beneficiaries — minors, those with mental health difficulties, or those receiving means-tested benefits
- Business owners with significant business property that needs to be handled differently from personal assets
How the process works
Estate and Objectives Review
Your specialist reviews your assets, family circumstances, and planning objectives. This shapes which trust structures are relevant to your situation and identifies potential risks and opportunities.
Options and Recommendations
Suitable trust structures are explained in plain terms, with the financial modelling to show the potential impact on your estate. Recommendations are made based on your specific situation — not a generic template.
Trust Drafting
Trust documents are drafted in legally precise terms, with trustee guidance notes explaining their duties and powers. For trusts incorporated into wills, the will is amended accordingly.
Review and Implementation
You review all documents with a full explanation of every provision. Once approved, documents are executed and, where applicable, assets are transferred into the trust structure. Ongoing trustee support is available.
Trust Planning across London
Our network covers trust planning specialists across all major London areas. Select your area to find specialists who serve your neighbourhood specifically.