Family Trust Setup and Running Costs in Australia (2026)

A family trust costs about $166 to $330 to set up yourself with an online deed, around $1,000 with a trustee company, or from $660 to $5,000 or more through an accountant (as at 18 October 2026). Add stamp duty of up to $750 depending on your state. Maintaining it costs mostly accounting: published estimates run from $1,000 to $5,000 a year, plus $342 for a corporate trustee.

This page covers every cost line with its source and date, first-year and yearly totals for three common setups, what unit trusts, testamentary trusts and SMSFs cost, and how to work out whether a trust saves more than it costs. If you're still working out how the trustee, appointor and beneficiaries fit together, read our family trust guide for business owners first. This page is about the money.

Family trust costs at a glance

Prices as at 18 October 2026, from each provider's or regulator's own page (sources in each section below).

Setup costs, line by line

1. The trust deed: $166 to $5,000 or more

The deed is the legal document that creates the trust and sets its rules. You can't avoid it, and it's where the price range is widest.

The online deeds aren't inferior documents, and many accountants order from the same providers. What you miss with DIY is the conversation before the order form: whether you should have a trust at all, who the appointor should be (the person who can hire and fire the trustee, which is the real control seat), whether to exclude foreign beneficiaries to avoid state surcharges, and how the trust fits your other structures. Getting those wrong costs far more than the fee gap.

2. A corporate trustee: $636 to register, $342 a year

You can be the trustee personally at no cost. Most accountants recommend a company as trustee instead, because the trustee signs the contracts and gets sued, and a company keeps that liability off your personal assets. It also makes changing control easier later.

The cost is a second entity to register and maintain. Fees from ASIC's current fee schedule, as at 18 October 2026:

• Company registration: $636. Providers add a service fee: Cleardocs charges $145 on top ($781 in total), and Patricia Holdings lists a standard company at $845 including the ASIC fee.
• Annual review fee: $342 every year, due within 2 months of the company's review date. Late payment costs $102 (up to a month late) or $428 (more than a month).
• Director IDs. Each director needs a free director ID before appointment, and the company must keep basic registers even if it does nothing but act as trustee.

A trustee company for a family trust pays the full $342. ASIC's $70 rate applies only to special purpose companies, such as a company whose sole purpose is to be the trustee of a regulated super fund. For the full picture of company costs, see company setup costs.

3. Stamp duty on the deed: $0 to $750

Three jurisdictions charge duty on a trust deed even when the trust holds nothing but a nominal settled sum. Late lodgement can attract interest and penalty tax.

Duty can apply in any state if land or other dutiable property goes into the trust.

If you'd rather a provider handled the lodgement, expect a service fee on top of the duty. Cleardocs' NSW stamping service is $830.85 including the $750 duty for a Cleardocs deed ($861.10 for another provider's deed), and its Victorian service is $274.25 including the $200 ($299 for another provider's deed). Patricia Holdings' price list shows a $132 service fee for a digitally signed deed or $154 for a wet-ink deed, on top of the duty.

4. ABN, TFN and GST registration: $0

A family trust needs its own ABN if it carries on a business. The Australian Business Register says trusts carrying on an enterprise are entitled to one, and it's free. The trustee applies "as trustee for the [Name] Family Trust", and can apply for the trust's TFN and, if needed, GST registration in the same application.

Two nuances:

• A trust that only holds passive investments (shares, a rental property) may not be carrying on an enterprise and may not be entitled to an ABN. It still needs a TFN, because it lodges a tax return every year.
• The trust must register for GST within 21 days of its GST turnover reaching $75,000. That brings BAS lodgements, which is a big part of why a trading trust costs more to run than an investment trust.

Providers will do the ABN form for you for a fee: Cleardocs charges $59.95 and Patricia Holdings' price list shows $220. Those are convenience fees, not government charges; see how much an ABN costs.

5. A business name: $47 or $108 (optional)

A trust's name isn't a trading name. If the trustee trades under anything other than its own legal name (for example "Smith Family Pty Ltd as trustee" trading as "Smith Plumbing"), register a business name with ASIC: $47 for one year or $108 for three (as at 18 October 2026).

6. The settled sum and a bank account: about $10

Someone who isn't a beneficiary (the settlor, often your accountant or a family friend) gives the trustee a nominal amount to bring the trust into existence. Patricia Holdings notes it can be as little as $1, and is commonly $10 or $100. The trustee then opens a bank account in the trust's name; our business bank account comparison lists fees.

How much does it cost to maintain a family trust?

Setup is a one-off. These costs repeat every year for as long as the trust exists, and they decide whether the trust is worth having.

The accounting estimates come from firms that sell the service (Liston Newton, Bentleys and What If Advice). We found no independent fee survey, so use them to test quotes, not as an average.

Three of these lines deserve a closer look.

The trust tax return. The trust lodges its own return every year, showing its income and which beneficiary is entitled to what. Each beneficiary then declares their share in their own return. The trust itself usually pays no tax if all income is distributed, but the return still has to be prepared, and that's the bulk of the accounting bill. Miss the deadline and the ATO's failure to lodge penalty is one penalty unit for every 28 days late, up to 5 units for small entities. A penalty unit is $364 for infringements on or after 1 July 2026, so the maximum is $1,820.

The 30 June distribution resolution. The ATO's resolutions checklist says a resolution making beneficiaries entitled to trust income must be made by 30 June (or earlier if your deed says so) to count. If it isn't effective, default beneficiaries or the trustee may be assessed instead, and a trustee can be taxed at the top rate, 47% including the Medicare levy. Capital gains can be streamed to a beneficiary by appointing capital up to 31 August. Put the resolution in the calendar; it's the most expensive thing to forget.

Beneficiary TFN reporting changed on 1 July 2026. Trustees of closely held trusts no longer send a quarterly TFN report. The ATO says beneficiary TFNs now go in the statement of distribution in the trust tax return, starting with the 2027 return. Beneficiaries still need to quote their TFN, or the trustee must withhold tax at the top rate.

Accountant's fee. The range is wide because the work is. A trust holding one share portfolio might need a few hours a year. A trust running a cafe with staff needs quarterly BAS, payroll reporting and a full set of financial statements. Get a fixed-fee quote before you set up, and ask what's included.

Total cost: first year and every year after

Three common setups, using the published prices above. First-year accounting is included; the ASIC annual review fee starts from the company's first anniversary.

The setup route changes the first-year bill by a few thousand dollars, but after that the running costs converge. Over ten years the DIY saving is small next to the accounting fees, so judge the trust on its yearly cost, not its setup cost.

Other trusts: unit, testamentary and SMSF setup costs

If you searched for the cost of setting up "a trust", here's what the other common types cost. Prices as at 18 October 2026, from providers' own pages.

Two differences matter for business owners. A unit trust gives each owner a fixed share, so it suits unrelated people going into business together but can't split income flexibly the way a family trust can. An SMSF is a retirement savings vehicle with strict rules on what it can invest in and when you can access money; it isn't a business structure. The 2028 trust tax proposal below excludes genuine testamentary trusts and is aimed at discretionary trusts rather than fixed unit trusts, though the draft definition is still being debated.

Is a family trust worth the cost?

Only if it saves you (or protects for you) more than it costs to run. For most small business owners the saving is tax, and it comes from one mechanism: the trustee can distribute income to family members on lower marginal rates instead of all of it landing on you.

A worked example

Illustrative, using 2026-27 resident rates, the 2% Medicare levy, the low income tax offset, and the small business income tax offset of up to $1,000, which each individual beneficiary can claim on their share of the trust's small business income (ATO). The trust runs a small business, all profit is distributed equally to you and a partner, and neither of you has other income. We use the same method as our sole trader vs company guide.

At $150,000, each of you is taxed on $75,000: $4,020 plus 30% of $30,000 is $13,020, less the $1,000 small business offset, plus $1,500 Medicare levy, for $13,520 each. At $80,000, each person's $40,000 attracts a $575 low income tax offset, and is above the range where the Medicare levy is reduced (which ended at $35,013 for singles in 2025-26).

Take off the yearly running costs from the table above, roughly $2,300 to $5,300 for a trading trust with a trustee company, and the trust is still ahead in all three cases. But only if your partner really does receive and benefit from their share. The ATO's section 100A rules target arrangements where a low-taxed beneficiary is entitled on paper but someone else gets the money.

The saving shrinks fast if your partner already earns. If your partner has a $90,000 salary and the business makes $150,000, the best split of the trust income saves only about $2,050 a year on the same method, because you are both already in the 30% bracket that runs from $45,001 to $135,000. With a partner earning $60,000 the saving is about $1,950. In both cases most trusts would cost more to run than they save.

Rules of thumb

• The saving comes from family members with unused low brackets: income under about $45,000 a year, where the tax-free threshold, 15% rate and low income tax offset apply. Two adults who both earn in the 30% band gain little.
• Each adult beneficiary can claim up to $1,000 of small business income tax offset on trust business income, which is worth more than many people expect.
• Children under 18 don't help much. A minor's unearned trust income above $416 a year is taxed at penalty rates, and above $1,307 the whole amount is taxed at 45% (ATO).
• Personal services income can't be split this way; the PSI rules attribute it to the person who earned it.
• If asset protection or passing the business to the next generation is your real reason, the tax sums matter less. Those benefits are covered in the family trust guide.

The 30% minimum tax proposal changes this maths

In the 2026-27 Budget on 12 May 2026, the Government announced a 30% minimum tax on discretionary trusts from 1 July 2028. The ATO says it is not yet law. Treasury released a consultation paper on 8 July 2026 and exposure draft legislation on 3 September 2026, with consultation closing on 18 September. As drafted:

• the trustee pays 30% on the trust's taxable income
• non-corporate beneficiaries get a non-refundable credit, so anyone on a lower rate gets no refund of the difference
• corporate beneficiaries ("bucket companies") get no credit
• a trust can instead elect to fix its beneficiaries and their shares and stay outside the regime, giving up its discretion
• genuine testamentary trusts are excluded, and a 3-year roll-over from 1 July 2027 would help businesses move out of trusts.

If it becomes law in that form, the worked example largely stops working for a trust that keeps its discretion. At $80,000 of profit, the trustee would pay 30%, or $24,000, and the beneficiaries' credits couldn't be refunded. That's more than the $15,120 a sole trader pays at 2026-27 rates. The draft could change before it's introduced. It's the clearest reason not to set up a trust purely for income splitting without talking it through with your accountant first. If a company might suit you better, start with trust vs company in Australia.

A separate change is already law: from 1 July 2027, the 50% CGT discount for individuals, trusts and partnerships is replaced by cost base indexation and a 30% minimum tax on gains that accrue after that date (ATO). That matters most for trusts set up to hold growth assets.

Ways to keep the cost down

• Buy the deed online, pay for the advice separately. An hour or two with an accountant to confirm the structure and the trustee and appointor choices, then a $166.10 deed, is often the best-value route.
• Don't add a corporate trustee you don't need yet. If the trust will only hold a share portfolio and you're comfortable being personally liable, an individual trustee saves $636 now and $342 every year. You can appoint a company later, though a change of trustee costs a deed update (Cleardocs charges $207.35) and, in some states, duty on any property transferred.
• Lodge the deed for stamping on time. NSW's 3-month and Victoria's 30-day deadlines are easy to miss, and late duty attracts interest and penalty tax.
• Keep your own books properly. Clean, reconciled records in accounting software are the difference between the low and high end of a tax return quote.
• Ask whether the setup costs are deductible. Some costs of establishing a structure for a small business can be deducted, either immediately or over five years, depending on what they are. For an investment-only trust they often aren't. Ask your accountant before you pay.

Key takeaways

• Setting up a family trust costs about $166 to $330 for an online deed, around $1,000 with a trustee company, or from $660 to $5,000 or more through an accountant or firm (as at 18 October 2026).
• Stamp duty on the deed is $750 in NSW, $200 in Victoria and $20 in the NT, and nil in Queensland and Tasmania for a cash-only deed. Lodge within the deadline.
• A trust that runs a business needs its own ABN and TFN. Both are free from the government; providers charge $59.95 to $220 to do the form.
• Maintaining a family trust costs about $1,000 to $5,000 a year in published accounting estimates, plus $342 a year for a corporate trustee. Judge the trust on this, not the setup fee.
• Splitting income saves the most when a family member has income under about $45,000 and genuinely receives the money; if both adults are already in the 30% bracket, the saving is about $2,000 a year.
• The proposed 30% minimum trust tax from 1 July 2028 is still a draft, but it would remove most income-splitting savings for trusts that keep their discretion.

Where to get help

• Australian Business Register: trusts for ABN entitlement and the free ABN and TFN application.
• ATO: trustee resolutions for the 30 June rules, and the ATO's trusts section for lodgment and reporting.
• ASIC fees for current company registration and annual review fees.
• Revenue NSW and State Revenue Office Victoria for deed stamping.
• Tax Practitioners Board to check that a tax agent is registered.
• Your accountant. Before you order a deed, ask for a fixed-fee quote covering setup and the first year's compliance, and a straight answer on whether the tax saving beats the running cost for your numbers. If you don't have one yet, our guide to choosing a business structure will help you frame the questions.

Related tasks

See every step in setting up your business in the business registration hub.