FAQs

The TRS was originally launched by HMRC in 2017 as part of the UK’s implementation of the Fourth Money Laundering Directive (4MLD). The TRS is a register of the beneficial ownership of trusts and replaced the paper 41G form.

Since then trustees have been required to register on TRS, where a trust is liable to pay any of the following taxes: Income Tax, Capital Gains Tax, Inheritance Tax, Stamp Duty Land Tax (Buildings Transaction Tax in Scotland) or Stamp Duty Reserve Tax.

Legislation introduced in October 2020 means that the majority of UK resident trusts in existence on or after 6 October 2020 are required to register on the service, regardless of whether they have any tax liability.

LV= related trusts that need to register include:

• Trusts set up with an LV= draft trust template to hold an LV= bond or savings plan
• Spousal bypass trusts (pilot trusts) set up to hold pension death benefits using an LV= draft trust template executed (dated) on or after 6 October 2020*
• Trusts that hold the surrender proceeds of an LV= Protection Plan**
• Trusts that hold the claim proceeds of an LV= Protection Plan***

Other trusts that are required include:

• UK express trusts****, unless specifically excluded 

Overseas express trusts that:

• acquire land or property in the UK
• have at least one trustee resident in the UK and enter into a ‘business relationship’ within the UK

* If executed (dated) prior to 6 October 2020, registration will only be required when and if the trust receives the lump sum pension death benefit.

** Note that an in-force Protection Plan does not need to register when it has a surrender value that has not been realised.

*** If the trust has been paid the proceeds of a death claim, the trustees will need to register the trust if it still holds any of the proceeds two years after the date of death. For terminal illness and critical illness claims the trustees will need to register the trust within 90 days of receiving the claim proceeds. There will be no need to register if, at the direction of the trustees, we are instructed to pay the claim directly to a trust beneficiary(ies).  

**** An express trust is defined by HMRC as a trust created deliberately by a settlor, so covers almost all types of trust commonly used in the UK.

Certain trusts are excluded from the trust registration requirements. This is because these trusts are considered a lower risk of money laundering or terrorist financing due to other registration and regulatory requirements.

However, a trust that is excluded from registration is nevertheless still required to register if it has a liability to UK taxation.

LV= related trusts that do not need to register include:

• Trusts related to in-force LV= protection plans that do not hold a surrender value

• Spousal bypass trusts (pilot trusts) set up to hold pension death benefits using an LV= draft trust template that hold less than £100 and were executed (dated) before 6 October 2020

Other trusts that are currently excluded for registration include:

• Trusts created by a will - as long as it holds only property from the estate of the deceased person, it is excluded from registration for a period of two years from the date of death
• Trusts for bereaved minors, ‘age 18-to-25’ trusts and ‘statutory’ trusts created on intestacy
• Trusts holding life or retirement policies during the lifetime of the person assured - as long as the policy only pays out on death, terminal illness, critical illness, permanent disablement, temporary disablement, or to meet the healthcare costs of the person assured. This includes policies which hold unrealised surrender values
• Trusts holding insurance policy benefits received after the death of the person assured - as long as the benefits are paid out from the trust within two years of the death
• Personal injury trusts
• Employee share scheme trusts
• Certain trusts created in the course of professional services - created for the purpose of enabling or facilitating the holding of sums, assets or documents that belong to someone other than the trustee (includes unit trusts and custody services)
• Co-ownership Trusts set up to hold shares of property or other assets which are jointly owned by two or more people for themselves as ‘tenants in common’
• Charitable trusts
• Trusts used to hold money or assets of a UK registered pension scheme
• Trusts where a disabled person is the beneficiary
• Pilot trusts that were set up before 6 October 2020 and hold less than £100
• A ‘financial’ or ‘commercial’ trust created in the course of professional services or business transactions for holding client money or other assets
• Trusts imposed by legislation or court order
• Trusts registered on a European Economic Area (EEA) register
• Bank accounts for minors

More about excluded express trusts can be found at gov.uk/hmrc-internal-manuals/trust-registration-service-manual/trsm23000

All trustees are equally responsible for the trust, but a ‘lead trustee’ must be nominated to register and update the TRS and will be the contact point for HMRC. The trustees will need to discuss and decide who will be the lead trustee for the trust.

The lead trustee will receive the trust’s Unique Taxpayer Reference (UTR) if registering a taxable trust and a Unique Reference Number (URN) if registering a non-taxable trust.

Trustees can appoint an agent to register and manage a trust on the trustees’ behalf. However, the responsibility for registration and ensuring the trust details maintained on TRS are up to date remains with the trustees.

Registrable non-taxable express trusts must register within 90 days of creation.

Registrable taxable trusts must register within 90 days of the trustees becoming liable to tax.

The TRS record must be kept up to date. The information on TRS must be updated within 90 days of the date that the trustees become aware of changes to the trust details or beneficial ownership - for example, if the settlor dies, or there is a change of trustees and/or beneficiaries.

If the trust is taxable, you must declare the trust is up to date on an annual basis by 31 January.

Before you can register a trust as a trustee, you need to have an Organisation Government Gateway user ID and password. If you do not have one, you can create one the first time you register. You’ll need a Government Gateway user ID for each trust you want to register.

You’ll need:

• an email address (this will be linked to the trust’s Government Gateway account)
• your full name

Trustees can then register and make changes to a trust online at the below locations:

• registering a trust 
• managing a trust 

To register a trust on TRS, you’ll need:

Details of the trust:

• Trust name
• Creation date
• Is it an express trust?
• Has it acquired land or property in the UK since 6 October 2020?
• Is the trust registered on the trust register of any European Economic Area (EEA) countries?
• Are trustees based in the UK?

Settlor(s) details (the person who set up the trust):

• Name
• Date of death (if deceased)
• Date of birth
• Nationality
• Country of residence (last known if deceased)
• Has the person mental capacity?

Lead trustee details:

• Name
• Date of birth
• Address
• National Insurance number (if they’re a UK citizen)/passport details (if they’re not a UK citizen)
• Telephone number
• Country of residence
• Nationality
• Email address
• Unique Taxpayer Reference (UTR) (where an organisation)

Other trustees:

• Name
• Date of birth
• Country of residence
• Nationality
• UTR (where an organisation)
• Registered address (where an organisation)
• Email address (where an organisation)
• Phone number (where an organisation)

Identifiable beneficiary(ies):

• Name
• Date of birth
• Country of residence
• Nationality

Classes of beneficiaries (a group of individuals who are not yet known or named individually):

• Description of the class (e.g. future children, grandchildren etc.)

Beneficiaries that are a charity or trust:

• Name
• Country of residence

If the trust later becomes taxable further details about the trust and the assets it holds will be needed. HMRC will then provide a Unique Taxpayer Reference (UTR), which will replace the Unique Reference Number (URN) initially issued.

If the trust is connected to an overseas jurisdiction (such as in the EEA), it may need to be registered there as well. Advice from a local tax expert in that jurisdiction should be sought to understand any requirements.

It is the trustees duty to retain a copy of the trust deed and store this carefully. However, if this is mislaid, we may be able to provide a copy from our records.

Due to past changes to our document storage system, we have only basic search functionality to some older records. This means that in some cases, it may not be possible to provide a copy of your trust documentation. In these circumstances, you should speak to your financial adviser who should be able to provide you with a copy. 

Where failure to register or failure to keep the information up to date is due to deliberate behaviour on the part of the trustees, a £5,000 penalty may be charged per offence. 

In practice, should HMRC become aware of a registerable trust for which the information on the TRS is missing or has become out of date, HMRC may issue a warning letter to the trustee or agent in the first instance (unless the omission is due to deliberate behaviour on the part of the trustees). This is in recognition of the fact that the registration requirement is a new and unfamiliar obligation for many trustees.