Do assets in a revocable trust go through probate?

With revocable living trusts, probate is not necessary. Your successor trustee will be able to pass your assets on to your beneficiaries without the need to wait for a court order.

Do you have to pay probate fees on trust assets?

One provider tells us that “as the client is not the legal owner of the trust property, the estate should not pay any probate fees on the assets within the trust – these fees are charged on the assets owned by the client at the time of death”. But is this really the case? Who does really own the assets? And what is the probate fee based on?

When do assets need to be part of probate estate?

There are some uncommon assets that may need to be part of the probate estate. In these situations, you need to know what to do with the assets. A prime example is what would normally be a direct transfer of property, but the beneficiary has died. For instance, a person lists a sibling as the beneficiary of their bank account as payable upon death.

Do you need probate for a life interest trust?

In particular, life interest trusts, even where the value of the underlying assets is in the estate of the deceased (such as an immediate post-death interest trust), the value is not included in the probate value and no probate is needed for the trust to continue (as long as there is at least one surviving trustee).

Do you have to have a bank account in probate?

Because the person listed as beneficiary is no longer living, the bank account will have to be included in probate. Many assets don’t need to go through probate because they can be directly transferred to a beneficiary. This means that someone has been listed on the proper documents as the beneficiary for that asset.

Are there any assets that are not subject to probate?

Life insurance proceeds, bank accounts with payable-on-death designations, some retirement accounts, and some forms of real estate ownership pass directly to named beneficiaries by operation of law, so probate isn’t required. Everything else forms the decedent’s probate estate.

Can a non probate asset be transferred to a living trust?

If the decedent retitles his tenant-in-common interest into the name of a living trust before his death, this converts the tenant-in-common interest into a non-probate asset. It won’t require a probate court proceeding to pass to a new owner.

Can a trust be named as a beneficiary in probate?

Assets titled in the name of a trust or designating a trust as beneficiary. Many people set up living trusts specifically to avoid probate. The trustee named in the trust is authorized to carry out the trust’s instructions, including distributing trust assets to beneficiaries.

What’s the difference between a trust and probate?

The bottom line– Upon the creator’s death, the trust serves as a will to the extent that it has assets in it. Avoiding Probate means that the assets can be transferred immediately after death to the intended beneficiaries without delay.