Notice of Trust Administration: Benefits of Providing
When a loved one dies and you are tasked with administering the trust, your responsibilities begin very quickly. California law requires trustees to provide beneficiaries with a Notice of Trust Administration when this process begins. If a trustee does not abide by this requirement, the consequences may harm both the trustee and the trust itself. Fortunately, there are many advantages to complying with the legal requirement of providing a Notice of Trust Administration to beneficiaries.
Five Advantages of Using a Notice of Trust Administration
The following is an overview:
- Generally, there is no requirement that trust is administered with the oversight of the probate court. A Notice of Administration puts the beneficiary on notice that the trust administration is taking place outside of court.
- If the trustee didn’t provide a Notice of Trust Administration, the beneficiary may not know the trust was being administered.
- Similarly, without providing beneficiaries with a Notice of Trust Administration, the trustee might have no way of knowing that there is a chance it may be contested.
- Once beneficiaries have the Notice of the Trust Administration, any contests must occur within 120 days of receiving the Notice. The trustee can then move forward with the peace of mind that no challenge will take place.
- Using a Notice of Trust Administration outside of a more formal notice published in the newspaper, or some other method as instructed by the probate court is often cheaper and quicker than the more formal proceedings.
After your loved one passes, and you become the successor trustee of his or her trust, your duties of administering the trust begin.
If you are ready to start your case, then please give us a call or fill out our Get Help Now form. A comprehensive overview of California Probate is available here. Should you have additional questions about trust litigation, you will find plenty of useful information in our Learning Center.