A trust is one of the most flexible ways to hold assets, run a business and manage how income gets shared out. But a trust is only as good as the deed behind it, so it pays to set it up properly to optimise tax minimisation legally. Kaya Advisory is a Melbourne accounting and advisory firm, and we handle the whole thing: we prepare your trust deed, appoint your trustee and beneficiaries correctly, and get your trust registered and ready to operate.
We’re accountants, so we set your trust up with your tax position and asset protection in mind. And we explain how it works in plain English, so you actually understand the structure you’re getting.
We help individuals, families and businesses around Melbourne set up the right kind of trust:
– Discretionary (family) trusts. The most common setup for families and small businesses. The trustee decides how income and capital are shared out each year.
– Unit trusts. Beneficiaries hold fixed units. Handy when unrelated people go into business together.
– Hybrid trusts. A mix of discretionary and unit features for more complex situations.
– SMSF trusts. The trust that sits behind a self-managed super fund, set up alongside the fund and its trustee.
Not sure which one suits you? Chat Now or call and we’ll recommend the right structure before you commit.
Set up your trust through Kaya Advisory and you get a complete, ready-to-run structure:
– A properly prepared trust deed
– Your settlor, trustee(s), appointor and beneficiaries appointed correctly
– Advice on whether to use a corporate or individual trustee (we can register a trustee company at the same time)
– Help registering the trust’s ABN and TFN so it can trade and lodge
– Guidance on state duty and stamping where it applies
– A plain-English rundown of how your trust works and what you’re responsible for
Have these ready before you start:
– A name for the trust
– The settlor’s name (the person who sets up the trust with the initial contribution)
– Trustee details, whether that’s individuals or a company
– Appointor details (the person who can appoint or remove the trustee) – the most powerful person
– Beneficiary details, including ID where it’s needed
– Your state or territory, since duty and stamping rules differ
Not sure on something? Leave it and we’ll confirm it with you before we finalise the deed.
A trust deed is a legal document that runs your structure for its whole life, and mistakes are expensive to fix later. Kaya Advisory is a registered tax agent (No. 26113206) and registered ASIC agent (No. 50513), so:
– Your trust is set up right the first time, with a deed that fits your situation
– We advise on trustee choice, tax and asset protection, not just the paperwork
– We can register a corporate trustee company alongside your trust in one go
– You’ve got an accountant on hand for the trust’s ABN, TFN and ongoing tax
The settlor sets the trust up with an initial sum. The trustee holds and manages the trust’s assets. The appointor can appoint or remove the trustee. The beneficiaries are the people who can benefit from it. We set all of these up for you.
A corporate trustee (a company set up to act as trustee) usually makes succession cleaner, since it doesn’t change when a director leaves or dies, and it adds a layer of asset protection through limited liability. An individual trustee is simpler and cheaper to run. We’ll recommend the right one and can register the trustee company at the same time.
That depends on your state. In Victoria, a trust deed over non-dutiable property like cash has to be lodged and $200 in duty paid through Duties Online within 30 days of signing. If the trust holds dutiable property such as Victorian land, transfer-rate duty applies instead. We’ll guide you through stamping wherever you are.
Most trusts that run a business or earn income need a TFN, and usually an ABN, to lodge returns and open a bank account. We can register both.
Yes. A discretionary (family) trust is a very common way to run a small business. It gives you flexibility in how profits are shared out, plus a layer of asset protection.
