Trusts

What is the role of an executor?

An executor is the person appointed by a Will to administer a person’s estate when they die.

The role of an executor is basically to ensure the deceased person’s debts are paid and that their assets are dealt with as is stated in the Will.

The first task for an executor, after tending to any funeral arrangements, is to secure the assets of the estate such as cash and jewellery. The next task is to obtain a grant of Probate.

To apply for Probate, the executor needs to determine what the assets of the estate are (so that your lawyer can prepare an Inventory of the estate property) and what liabilities the deceased person may have. This often involves searching the deceased’s person’s records and liaising with their accountant and financial advisors.

Following that, steps such as making life insurance claims, notifying banks, superannuation funds and checking the insurance status of large assets are taken. Some assets may need to be sold and tax returns may also need to be lodged.

The specific steps that need to be taken will to a large extent depend on the terms of the Will and the deceased person’s assets and liabilities.

Usually an estate is administered within 12 or so months of the date of death however things such as claims for family provision orders under the Succession Act and other matters adding complexity can delay this.

What if the named executor has passed away?

If a named executor has passed away, then depending on whether they obtained probate before their death, either that executor’s executor or any substitute executor named in the Will takes over.

If there is a Will but there is no person named as executor or no named executor or alternate executor that is alive, then Letters of Administration with the Will annexed can be applied for and the Court appoints an administrator (in place of an executor) to administer the estate as set out in the Will.

What if there is no Will?

If a person dies without leaving a Will, they have died intestate and the relevant legislation details how their estate is distributed.

FURTHER INFORMATION

For further information, please contact McKillop Legal on (02) 9521 2455 or email help@mckilloplegal.com.au 

This information is general only and is not a substitute for proper legal advice. Please contact McKillop Legal to discuss your needs.

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in Estate Planning / Probate / Superannuation / Tax Planning / Trusts  by 01 Jul 2024 0 comments

Renouncing probate

Once a person has died, the executors named in their Will generally need to apply for Probate

Often the person making a Will has appointed all of their children as executors however, as many people relocate interstate or overseas for work, it may not be practical for one or more of them to act in the role of an executor of an estate.

Being out of the jurisdiction is not a problem in relation to being an executor, but it can slow down matters as getting documents signed and in dealing with institutions and things like verification of identity can be cumbersome. There is no requirement for a named executor to act as such.

There is a process that allows one or more of the named executors to leave it to  the other/s to deal with the estate – this is known as “renunciation“. So what is renouncing probate?

Renouncing probate simply means that you are renouncing the rights, powers and responsibilities of being an executor of a Will. Once you have renounced your role as executor, you may not later seek to be, or act as, executor of the estate unless the Supreme Court allows it.

To renounce your role, you must not have intermeddled (dealt with estate property) or undertaken any significant steps in relation to the estate.

FURTHER INFORMATION

For further information, please contact McKillop Legal on (02) 9521 2455 or email help@mckilloplegal.com.au 

This information is general only and is not a substitute for proper legal advice. Please contact McKillop Legal to discuss your needs.

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in Estate Planning / Probate / Trusts  by 01 Apr 2024 0 comments

Does marriage, separation or divorce affect my Will?

This blogpost is limited to New South Wales as the laws in each State and Territory differ in relation to these matters.

Marriage

If you get married after you sign a Will, the Will is revoked unless it is specifically stated to have been made in contemplation of that particular marriage taking place.

Marriage will not affect a gift to the person who is your spouse at your date of death or their appointment as your executor.

Entering into a defacto relationship does not have the same impact on a Will as a marriage, but this can give rise to other rights as regards the property of the relationship whilst the parties are alive (and claims in relation to the division of the estate on their deaths).

Divorce

Subject to the contrary intention being expressed in a Will, if you divorce after you make your Will, it only revokes or cancels any gift to a former spouse and their appointment as executor.

It will not however cancel their appointment as trustee of property left on trust for beneficiaries that include children of both you and your former spouse.

Separation

If you don’t update your Will after you separate, your spouse may inherit any property you left to them and they can still be the executor of your estate if named as such in theWill.

The take away

If any time your circumstances change (such as a birth or death in the family, a marriage, separation or divorce or a material change in finances for the better or the worse) you should consider whether your estate planning documents require any updates. It may be that no change is necessary, but it at least should be considered.

FURTHER INFORMATION

For further information in relation to Wills and estate planning, contact McKillop Legal on (02) 9521 2455 or email help@mckilloplegal.com.au 

This information is general only and is not a substitute for proper legal advice. Please contact McKillop Legal to discuss your needs.

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in Asset Protection / Dispute Resolution / Estate Planning / General / Probate / Risk management / Trusts  by 01 Nov 2020 0 comments

COVID-19: McKillop Legal remains open for business

McKillop Legal remains open for business and is fully operational despite the significant and unprecedented challenges facing our families, the Australian economy and our way of life as a result of the Coronavirus/COVID-19 pandemic.

We remain open for business and available to provide advice either by telephone, email or other services (and, if necessary, in person, abiding by the Government’s social distancing guidelines).

Our staff all have the ability to work remotely from home or in other places using our secure technology infrastructure and systems.

If you or your business has any legal issue it requires assistance with, whether relating to your rights or responsibilities relating to business, shutdowns or employment in relation to the pandemic or in relation to other matters, please call or email us and we will be in touch promptly.

Take care.

in Asset Protection / Business / Commercial Law / Debt Recovery / Dispute Resolution / Employment / Estate Planning / General / Insolvency & Bankruptcy / Intellectual Property / Litigation / Online Issues / Probate / Property / Risk management / Superannuation / Tax Planning / Trusts  by 23 Mar 2020 0 comments

Power of appointment

You may have a family trust or a discretionary trust that your accountant prepared for you.

Perhaps you are the trustee or that trust, or one of several trustees such as your spouse or partner or perhaps you are a director of a company that is the trustee.

There are a number of terms used in trust deeds that are not commonly understood, such as the “settlor”, “vesting date” or the “excluded class”.

One of the things that is often:

  • not properly considered at the time of establishing the trust; and /or
  • overlooked at the time estate planning documents are being drafted

is the “power of appointment”.

The power of appointment is a power granted to the “appointor” named in the trust deed to decide who should be the trustee of the trust.

This power of appointment is the most important power in a trust deed as it generally affords the appointor the power to remove and replace the trustee as the appointor thinks fit (subject of course to any provisions of the trust deed).

Often the trust deed will provide for how that power is to be transferred, such as on the death of the appointor, and allows the appointor to give that power in their Will.

If you have a trust deed and you either:

  • don’t know who holds the power of appointment;
  • want to amend the trust deed to change who holds that power of appointment or
  • want to ensure that the power is appropriately transferred on your death

then speak to your lawyer about this without delay.

FURTHER INFORMATION

Craig Pryor is principal solicitor at McKillop Legal. For further information in relation to trusts, estate planning, business succession or any other commercial law matter, contact Craig Pryor on (02) 9521 2455 or email craig@mckilloplegal.com.au.

in Asset Protection / Business / Commercial Law / Dispute Resolution / General / Probate / Risk management / Trusts  by 01 Mar 2019 0 comments

Contract to Make Mutual Wills

A Contract to make Mutual Wills is an agreement between 2 parties (usually a husband and wife, but can be a same sex couple or a de facto couple) to make Wills in an agreed form.

Usually, they provide that the parties may not act such that those Wills don’t get given effect to, such as:

  • revoking or destroying the Will;
  • making a new Will; or
  • disposing of assets so that they do not pass to the agreed beneficiaries

without the consent of the other party (or the executors/administrators of their estate  if they have died).

Often they are put in place when the parties have had a prior marriage or marriages and there are children of the prior relationship/s and the current relationship.

The benefit of such contracts (or deeds as they often are) is that the parties can take some comfort in providing for the other during their lifetimes (for example by gifting their entire estates to each other in their Wills), but with the overall distribution of their combined estates (on the death of the last of them) passing as agreed in the Wills made pursuant to the document.

Where a party breaches the agreement (such as by changing their Will), that party (or their estate) may be sued by the other party (or their executors/administrators if they have died) for breach of contract.

Whilst mutual Wills can be an effective estate planning tool, they are not for everyone and they can cause unintended complications due to their inflexibility, particularly around subsequent marriages, children and unexpected events following the death of a party.

As with most things, there are also other options or alternatives to consider to get a similar result, including creating life interests in real estate or establishing trusts.

FURTHER INFORMATION

Craig Pryor is principal solicitor at McKillop Legal. For further information in relation to estate planning, business succession or any other commercial law matter, contact Craig Pryor on (02) 9521 2455 or email craig@mckilloplegal.com.au.

This information is general only and is not a substitute for proper legal advice. Please contact McKillop Legal to discuss your estate planning needs.

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in Asset Protection / Dispute Resolution / Estate Planning / General / Probate / Trusts  by 15 Jan 2019 0 comments

Forcing the sale of land in NSW

Where land is owned by multiple people (whether as joint tenants or tenants in common), any one of the owners can approach the Supreme Court to seek an order for the appointment of a trustee for sale and for the property to be sold.

Ordinarily, the owners can come to agreement on the need for a sale and the basis on which it is to be conducted. For example, following some negotiations or a mediation, the co-owners may agree to:

  • sale by auction with an agreed reserve price;
  • sale by public treaty with an agreed price; or
  • sale by one owner to another, with agreement on how the price is determined (such as agreeing on a valuer or methodology).

When co-owners are in a dispute however as to whether a property should be sold, when and on what terms, the provisions of section 66G of the Conveyancing Act 1919 (NSW) can be utilized to force the sale of the property, even where the other owner (or owners) do not want to sell it.

Once appointed, the trustee has the legal power to sell the property on the best terms available and to engage real estate agents, valuers and lawyers/conveyancers as may be required. So as to help ensure that the property sells for fair market value and to avoid any breach of trust allegations from any of the owners for not obtaining the best price possible, it is sensible for a trustee to sell at public auction

A usual order made is that the unsuccessful party (usually the defendant/respondent) pays the plaintiff /applicant’s legal costs. The costs risk arising from litigation (which can be substantial in amount) is usually a key factor in out of court settlements being made.

Applications for the appointment of a statutory trustee for sale are generally only refused in special circumstances, such as where the is a prior agreement not to sell, around the terms of any sale or to sell only when certain conditions are met (which is why any co-ownership agreements ought to be in writing as verbal evidence can be less persuasive).

Usually, after a successful application is made and the property is sold, the proceeds of sale after payment of:

  • any encumbrances (such as mortgages and unregistered mortgages secured by caveats);
  • the costs of sale (real estate agent and auctioneer fees and marketing costs etc); and
  • the trustee’s costs

are held on trust by the appointed trustee and then distributed proportionally according to ownership.

FURTHER INFORMATION

Craig Pryor is principal solicitor at McKillop Legal. For further information in relation to family disagreements in relation to land or estates or any business or commercial dispute, contact Craig Pryor on (02) 9521 2455 or email craig@mckilloplegal.com.au.

This information is general only and is not a substitute for proper legal advice. Please contact McKillop Legal to discuss your legal needs.

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in Business / Commercial Law / Dispute Resolution / General / Property / Trusts  by 01 Oct 2018 0 comments

Downsizer superannuation contributions

*The contents of this article are general in nature – as always, you should seek financial planning advice before doing anything to alter your financial position.*

From 1 July 2018, the Australian Government will allow “downsizer contributions” into superannuation as part of a package of reforms aimed at reducing pressure on housing affordability in Australia.

This measure applies where the exchange of contracts for the sale of your home (which must be your principal place of residence) occurs on or after 1 July 2018.

If you are 65 or older, and you meet the eligibility requirements, you may be able to choose to make a “downsizer contribution” from the proceeds of selling your home into your superannuation account for an amount of potentially up to $300,000.

Importantly, your downsizer contribution is not a non-concessional contribution and will not count towards your contributions cap, nor do the normal contributions rules apply, such as the “works test”.

Downsizer contributions are not tax deductible and will be taken into account for determining your eligibility for the age pension.

If you do not meet the “downsizer contribution” requirements, then the contribution will be assessed under the normal contributions caps (and penalties may apply).

If considering a downsizer contribution, you should also look to ensure that your estate plan is appropriate and if not, put appropriate arrangements in place.

From 1 July 2018, the Australian Government will allow “downsizer superannuation contributions”

ELIGIBILITY

You will generally be eligible to make a downsizer contribution to super if you can answer “yes” to all of the following:

  • you are 65 years old or older at the time you make a downsizer contribution (there is no maximum age limit),
  • the amount you are contributing is from the proceeds of selling your home where the contract of sale was exchanged on or after 1 July 2018,
  • your home was owned by you (or your spouse) for at least 10 years prior to the sale,
  • your home is in Australia (and is not a caravan, houseboat or other mobile home),
  • the proceeds (capital gain or loss) from the sale of the home are either exempt or partially exempt from capital gains tax (CGT) under the main residence exemption, or would be entitled to such an exemption if the home was a CGT, rather than a pre-CGT (acquired before 20 September 1985) asset,
  • you have provided your super fund with the downsizer contribution form, either before or at the time of making your downsizer contribution,
  • you make your downsizer contribution within 90 days of receiving the proceeds of sale, which is usually the date of settlement, and
  • you have not previously made a downsizer contribution to your super from the sale of another home.

HOW MUCH CAN YOU MAKE AS A DOWNSIZER CONTRIBUTION?

If you are eligible to make a downsizer contribution, there is a maximum amount of $300,000 that can be made.

The contribution amount can’t be greater than the total proceeds of the sale of your home.

It only applies to the sale of your main residence, and you can only use it for the sale of one home. You can’t access it again for the sale of a second home, but there is also no requirement to purchase another home.

TIMING

You must make your downsizer contribution within 90 days of receiving the proceeds of sale. This is usually at the date of settlement.

You may make multiple “downsizer contributions” from the proceeds of a single sale however:

  • they must be made within 90 days of the date you receive the sale proceeds (usually the settlement date of the sale), and
  • the total of all your contributions must not exceed $300,000 (or the total proceeds of the sale less any other downsizer contributions that have been made by your spouse).

If circumstances outside your control prevent payment within that time, you can seek an extension of time.

HOW TO MAKE A DOWNSIZER CONTRIBUTION

Before you decide to make a downsizer contribution, you should:

  • obtain financial planning advice in relation to the relevant requirements and any effect on your social security benefits or other entitlements (there may be other things to consider with any surplus sale proceeds such as acquiring a “granny flat right” and updating your estate planning documents),
  • check the eligibility requirements for making a downsizer contribution,
  • contact your super fund to check that it will accept downsizer contributions, and
  • complete a downsizer contribution form for each downsizer contribution and provide this to your super fund when making – or prior to making – each contribution

FURTHER INFORMATION

Craig Pryor is principal solicitor at McKillop Legal. For further information in relation to estate planning, business succession, superannuation or SMSFs, contact Craig Pryor on (02) 9521 2455 or email craig@mckilloplegal.com.au.

This information is general only and is not a substitute for proper legal advice. Please contact McKillop Legal to discuss your needs.

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in Asset Protection / Estate Planning / General / Property / Superannuation / Trusts  by 01 Jun 2018 0 comments

SMSF owns property. Member dies. Oh oh!

Do you, like many Australians, have a self managed superannuation fund (SMSF)?

If you want to own direct investments within your superannuation or have greater control of your superannuation portfolio, a SMSF can be a suitable alternative to retail superannuation funds.

SOME ADVANTAGES OF SMSFs

SMSFs have:

  • direct investment choice
  • access to wholesale managed funds
  • the benefit of being able to combine the superannuation balances of up to 6* people
  • the advantage of 15% taxation on investment earnings (as opposed to marginal or company tax rates) and potentially reduced capital gains tax
  • the ability to assist with estate planning and possibly for non-lapsing binding death benefit nominations

DIRECT PROPERTY

Often seen as a key advantage is the ability of an SMSF to invest in direct property, such as owning office or factory space from which a business operates from (assuming your SMSF’s Investment Strategy allows for direct property).

Where member balances are insufficient to buy a property outright, SMSFs can also borrow but only using a limited recourse borrowing arrangement (LRBA) using a bare trustee that holds the property on behalf of the SMSF for the duration of the loan and once the debt is paid, the legal ownership of the property passes to the SMSF.

Property values hopefully go up over the next 20 or so years and the members benefit from and can live happily off the benefits during retirement …

… well that’s the plan anyway. So, what happens if a member dies or gets really sick a few years into the plan? (hint – it can ruin everything, for the other members).

CONSEQUENCES OF DEATH OR TPD

On the death of a member, that member’s superannuation balance is to be paid out (to the member’s estate of their nominated beneficiary/ies) as soon as is practicable.

On the total and permanent disablement (TPD) of a member, the member may be able to exit from the SMSF and call for their member balance to be paid out.

… but if the SMSF’s cash is all tied up in the property and the property is still subject to the LRBA, where does the money come from to pay out the member balance?

The property may have to be sold to fund this! That is, unless there is a SMSF Member Death & TPD Exit Deed in place.

SMSF MEMBER DEATH & TPD EXIT DEED

A SMSF Member Death & TPD Exit Deed can help in reducing the financial effects arising from the unexpected death or TPD of a member by for example:

  • requiring the SMSF members to effect a life insurance policy over the lives of the other members and where there is a death and a payout under the policy, the policy owners contribute funds to the SMSF with the intention of paying out the deceased member’s superannuation balance (and using any remainder to reduce or pay out any debt on the property under the LRBA); and
  • requiring the SMSF members to either put in place appropriate TPD cover or to agree that on the occurrence of a TPD event of a member, that member may remain a passive investor in the SMSF but cannot immediately call for payment of their member balance, even if they would otherwise be entitled to under the superannuation legislation, but rather, if they want the payment, their member balance is to be paid out over several years (ie, from the SMSF’s cashflow).

Unless there are appropriate insurances in place or an agreement for members to only get paid out benefits over time in the event of a TPD event, then the likely outcome of the death or TPD of one member is the sale of the SMSF’s property.

This can be a particularly bad problem if the SMSF has only recently acquired the property and had therefore incurred all of the legal, financial planning and accounting costs as well as stamp duty, but had no time for the asset to generate income or appreciate in value. The death or TPD of the one member therefore affects up to 3 other members who may not even be related to the affected member!

FURTHER INFORMATION

Craig Pryor is principal solicitor at McKillop Legal. For further information in relation to estate planning, business succession, superannuation or SMSFs, contact Craig Pryor on (02) 9521 2455 or email craig@mckilloplegal.com.au.

This information is general only and is not a substitute for proper legal advice. Please contact McKillop Legal to discuss your needs.

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*amendment 01 July 2021 – only 4 members were allowed prior to 1 July 2021.

SMSF owns property. Member dies. Oh oh!

in Business / Commercial Law / Dispute Resolution / Estate Planning / Probate / Risk management / Superannuation / Tax Planning / Trusts  by 07 May 2018 0 comments

Do you own land in NSW through a family trust structure?

Do you own land in NSW through a family trust structure? If so, then take note…

Revenue NSW (previously the NSW Office of State Revenue) automatically applies the Land Tax Surcharge on land tax assessments for properties owned through a family trust. The surcharge, which was introduced as part of the 2016 NSW budget, is currently at 2%, and can be significant.  There is a similar application to stamp duty also.

This surcharge does not apply where Revenue NSW has been advised of the fact that the trust deed specifically (and irrevocably and permanently) excludes foreign persons or entities as potential beneficiaries.

On 24 June 2020, the State Revenue Legislation Further Amendment Act 2020 (NSW) received Royal Assent. It clarifies that a trustee of a discretionary trust owning residential property in NSW is taken to be a foreign person for foreign surcharges purposes, if the trust does not irrevocably prevent a foreign person from being a beneficiary of the trust.

The transitional provisions give trustees of discretionary trusts an exemption and refund for foreign surcharges where the trust deed, made on or before 24 June 2020, contains a provision to prevent a foreign person from benefiting.

Until 31 December 2020, trustees of discretionary trusts have an opportunity to amend their trust deeds to include the provision and the provision must be irrevocable for the past and future surcharges not to apply.

From 1 January 2021, trustees of all discretionary trusts (including testamentary trusts) will be subject to surcharges unless the trust deed contains an irrevocable provision.

We have assisted several clients to update their trust deeds at the time of initial registration for land tax (to exclude foreign persons or entities as potential beneficiaries) however, where there is an existing trust with an existing landholding, this may be something that needs to be monitored and updated, so check your assessments.

FURTHER INFORMATION

Craig Pryor is principal solicitor at McKillop Legal. For further information in relation to land tax, trust deed amendments or any other commercial law matter, contact Craig Pryor on (02) 9521 2455 or email craig@mckilloplegal.com.au.

This information is general only and is not a substitute for proper legal advice. Please contact McKillop Legal to discuss your legal needs.

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in General / Property / Tax Planning / Trusts  by 01 Mar 2018 0 comments
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