Trusts · South Africa
Registering a trust, amending a deed, changing trustees, or closing one down. Fixed fees quoted upfront, every Master's form completed for you, and nothing signed in the trust's name until the Letters of Authority are in hand.
Start here
Most people arrive knowing they want something done about a trust, but not what it's called or what it costs. Four questions, about thirty seconds, and you'll have the answer with the price. No email required to see it.
Question 1 of 4
Whether one exists changes everything that follows.
What we do
Every fee is quoted and agreed before any drafting starts. Where scope genuinely varies, we say "from" and come back with a fixed quote within one working day.
Trust deed drafted to your circumstances, every Master's form completed, lodged for you, and registered with SARS for income tax. We follow up until the Letters of Authority issue.
fromR9,450See what's includedBeneficiaries, trustee powers, succession, or the wording a bank is insisting on. We check the amendment clause and who has accepted benefits before we draft, the step most amendments fail on.
fromR4,500See what's includedResignation, death, or a new appointment. Resolutions, the J417 acceptance, the security position, and amended Letters of Authority before the new trustee signs anything.
fromR3,500See what's includedCompulsory since 1 April 2023 and a criminal offence to skip. We build the register, gather the certified IDs, and lodge it on the Master's ICMS portal with proof of submission.
fromR1,950Contact UsA trust you stopped using is still accruing SARS penalties and beneficial-ownership obligations. We declare it dormant with the Master and bring the outstanding returns up to date.
fromR3,950Contact UsWhen the trust has done its job. Trustees' resolution, affidavit and beneficiary acknowledgements, lodged with the Master, plus deregistration as a taxpayer with SARS.
fixed feeR4,500See what's includedSomething not on this list? Vesting agreements, transferring property out of a trust, a contested trustee removal, a section 13 court application, or a structure spanning a trust and companies, all of it is work we do. It's quoted per matter rather than off a shelf, because the scope genuinely varies. Book a call or contact us.
Free, no strings
Three tools that run entirely in your browser. Nothing is sent anywhere unless you choose to send it.
Thirty-two risk-rated questions across the deed, governance, separation of estates, beneficial ownership, records, tax and loan accounts. You get an overall rating and, for anything non-compliant, the exact remedial step required.
Run the health checkSix honest questions about your estate, your risk exposure and whether you'll administer it properly. It will tell you no if the answer is no, a trust you won't run properly costs you money and protects nobody.
Take the testOur fee, the Master's prescribed fee, SARS registration, and the extras that apply if property is going into the trust, added up, with the assumptions shown, so there are no surprises later.
Contact UsIf you already have a trust
Leaving a trust alone does not switch off its obligations. Since 1 April 2023 the penalties have real teeth, and they compound quietly until something forces the issue, usually a bank, a buyer, or SARS.
Every registered trust must lodge a beneficial-ownership register with the Master. Failing to is an offence under the Trust Property Control Act, a fine of up to R10 million, up to five years' imprisonment, or both, and the Master can have trustees removed. Being dormant only exempts you once you have formally declared it; silence is not an exemption.
Every registered trust files an annual ITR12T, a dormant one with no income still files a nil return. SARS charges automated penalties of R250 to R16,000 per outstanding return, per month, for up to three years, with interest and estimated assessments behind them.
Trustees are the trust's representative taxpayers. SARS can hold you personally liable for the trust's penalties and tax debt. Banks and other accountable institutions can also simply refuse to deal with a non-compliant trust, which tends to surface at the worst possible moment.
All of it is fixable, and for far less than the penalties. If the trust is genuinely dormant, we lodge the dormancy declaration and bring the returns up to date so it is exempt and on record. If you're finished with it, we close it properly so the obligations stop for good. Start with the free health check, it will tell you which of the two you're looking at.
The honest version
A trust is a governance commitment, not a product you buy once. Run properly it is one of the best asset-protection and succession tools available. Run loosely it gives you every cost and none of the protection, and hands SARS and your creditors an easy argument that it is simply you in a different hat.
0 of 6 answered
Six questions, about two minutes. Nothing is sent anywhere, the answer is worked out in your browser.
How it works
Complete the online questionnaire, or talk it through on a call first. It takes about ten minutes.
Quick FICA, a check of the deed and the Letters of Authority, then a fixed fee and a gap list, usually within one working day.
The agreed fee, before we draft. No hourly billing and no adjustment afterwards.
Documents prepared for signature with a signing checklist, then filed with the Master and, where it applies, SARS.
We follow up weekly until the Letters of Authority or the confirmation issue, and send them to you in writing.
One thing we won't promise: a registration date. The Master's turnaround varies materially by office, weeks at some, months at others, and no honest firm can commit to it. What we commit to is a complete, correct lodgement so nothing is rejected and re-queued, and disciplined weekly follow-up until it lands.
Where we sit
A downloadable trust deed template is cheap and will not survive contact with a bank, the Master, or a court. An hourly attorney will get it right and you won't know what it costs until afterwards. We aim squarely at the gap.
| Online template | lawvero | Hourly firm | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Price known before you commit | |||
| Deed drafted to your circumstances | |||
| Master's forms completed for you | |||
| Lodged and followed up on your behalf | |||
| SARS income tax registration included | Extra | ||
| Beneficial-ownership register filed | Extra | ||
| Accepted-benefits consent analysis on amendments | |||
| Reserved legal work done by admitted attorneys | |||
| Free compliance diagnostic before you buy |
Read before you decide
Written in plain language, current, and citing the statute and the cases they rest on. Free, and there is no form in front of them.
Eight questions, straight answers, where trusts come from, what creates one, the real benefits, how they're taxed, and whether you need one.
Read the guideGuideThe amendment clause, the beneficiary consents that make it valid, and the "accepted benefits" trap that invalidates most defective amendments.
Read the guideGuideResignation, death and removal; the J417; security and waivers; and why nothing may be signed before the amended Letters of Authority issue.
Read the guideGuideThe flat 45%, the conduit principle, capital gains, the attribution rules, and section 7C on loans, where trusts most often go wrong.
Contact UsWho does the work
Your deed is prepared to your circumstances, not generated from a form. Reserved legal work is performed by admitted attorneys.
Section 7C on loans into the trust, the conduit principle, donations tax on funding, and the attribution rules are dealt with when the structure is built, not discovered at assessment.
You know the number before anything is drafted. Where third-party costs apply, the Master's prescribed fee, conveyancing, a bond of security, we itemise them separately and in advance.
Good to know
Your documents are ready for signature within a few working days of us having what we need. After lodgement, the Master's turnaround is the variable, some offices endorse in weeks, others take months, and it is outside anyone's control. We commit to a lodgement date and weekly follow-up, and we'll give you a realistic estimate for your office upfront.
No, and this catches people out. Section 6(1) of the Trust Property Control Act means a trustee may act only once the Master has authorised them in writing. Anything signed before that, an offer to purchase, a loan agreement, a bank mandate, is generally void and cannot be ratified afterwards. If you need to move early, the route is to contract subject to the trust being established and authorised. Build the Master's turnaround into your transaction timeline, not the other way round.
Only those who have accepted a benefit and whose accepted right the amendment would prejudice, but for them it is not optional. An amendment made without the required consent is invalid even if the founder and every trustee signed it. Acceptance is right-specific and usually undocumented, so we work through it beneficiary by beneficiary before drafting. Where minors are affected, guardian consent or a court application may be needed.
Annual financial statements, the ITR12T return, keeping the beneficial-ownership register current, and minuted trustee resolutions before each year-end. Budget for an accountant's fee plus the administrative time. Retained income is taxed at a flat 45%, which is why most trusts distribute to beneficiaries rather than accumulate. If you don't want to carry that, say so now, it's a reason not to have a trust, and we'd rather tell you upfront.
Because without one, the protection you're paying for may not exist. Where the same people are founders, the only trustees and the only beneficiaries, a court can treat the trust as the founder's alter ego and look straight through it, which is what happened in Land and Agricultural Bank v Parker. An independent trustee who genuinely applies their mind, alongside minuted decisions and a separate bank account, is what makes the separation real. The Master also requires one for family business trusts.
No, but it gets more expensive the longer it sits. The obligations don't lapse, they accrue. We can lodge the dormancy declaration with the Master, bring outstanding ITR12T returns up to date, and file the beneficial-ownership register so the trust is compliant and exempt. If you're finished with the trust, deregistering it properly stops the obligations for good. Start with the free health check; it will tell you which findings are critical.
lawvero is a legal document and compliance platform. We prepare your documents, complete the Master's forms and manage the filing. Reserved legal work is performed by admitted attorneys. Everything on this site is general information about South African law, not legal advice on your circumstances.
It changes the scope rather than the answer. Transferring property into or out of a trust involves transfer duty or capital gains tax, conveyancing and the deeds office, all of which sit outside the fixed fees on this page. We scope and quote that work separately and upfront, so you see the whole number before committing to any of it.
lawvero provides legal document preparation and compliance services. Reserved legal work is performed by admitted attorneys. Nothing on this site is legal or tax advice on your specific circumstances. lawvero (Pty) Ltd · Reg 2026/679063/07 · © 2026 lawvero. All rights reserved. Information on this page reflects South African law as at the date of publication. The Trust Property Control Act, the Income Tax Act and the Master's practice change, confirm the current position before relying on anything here.
Two ways to start
If you know what you need, the questionnaire takes about ten minutes and we come back with a fixed quote. If you'd rather talk it through, especially if there's a deadline, a dispute, or property involved, book a short call and we'll tell you honestly whether it's worth doing.