On Monday, Jordan Atin chaired the 2017 Wills and Estates Practice Basics CPD program and presented a paper, “Drafting Protection of Trustees”. His paper provided an important reminder of some ways a testator and drafting solicitor can protect a trustee from litigation ahead of time. Trustees are often friends or relatives of the testator, with no particular expertise in estate administration. The testator may wish to protect such trustees from liability and ensure they are compensated for their time and effort. Sometimes, more sophisticated individuals or trust companies will require certain protective provisions before accepting appointment as trustee.
Trustee compensation is an issue that commonly leads to litigation. Section 61(1) of the Trustee Act states:
A trustee, guardian or personal representative is entitled to such fair and reasonable allowance for the care, pains and trouble, and the time expended in and about the estate, as may be allowed by a judge of the Superior Court of Justice.
Usually, trustee compensation is based on 2.5% of receipts and disbursements, subject to the court’s exercise of discretion. Testators may wish to include provisions in the will that provides certainty and protection for their trustees. Testators can control how much trustees receive as compensation by fixing compensation or making a legacy in lieu of compensation.
Testators can make a provision determining the exact amount of compensation a trustee will receive. Such provisions must be carefully drafted so that s. 61(1) does not apply. If there is any ambiguity in the provision, trustee compensation will be subject to the court’s exercise of discretion. Testators can also fix compensation by properly incorporating a previously executed compensation agreement into the will. The requirements for incorporation by reference can be found here.
Testators can also make a legacy to the estate trustee and specify that the estate trustee is not to receive compensation. Such an approach will avoid the estate trustee “double-dipping” by claiming both compensation and a legacy. There is, however, no certainty that a legacy that is made apparently independent of compensation will survive scrutiny from CRA. Simply put, if the legacy is considered by CRA to have been given in exchange for services, it may nonetheless be considered as income and taxable in the hands of the estate trustee.
The full text of Jordan’s paper can be found in the CPD materials on the LSUC website.
Thank you for reading.
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