Trust funding
Trust funding checklist
A signed trust that owns nothing does not avoid probate. Funding is the work of moving the right assets into the trust and changing the beneficiary designations that override it. This checklist covers what to collect and retitle: the trust and trustee details, the real estate, the financial accounts, the business interests and the records that show the work was done.
Who sends itSent by the estate attorney or the firm to a client who has signed a revocable trust and needs to fund it, with one due date for the deeds and account forms.
0 of 24 ticked
01Trust and trustee details
02Real estate
03Financial accounts
04Business and investments
05Personal assets and insurance
06Follow-up and review
What firms get wrong
- Signing the trust and never retitling the accounts, which leaves the assets outside the trust.
- Changing the deed but not telling the mortgage lender or the insurer.
- Leaving a former spouse or a deceased person as the beneficiary on a retirement account.
- Assuming a business interest can be transferred without checking the operating or buy-sell agreement.
- Forgetting the vehicles or the valuable personal property because they are not in the account list.
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Questions about this checklist
What does it mean to fund a trust?
Funding means retitling assets into the trust's name or making the trust the beneficiary, so the trust actually owns or controls them. A signed trust that is never funded does not avoid probate for the assets it was meant to hold.
Does every trust need its own EIN?
A revocable trust may use the grantor's Social Security number while the grantor is alive, but many trustees obtain an EIN for administration and tax reporting. The estate attorney decides what the trust needs.
Can a mortgage stop a transfer to a trust?
A mortgage may have a due-on-sale clause, and a lender may require notice or approval. The client should review the loan documents and talk to the lender before the deed is recorded.
Do beneficiary designations override the trust?
A beneficiary designation on a retirement account, life insurance policy or payable-on-death account generally controls who receives that asset. The client should review each designation with the custodian.
How often should the trust funding be reviewed?
Review it after a new account, a property purchase or sale, a marriage or divorce, or a change of trustee, and at least once a year. A new asset that is never retitled can still go through probate.
Sources
Checked November 3, 2026. Tax rules, forms and thresholds change; confirm them with the IRS or your tax software before relying on them.
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