Trust Planning · Surrey
Protect your family's wealth with a trust — specialists in Surrey
A family trust can protect assets from divorce, creditors or care fees, and control when and how an inheritance is passed on. Specialist advice for Surrey families.
Leafy commuter towns where most family homes sit comfortably above the inheritance-tax threshold.
- Protect assets from divorce & creditors
- Provide for children and vulnerable beneficiaries
- Solicitor-drafted, fixed fee
Check your eligibility in Surrey
Takes about 60 seconds · free & no obligation
What do you mainly want a family trust to achieve?
Trusts can serve different purposes — let's find the right fit for you.
🔒 Private & secure. We connect you with regulated specialists covering Surrey — we don't give regulated advice ourselves.
What's at stake
Without a plan, your family could lose 40% of everything above the threshold
Most families in Surrey assume their home and savings will simply pass to the people they love. In reality, an estate above the thresholds is taxed at 40%, and rising house prices have quietly pushed thousands of ordinary homeowners over the line. From 6 April 2027 the picture gets sharper still: most unused pension funds, long treated as outside the estate, will be counted towards Inheritance Tax for the first time. A will controls who inherits, but on its own it does little to shelter assets, ring-fence money for a vulnerable or young beneficiary, or protect an inheritance from a future divorce or creditor. That is the gap trust planning is designed to close.
- IHT is charged at 40% on the value of your estate above the available nil-rate bands
- From 6 April 2027 most unused pensions and pension death benefits are expected to count towards your estate
- A straightforward will decides who inherits but does not protect those assets once they arrive
- An inheritance left outright can be exposed to a beneficiary's divorce, bankruptcy or creditors
- Dying without a will at all means intestacy rules, not you, decide who benefits
What's included
Exactly what a specialist handles for you
Map your estate and exposure
A specialist reviews your home, savings, investments and pensions, applies your available nil-rate band and residence nil-rate band, and shows where your estate sits against the 40% threshold today and after the 2027 pension change.
Recommend the right trust structure
Where it genuinely helps, they explain which trust fits your aim, whether that is protecting assets, providing for a vulnerable or young beneficiary, or controlling when and how money is released, and how each is treated for tax.
Protect against divorce and creditors
They structure inheritances so that, where appropriate, money can be ring-fenced for your children and grandchildren rather than passing outright and becoming exposed to a future divorce settlement or creditor claim.
Coordinate wills, LPAs and gifting
Trust planning rarely stands alone. A specialist aligns your will, Lasting Powers of Attorney and any lifetime gifting strategy, including the 7-year rule and annual exemptions, into one coherent plan.
Handle the paperwork and registration
They draft the trust deed, advise on funding the trust correctly, register it with HMRC where required, and explain the trustees' ongoing duties so nothing is left half-finished.
Build a plan that adapts
Because thresholds are frozen and rules change, a good specialist documents the reasoning and flags when your plan should be reviewed, for example after the 2027 pension rules take effect.
A worked example
An illustrative Surrey family
The situation
Imagine a married couple in Surrey, both 62, with a home worth around £850,000, roughly £400,000 in investments and ISAs, and pension pots of about £500,000. On first death assets pass to the survivor tax-free, but on the second death the combined estate of roughly £1.75m sits well above the £1m the couple could otherwise pass on. From April 2027 their pensions are expected to count towards the estate too, widening the exposure further. They also worry their adult daughter, who is going through a difficult marriage, could see her inheritance drawn into a divorce.
What a specialist could do
Working with a regulated specialist, a family in this position could explore a combination of trust planning, structured lifetime gifting using the 7-year rule, and a trust within their wills so the daughter's inheritance is held for her benefit rather than passing outright. Depending on the plan, this may reduce the eventual IHT bill and add a layer of protection, though the exact effect is always plan-dependent and depends on individual circumstances.
Illustrative only. Figures are rounded examples, not advice or a promise of any specific saving. Your own outcome depends on your circumstances and current law, and should be confirmed by a regulated specialist.
Why this way
The specialist route vs. the usual way
Is this you?
You'll get the most from this if…
Fixed fees, no commission
Fixed fees, agreed up front. No commission, no products pushed.
We connect you with regulated specialists who quote a clear fixed fee before any work begins, so you know exactly what your plan will cost. They are paid for advice and structuring, not for selling you financial products, so the recommendation is the one that fits your family, not a commission target. Your first conversation is a no-obligation review of your situation. If trust planning is not right for you, a good specialist will tell you so.
What's included
- A no-obligation initial review of your estate and goals
- A clear written recommendation in plain English
- A fixed quote agreed before any chargeable work starts
- Drafting, funding and HMRC registration of any trust where needed
- Coordination of your will and Lasting Powers of Attorney
How it works
Three simple steps, all from home
Tell us your situation
A few private questions — about 60 seconds. No jargon, no commitment.
Matched to a Surrey specialist
We connect you with a vetted, regulated specialist who covers Surrey.
A free, no-obligation call
Fixed fees agreed up front. No commission, no hard sell. You decide what happens next.
Questions
Trust Planning in Surrey
What is a trust, in plain English?+
A trust is a legal arrangement where you (the settlor) hand assets to people you choose (the trustees) to look after for the people you want to benefit (the beneficiaries). It lets you separate control of an asset from the enjoyment of it, so you can decide when, how and to whom money is released rather than leaving it outright. That control is what makes trusts useful for protecting young, vulnerable or at-risk beneficiaries.
Will a trust definitely reduce my Inheritance Tax bill?+
Not automatically. Some trusts can help reduce or defer IHT, but many have their own tax treatment, such as the relevant property regime, with potential entry, ten-year and exit charges. Whether a trust saves tax is entirely plan-dependent and depends on the type of trust, the assets and your wider estate. A regulated specialist will model this for your situation before recommending anything.
How does the April 2027 pension change affect me?+
From 6 April 2027, most unused pension funds and pension death benefits are expected to be included in your estate for Inheritance Tax, where previously they usually sat outside it. For families in Surrey with sizeable pension pots, this could pull an estate over the threshold for the first time, or increase an existing bill. It is a key reason many people are reviewing their plans now rather than waiting.
Can a trust really protect my child's inheritance from divorce or creditors?+
It can help. If an inheritance passes outright, it generally becomes your child's own asset and can be exposed in a divorce settlement or to creditors. Holding it in a properly structured trust can keep it ring-fenced for their benefit while reducing that exposure. No structure is absolute, and the courts retain discretion, so a specialist will explain realistically what protection a given trust can and cannot offer.
Do I still need a will if I set up a trust?+
Almost always, yes. Trusts and wills do different jobs and usually work together. Without a will, intestacy rules decide who inherits, which may not match your wishes and can complicate any trust planning. Most plans also include both types of Lasting Power of Attorney, for property and financial affairs and for health and welfare, registered with the Office of the Public Guardian.
Isn't a DIY or high-street will much cheaper?+
A template will is cheaper upfront, but it typically captures only who inherits, not how to shelter assets, plan for tax, or protect a vulnerable or young beneficiary. Trusts that are drafted but never correctly funded often fail to work as intended. A fixed-fee specialist makes sure the structure is right and actually does what you need, which is usually far less costly than getting it wrong.
How much does trust planning cost?+
The specialists we connect you with quote a fixed fee agreed before any work begins, so there are no surprises and no hourly meter running. They are paid for advice, not commission, so there is no incentive to sell you products you do not need. Your first conversation is a no-obligation review, and if a trust is not right for you they will say so.
What about the gifting and the 7-year rule I have heard about?+
Outright gifts can fall outside your estate if you survive seven years (potentially exempt transfers), with taper relief reducing the tax between years three and seven, and there is a £3,000 annual gift exemption. Gifting and trusts are often used together as part of one plan. A specialist will weigh gifting against keeping control through a trust, depending on what matters most to you.
Jargon, in plain English
- Nil-rate band
- The slice of your estate taxed at 0% for Inheritance Tax, currently £325,000 per person and frozen until April 2030. Anything above your available bands is generally taxed at 40%.
- Residence nil-rate band (RNRB)
- An extra allowance of up to £175,000 when your main home passes to direct descendants such as children or grandchildren. It tapers away for estates over £2,000,000.
- Settlor, trustee and beneficiary
- The settlor puts assets into the trust, the trustees manage them under the trust's rules, and the beneficiaries are the people the trust is there to benefit. One person can hold more than one role.
- Potentially exempt transfer (PET)
- An outright gift that falls fully outside your estate for IHT if you survive seven years. Between years three and seven, taper relief can reduce the tax due on the gift.
- Relevant property regime
- The tax framework applying to many trusts, which can carry entry charges, ten-yearly charges and exit charges. It is the main reason trust tax needs specialist modelling.
- Lasting Power of Attorney (LPA)
- A legal document letting someone you trust make decisions if you cannot. There are two types, one for property and financial affairs and one for health and welfare, both registered with the Office of the Public Guardian.
Guides & advice
Understand your options first
What a family trust actually does (and when it's worth it)
Trusts are not just for the very wealthy. A discretionary trust can protect assets from divorce, creditors, and inheritance tax in ways a straightforward will cannot.
Read guide →TrustsCan a trust protect your home from care home fees?
A trust set up well in advance and for legitimate reasons may provide some protection. But a trust created specifically to avoid care costs is likely to be treated as deliberate deprivation.
Read guide →Free · no obligation