Trust Entities
Trusts represent fiduciary structures where a trustee (or, for a deceased estate, an executor) holds assets for the benefit of beneficiaries. StructureGram supports a range of trust types with flexible relationship management.
Trust type list: Discretionary, Unit (optionally Hybrid), Testamentary, Bare Trust/Nominee, Special Disability, Private Ancillary Fund (PAF), Charitable, and Deceased Estate. Dropdowns are sorted alphabetically by label, with "Unspecified" pinned last.
Required Fields
Every trust must have:
- Name: The trust's name (up to 200 characters)
- Trust Type: Select from eight supported types (see Trust Types below)
Trust Types
Discretionary Trust
Label: "Discretionary Trust"
Trustee has discretion over distributions to beneficiaries. Most common for family wealth structures.
Key Features:
- Flexible distribution discretion
- Tax planning advantages
- Asset protection benefits
Diagram Display: Hexagon shape
Unit Trust
Label: "Unit Trust"
Beneficiaries hold fixed units with specific entitlements. Similar to company shares but in trust form.
Key Features:
- Fixed unit entitlements
- Unitholder relationships track percentage ownership
- Units can be held by a single holder or by joint holders
- Clear distribution rights
Diagram Display: Octagon shape
Relationships: Unitholders → Unit Trust (with percentage)
Hybrid Trust
Label: "Hybrid Trust"
Combination of discretionary and unit trust features.
Key Features:
- Both discretionary and fixed components
- Flexible structure for complex planning
Diagram Display: Ellipse shape
Testamentary Trust
Label: "Testamentary Trust"
Created under a will, activated upon death of testator.
Key Features:
- Estate planning tool
- Tax benefits for minor beneficiaries
- Activated after death
Diagram Display: Pill shape
Bare Trust/Nominee
Label: "Bare Trust"
Short Label: "Bare Trust"
Trustee holds legal title purely as nominee for beneficiary who has absolute entitlement.
Key Features:
- Beneficiary has immediate right to trust property
- Minimal trustee discretion
- Often used for holding arrangements
Special Disability Trust
Label: "Special Disability Trust"
Government-supported trust for people with severe disabilities.
Key Features:
- Specific tax and Centrelink benefits
- Strict eligibility requirements
- Purpose-built for disability care
Private Ancillary Fund (PAF)
Label: "Private Ancillary Fund"
Short Label: "PAF"
Private charitable trust for philanthropic giving.
Key Features:
- Tax-deductible donations
- Regulated by ATO
- Must distribute to approved charities
Charitable Fund
Label: "Charitable Fund"
General charitable or community trust.
Key Features:
- Charitable purposes
- Tax exemptions may apply
- Community benefit focus
Deceased Estate
Label: "Deceased Estate"
The estate of a deceased person, holding their assets during administration until distribution to beneficiaries under the will (or under intestacy rules where there is no valid will).
Key Features:
- Administered by an executor (or administrator), not a trustee or appointor — see Executor terminology below
- Named beneficiaries under the will or intestacy
- Maps to/from the XPM Estate client type on import/export
Diagram Display: Trapezium shape (warm sand fill, amber-brown border)
For full details — executor rules, distributions, and XPM mapping — see Deceased Estate Trusts.
Optional Fields
Basic Information
- ABN (Australian Business Number): 11 digits (clearable)
- TFN (Tax File Number): 9 digits (stored securely, see Sensitive Data)
- Establishment Date: When trust was created (also called "Settled Date")
- Vesting Date: When trust terminates or vests
- Jurisdiction: Where trust is governed (single line text)
- Purpose: Description of trust purpose (up to 1,000 characters)
- Notes: Additional information (up to 5,000 characters)
Group Management
- Group Join Date: When trust joined a particular group
- Group Exit Date: When trust left a group
Status
| Status | Description | When to Use |
|---|---|---|
| Passive | Not actively transacting (default) | New trusts, holding structures |
| Active | Actively making distributions | Operating trusts |
| Dormant | Minimal or no activity | Inactive trusts |
| Vested | Distribution to beneficiaries complete | Trust has terminated |
| Proposed | Not yet established | Planning stage only |
Default: Passive
Note: Most trusts remain "Passive" unless they're actively distributing income. This differs from companies, which default to "Active."
Relationship Capabilities
Trusts can participate in these relationships:
As Owner/Holder
- Shareholder → Company (with percentage and share class)
- Unitholder → Another Unit Trust (with percentage)
- Partner → Partnership (with percentage interest)
- Ownership → Asset (with percentage and ownership method)
As Beneficiary
- Beneficiary → Another Trust (trusts can be beneficiaries of other trusts)
Structure (People/Companies managing the Trust)
- Trustee ← Individual or Company
- Appointor ← Individual or Company (person who can appoint/remove trustees)
- Beneficiary ← Individual, Company, or Trust
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Deceased estates use an executor. For a Deceased Estate trust, the controlling-person role is the Executor (named in the will), not a trustee. The relationship option reads "Has Executor" and the link is labelled "Executor" on diagrams. Deceased estates have no appointor — appointor relationships are blocked for this type. See Deceased Estate Trusts.
Incoming Relationships (for Unit Trusts)
- Unitholder ← Individual, Company, Trust, SMSF, or Partnership (for unit trusts only)
- Joint Unitholding ← Two or more holders can hold the same unit parcel together through a generated joint holding
Examples
Family Discretionary Trust
- Johnson Family Trust
- Type: Discretionary
- ABN: 12 345 678 901
- Status: Passive
- Trustee: Johnson Holdings Pty Ltd
- Appointor: Robert Johnson
- Beneficiaries: Johnson family members
- Owns shares in operating company
Unit Trust for Investment
- Property Investment Unit Trust
- Type: Unit
- ABN: 98 765 432 109
- Status: Active
- Trustee: Investment Co Pty Ltd
- Unitholders:
- Sarah Smith (50%)
- Michael Brown (30%)
- Jones Family Trust (20%)
- Owns multiple properties
Joint Unitholding
- Investment Unit Trust
- Type: Unit
- Alex Smith and Jordan Smith jointly hold one unit parcel
- The relationship summary shows the joint holders and the unit details
Testamentary Trust (Estate Planning)
- Williams Testamentary Trust
- Type: Testamentary
- Status: Active (activated after death)
- Trustee: Williams Estate Pty Ltd
- Beneficiaries: Williams children and grandchildren
- Created under will of Robert Williams (deceased)
Special Disability Trust
- Smith Special Disability Trust
- Type: Special Disability Trust
- Status: Active
- Trustee: Sarah Smith (parent)
- Principal Beneficiary: James Smith (disabled)
- Purpose: Long-term care for James
Deceased Estate
- Estate of John Smith (deceased)
- Type: Deceased Estate
- Status: Active (administration in progress)
- Executor: Mary Smith (named in the will)
- Beneficiaries: Mary Smith and the Smith children
- Holds the deceased's shares and property pending distribution
Implementation Notes
Code vs Story Differences
- Trust Type Expansion: Implemented a broader set of trust types than the original stories' 4-5 basic types, including Deceased Estate (added to mirror XPM's Estate client type)
- TFN Storage: Secure encryption with separate fields (
tfnEncrypted,tfnLast3) not detailed in stories - Group Date Fields: Added
groupJoinDateandgroupExitDatefor group management tracking - Vesting Date: Added field separate from establishment date
- Default Status: Changed to "Passive" (stories didn't specify default, Active seemed inappropriate for trusts)
- Diagram Shapes: Each trust type maps to unique shapes in diagrams (not originally specified)
Validation Rules
- ABN must be exactly 11 digits (digits only, clearable via null)
- TFN must be 8 or 9 digits (digits only, optional)
- Trust name is required (up to 200 characters)
- Trust type is required (must select from the supported list)
- Bare Trusts/Nominees cannot have appointor relationships
- Deceased Estates cannot have appointor relationships (administered by an executor); the trustee role is presented as "Executor". These rules are enforced on in-app creation and relaxed on XPM import so existing data loads cleanly.