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Trust Agreement to Hold Funds for Minor

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Trust Agreement to Hold Funds for Minor Resulting from Settlement of a Personal Injury Action Filed on Behalf of Minor

Trust Agreement made on the day of , 20,

between (Guardian) of

referred to herein as Guardian, and (Bank),

a banking corporation of the United States, with its principal office located at

referred to herein as Trustee.

Whereas, on , at , an accident occurred, resulting in bodily injuries to , a minor, born on , hereinafter sometimes called the Minor or Beneficiary; and

Whereas, Guardian is the natural mother of Minor and served as Guardian of the Minor as the result of an Order entered by the , hereinafter called the Court, on , in the action entitled , said action being hereafter referred to as Action; and

Whereas, claims were made by Guardian on behalf of Minor against , hereinafter called Defendant, for compensation for such injuries to Minor resulting from of Defendant as described in said Action; and

Whereas, Guardian and Defendant entered into a Settlement Agreement approved by said Court resulting in the payment of $ to Guardian on behalf of Minor for such injuries; and

Whereas, this Trust is being formed to manage said $ until Minor reaches the age of (e.g., 25); and

Whereas, this Trust Agreement has been approved by the Court and is irrevocable and may not be altered or amended in any manner, without an Order of the Court; and

Whereas, the Trustee is willing to carry out the duties enumerated in this Agreement;

Now, therefore, for and in consideration of the mutual covenants contained in this Agreement, and other good and valuable consideration, the receipt and sufficiency of which is hereby acknowledged, Guardian and the Trustee agree as follows:

1. Transfer in Trust

Guardian transfers and delivers to Trustee the sum of $. The receipt of the said sum is hereby acknowledged by Trustee. This property, together with any other property that may later become subject to this Trust, shall constitute the trust estate and is hereinafter referred to as the Trust Estate. The Trustee is authorized to accept additional gifts of property from third persons, whether by lifetime gift, will, codicil, or by the proceeds of life insurance. Any such gift shall be held by Trustee under the terms of this trust instrument.

2. Disposition of Principal and Income

For as long as Beneficiary is under the age of years, the income from the Trust Estate shall be added to principal. However, the Trustee may pay to or apply for the benefit of the Beneficiary so much of the principal and income as the Trustee deems necessary for the support, health, maintenance, and education of the Beneficiary. The Trustee shall distribute the net income of the Trust Estate to the Beneficiary, annually or at more frequent intervals, from the time the Beneficiary attains the age of until the termination of the Trust. At the time of the termination of the Trust, the entire Trust Estate shall be distributed to Beneficiary free of any Trust. In addition to distributions of net income of the Trust Estate, Trustee shall pay to or apply for the Beneficiary's benefit such sums out of the principal of the Trust Estate as the Trustee considers necessary for the Beneficiary's support, health, maintenance, and education until the termination of this Trust. When the beneficiary attains the age of years, the Trustee shall distribute to Beneficiary the entire undistributed balance of the Trust Estate.

3. Death of Beneficiary

If the Beneficiary dies before attaining the age of (e.g., 25) years, the Trustee shall distribute the undistributed balance of the Trust Estate to the heirs-at-law of the Beneficiary.

4. Powers of Trustee

A. To invest and reinvest all or any part of the Trust Estate in such common or preferred stocks, shares of investment trust and investment companies, bond, debentures, mortgages, deeds of trust, notes, real estate, or other property as the Trustee, in the Trustee's sole discretion, may determine to be reasonable, advisable, expedient, or proper.

B. To continue to hold in the form in which received (or the form to which changed by reorganization, split, stock dividend, or other like occurrence) any securities or other property the Trustee may at any time acquire under the trust created by this instrument.

C. To continue to hold any property including any shares of any Trustee's own stock and to operate at the risk of the Trust Estate any business that the Trustee receives or acquires under the Trust.

D. To have and exercise all rights, powers, and privileges of an owner with respect to the securities held in trust, including, but not limited to, the powers to vote, give proxies, and pay assessment; to participate in voting trusts, pooling agreements, foreclosures, reorganizations, consolidations, mergers, and liquidations; incident to such participation, to deposit securities with and transfer title to any protective or other committee on such terms as the Trustee may deem advisable; and to exercise or sell stock subscription or conversion rights.

E. To buy and sell options, write options, establish and maintain margin accounts, and to sell securities "short against the box."

F. To hold securities or other property in the Trustee's name as Trustee under the Trust created by this instrument, or in the Trustee's own name or in the name of a nominee; or the Trustee may hold securities unregistered in such condition that ownership will pass.

G. To manage, control, grant options on, sell, convey, exchange, partition, divide, improve, and repair Trust property.

H. To lease Trust property for terms within or beyond the term of the Trust created by this instrument for any purpose.

I. To lend money to any person provided that any such loan shall be adequately secured and shall bear a reasonable rate of interest.

J. To loan or advance the Trustee's own funds to the Trust created by this instrument for any Trust purpose, with interest at current rates; to receive security for those loans in the form of a mortgage, pledge, deed of trust, or other encumbrance of any assets of the Trust; to purchase assets of the Trust at their fair market value as determined by an independent appraisal of those assets; and to sell property to the Trust at a price not in excess of its fair market value as determined by an independent appraisal.

K. To release or restrict the scope of any power that the Trustee may hold in connection with the Trust created under this instrument, whether such power is expressly granted in the instrument or implied by law.

L. To purchase bonds and to pay such premiums in connection with the purchase as the Trustee, in the Trustee's reasonable discretion, deems advisable; provided, however, that each premium shall be repaid periodically to principal out of the interest on the bond in such reasonable manner as the Trustee shall determine and, to the extent necessary, out of the proceeds of the sale or other disposition of the bond.

M. To purchase bonds at such discount as the Trustee, in the Trustee's discretion, deems advisable; provided, however, that each discount shall be accumulated periodically as interest in such reasonable manner as the Trustee shall determine and to the extent necessary paid out of the proceeds on the sale or other disposition of the bond or out of principal.

N. To borrow money and to encumber Trust property by mortgage, deed of trust, pledge, or otherwise to secure a loan to or for the benefit of the Trust for any Trust purpose.

O. To determine, except as otherwise specifically provided in this Trust instrument, what part of the Trust Estate is principal and what part of the Trust Estate is income and to apportion and allocate receipts and expenditures between principal and income.

P. To commence or defend, at the expense of the Trust, such litigation with respect to the Trust or any property of the Trust Estate as the Trustee may deem advisable; and to compromise or otherwise settle any claims or litigation against or in favor of the Trust.

Q. To purchase and carry such insurance as Trustee deems advisable to protect the Trust Estate and Trustee personally against any losses.

R. To employ such attorneys, accountants, and advisors as the Trustee deems necessary; and to act on the advice of such advisors without incurring liability for any action taken or refrained from pursuant to that advice.

S. To withhold from distribution, without the payment of interests, all or any part of the Trust property, if the Trustee shall determine, in the Trustee's sole discretion, that the property may be subject to conflicting claims, to tax deficiencies, or to liabilities, contingent or otherwise, properly incurred in the administration of the Trust Estate.

T. To partition and distribute the Trust Estate, on any division or partial or final distribution of the Trust Estate, in undivided interests or in kind, or partly in cash and partly in kind, at valuations determined by the Trustee; to sell such property as the Trustee may, in the Trustee's discretion, deem necessary to make such divisions or distributions; in making any such divisions or partial or final distributions of the Trust Estate, the Trustee shall be under no obligation to make a pro rata division, or to distribute the same assets to beneficiaries similarly situated; the Trustee may, in the Trustee's sole discretion, make a non-pro rata division between trusts or shares and non-pro rata distributions to the Beneficiaries as long as the respective assets allocated to separate trusts or shares, or distributed to the Beneficiaries, have equivalent or proportionate fair market value.

5. Accrued Income

Accrued or unpaid income from trust property, when received into the Trust, shall be treated as any other income. Accrued income or income held undistributed by the Trustee at the termination of this Trust shall go to the Beneficiary or Beneficiaries then entitled to receive the distributions of the Trust Estate in proportion to their interests in the Trust Estate.

6. Notice of Events

Unless the Trustee shall receive from some person interested in this Trust written notice of any deaths, births, marriages, or other events on which the right to receive income or principal of the Trust Estate may depend, the Trustee shall incur no liability for any distributions made or omitted in good faith.

7. Spendthrift Provision

No interests in the principal or income of the Trust created under this instrument shall be anticipated, assigned, encumbered, or subjected to creditor's claims or legal process before actual receipt by the Beneficiary.

8. Education Defined

Whenever provision is made to pay for the education of a beneficiary, the term education shall include college and postgraduate study as long as, in the Trustee's discretion, such education is pursued to the advantage of the Beneficiary. In determining payments to be made to the Beneficiary for such education, the Trustee shall consider the Beneficiary's reasonably related living and traveling expenses.

9. Successor Trustees

If for any reason shall cease to act as Trustee, a successor trustee shall be appointed by the Court. Any successor trustee shall succeed as Trustee as though originally named Trustee under this trust instrument. All authority, powers, and discretions conferred on the original Trustee under this trust instrument shall pass to any successor Trustee. No successor Trustee shall be responsible for the acts or omissions of any prior Trustee, nor shall any successor Trustee be under a duty to audit or investigate the accounts or administration of any prior Trustee. Unless requested in writing by a person having a present or future beneficial interest in the Trust, no successor Trustee shall have any duty to take any action to obtain redress for a breach of trust committed by any prior Trustee.

10. Bond of Trustee

No bond shall be required of any person named in this instrument as Trustee for the faithful performance of its duties as Trustee.

11. Resignation of Trustee

The Trustee may at any time resign from the duties created under this trust instrument on giving written notice to the person or persons then entitled to receive income payments from the Trust and to the parents or guardians of any minor beneficiary or beneficiaries who may be entitled or authorized to receive income payments from the Trust at that time. Notices may be mailed to the addresses of such persons last known to the Trustee. The resignation shall take effect days after the date of mailing of the notice.

12. Compensation of Trustee

The Trustee shall be entitled to reasonable compensation from time to time for the Trustee's ordinary services rendered under this Agreement, for any extraordinary services performed by the Trustee, and for all services in connection with the termination of the Trust, either in whole or in part.

13. Accounting

The Trustee shall make an accounting regarding the transactions of the Trust by delivering a written report to the legal guardian of any minor beneficiary, if living, and to all adult income beneficiaries. Unless one or more interested persons shall deliver a written objection to the Trustee within days of receipt of the Trustee's account, the account shall be deemed settled, final, and conclusive in respect to all transactions disclosed in the account as to all Beneficiaries of the Trust, including any unborn and unascertained Beneficiaries. After settlement of the account by reason of the expiration of the -day period or by agreement of the parties, the Trustee shall no longer be liable to any Beneficiary of the Trust, including any unborn or unascertained Beneficiaries, with respect to transactions disclosed in the account, except for the Trustee's intentional wrongdoing or fraud.

14. Governing Law

The validity of this Trust and the construction of its provisions shall be governed by the laws of , regardless of any change of residence of the Trustee or any Beneficiary, or the appointment or substitution of a Trustee residing or doing business in another state.

Witness our signatures as of the day and date first above stated.

Guardian

Trustee

By

STATE OF

COUNTY OF

Personally appeared before me, the undersigned authority in and for the said county and state, on this day of , 20, within my jurisdiction, the within named , who acknowledged that he is of , a banking corporation of the United States, and that for and on behalf of the said Bank, and as its act and deed, he executed the above and foregoing instrument, after first having been duly authorized by said corporation so to do.

____________________________________

NOTARY PUBLIC

My commission expires:

STATE OF

COUNTY OF

Personally appeared before me, the undersigned authority in and for the said County and State, , within my jurisdiction, the within-named , as Guardian of who acknowledged that she executed the above and foregoing instrument.

__________________________________________

NOTARY PUBLIC

My Commission Expires:

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What the Trust Agreement to Hold Funds for Minor Is and when it’s used

A Trust Agreement to Hold Funds for Minor creates a fiduciary relationship in which a trustee holds, manages, and distributes money or other assets for a minor beneficiary according to preset terms. Typical uses include settlement proceeds, inheritance, custodial transfers, or court-ordered distributions. The agreement names the trustee, beneficiary, distribution triggers, and any conditions or age milestones for release. Properly drafted, it clarifies authority and timing, reduces the likelihood of court intervention, and can be executed electronically where permitted under federal and state e-signature law.

Why this agreement matters for protecting a minor’s funds

The agreement documents who controls and when funds are disbursed, reduces ambiguity about fiduciary duties, and helps avoid guardianship or conservatorship proceedings by providing a private, enforceable distribution plan.

Why this agreement matters for protecting a minor’s funds

Who typically prepares and signs a Trust Agreement to Hold Funds for Minor

Common preparers and signers include family members, trustees, attorneys, and institutional payors who need certainty when transferring funds for a minor.

  • Family members and guardians who want a clear plan for inheritance or settlement distributions.
  • Professional trustees or banks administering funds under a fiduciary duty to the minor beneficiary.
  • Plaintiffs, defendants, or insurers who must route settlement funds without creating risk for the recipient minor.

Parties vary by situation; legal counsel often prepares the agreement to ensure enforceability and compliance with state fiduciary rules.

Typical signatories and their roles

Trustee

An individual or institution appointed to manage, invest, and distribute funds for the minor. The trustee has fiduciary duties to act prudently and in the beneficiary’s best interest and must follow the agreement’s distribution schedule and conditions.

Settlor / Payor

The person or entity transferring funds into the trust (for example, a parent, insurer, or court). The settlor defines trust terms and may retain limited powers, but cannot act in ways that conflict with the trustee’s fiduciary obligations.

Common pitfalls to avoid when preparing the agreement

  • Vague distribution language that leaves the trustee discretionary power without objective standards, increasing litigation risk.
  • Failing to name successor trustees or provide clear removal/resignation procedures, which can create administration gaps if a trustee cannot serve.
  • Incorrect beneficiary identification (name or birthdate mismatches) that delays payments or triggers identity verification issues.
  • Omitting tax or reporting guidance for custodial funds, which can result in unintended tax liabilities or backup withholding.

Security and compliance considerations

Encryption: AES-256 at rest
Transport: TLS 1.2/1.3
Certifications: SOC 2 Type II
Healthcare: HIPAA (BAA available)
Regulatory: ESIGN and UETA compliant
Accessibility: WCAG 2.0 Level AA

Legal risks and consequences of errors

Document invalidation: Court refusal
Fiduciary breach: Civil liability
Tax impact: Unexpected liabilities
Delay in funds: Administrative hold
Court supervision: Guardianship required
Penalties: Statutory fines

Step-by-step: completing the Trust Agreement to Hold Funds for Minor

Follow these sequential steps to prepare a clear, enforceable agreement and minimize administrative friction when holding funds for a minor.

  • 01
    Identify parties: Enter settlor, trustee, and beneficiary names and contact information.
  • 02
    State trust terms: Set distribution schedule, conditions, and any age or milestone triggers.
  • 03
    Specify powers: Describe trustee powers for investment, disbursement, and tax reporting.
  • 04
    Sign and notarize: Execute signatures, obtain notarization if required, and retain originals.

How funds move and are released under the agreement

This overview describes the typical flow from funding to final distribution so trustees and payors understand operational steps.

  • Funding: Payor transfers funds to trustee or escrow account.
  • Management: Trustee invests or holds funds per agreed instructions.
  • Verification: Trustee verifies beneficiary identity and any condition precedent.
  • Distribution: Trustee disburses funds when contract conditions or age milestones are met.

Key clauses to include in a professional Trust Agreement to Hold Funds for Minor

A complete agreement contains clear, enforceable clauses that define authority, timing, safeguards, and procedures to minimize disputes and administrative burden.

Trustee powers

Define investment discretion, payment authority, and limitations; include direction on whether trustee can delegate, use custodial accounts, or require co-signing for large disbursements.

Distribution rules

Set objective triggers such as specific ages, educational milestones, or certificates of necessity; specify percentages or lump sums and whether distributions may be used for health, education, maintenance, or support.

Successor trustee

Name one or more successors and describe appointment mechanics to prevent administration gaps if the original trustee resigns, is removed, or dies.

Accounting and records

Require periodic accounting, receipts retention, and annual statements to beneficiary or guardian; specify whether audits or third-party custody reports are needed.

Tax treatment

Clarify responsibility for tax reporting, identify whether funds are custodial or held in trust for tax purposes, and note potential withholding or reporting obligations for payors or trustees.

Amendment and revocation

State whether the settlor may amend or revoke the arrangement, conditions under which amendments require court approval, and required notice to beneficiaries or guardians.

Configuring a digital workflow to complete the agreement

Settings below illustrate typical configuration options for electronic execution and secure distribution.

Field Configuration
Signer Order Sequential or parallel
Authentication Email + SMS code or ID verification
Notary Mode RON or in-person as required
Audit Trail Enable timestamps, IP logging

Digital signing and delivery considerations

Digital execution streamlines processing but must meet authentication, retention, and legal-consent requirements.

  • File formats: PDF, DOCX supported
  • Integrations: Connect to CRM or storage
  • Storage: Encrypted cloud retention

Choose a solution that supports secure storage, robust audit trails, and any industry-specific compliance such as HIPAA or 21 CFR Part 11 where applicable.

eSignature provider pricing and capability snapshot for executing this agreement

The table compares core pricing and selected capabilities among common eSignature vendors; signNow is listed first by design.

signNow DocuSign Adobe Sign PandaDoc HelloSign
Starting Price $8/user/mo $15/user/mo $14/user/mo $19/user/mo $15/user/mo
Free Trial 7-day trial Varies by vendor Varies by vendor Varies by vendor Varies by vendor
Bulk Send Yes Yes Yes Yes No
Audit Trail Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes
HIPAA Compliant Yes Yes Yes No No
Envelope Cap No cap 100 envelopes/user/year Varies by plan Varies by plan Varies by plan

Frequently asked questions about the Trust Agreement to Hold Funds for Minor

Answers below address common concerns about electronic signatures, notarization, trustee duties, tax reporting, amendments, and revocation.


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