Trusts, tax and estate planning · Fixed fees, with VAT
Trusts and estate planning across East Yorkshire, only when a trust earns its place.
Trust and estate planning is the work above an ordinary will: planning around the will, a trust set up now, a deed of variation, a declaration of trust, an inheritance tax plan with your accountant, succession for a business or farm, and registering or running a trust. Each is its own fixed fee, listed on this page.
- Fixed fees
- from£450+ VAT(£540 inc. VAT)for declaration of trustEach piece of work is priced on its own. Planning alongside a will is £450 or £750. A lifetime trust is £1,500.
- How long
- 2 to 3 weeks
- Who does the work
- Aaron Johnson, personally
What it is
Trust and estate planning, in plain English.
A trust is an arrangement where people you choose, the trustees, hold assets for the benefit of others. It can sit inside a will or stand on its own.
Used for the right reason, a trust can protect a share of the family home, provide for a vulnerable relative, shield an inheritance from divorce or creditors, or form part of a plan for inheritance tax. Used for the wrong reason, it adds cost and paperwork and does nothing a good will would not do.
Aaron is a Full Member of STEP, the Society of Trust and Estate Practitioners. He will say plainly whether a trust earns its place in your circumstances. Each piece of planning work has its own fixed fee, so you know the cost before you decide.
- For landlords with several properties, business owners, farmers and larger estates
- Lifetime trusts, declarations of trust and deeds of variation, as well as wills
- Trust registration and yearly administration for trustees
- Aaron works alongside your accountant and financial adviser, and says plainly when a trust is not needed
What happens, in order
From first call to a plan in place.
Shown for inheritance tax check and will structure. Each service page has its own steps.
- How long it takes
- Within the will timescale
Free 15-minute call
Aaron listens to your situation and explains what planning could do for you.
Planning meeting
A full review of your assets, business interests, family and long-term aims.
The plan
Aaron writes the plan: trusts, tax steps and succession, as your situation needs.
Documents
Aaron drafts the documents, goes through them with you and amends them until you are satisfied.
Signing and review
Aaron supervises the signing and recommends when the plan should next be reviewed.
What it costs
Every fee for trust and estate planning, with VAT.
Planning around a will
One level per plan, added once on top of whichever will tier applies. The higher level replaces the lower; they are never both charged.
- Inheritance tax check and will structure
One person or a couple · Within the will timescale
Aaron maps your inheritance tax position (the nil-rate band, the residence allowance and, for a married couple, what transfers between you), structures the wills to use the allowances, and explains the result in writing.
When Offered as a yes or no at this price in the near band (one person £325,000 to £500,000; a married couple £650,000 to £1 million; an unmarried couple £325,000 to £650,000), where the value is not sure, with one other property, or where advice on inheritance tax is asked for under the allowances. Included above the near band, with two or more other properties, or for a deed of variation made for tax or to create a trust.
No third-party costs.
£450+ VAT(£540 inc. VAT) - Planning with your advisers
One person or a couple · Within the will timescale, plus one joint meeting
Everything in the inheritance tax check, plus one joint meeting with your accountant, financial adviser or land agent, business or agricultural property relief drafting (since 6 April 2026 the first £2,500,000 of combined farm and business property has full relief and half relief above that, and any unused allowance passes to a surviving spouse or civil partner).
When A business or farm; an estate over £2 million; you want Aaron to work with your accountant or adviser. Not charged alongside the succession review, which includes the joint meeting.
No third-party costs.
£750+ VAT(£900 inc. VAT)
Trusts, deeds and plans on their own
Work that is not a new will. Each is its own fixed fee, or from the figure shown and agreed before any work starts.
- Severing the joint tenancy (splitting the home into two shares)
For a couple · Alongside the wills
Notice of severance so each of you owns a distinct share, and the Land Registry form that records it. No Land Registry fee.
When Added automatically for a couple who own the home in joint names and are making wills with a trust in them to ring-fence the first to die's share; offered where the trust is for a vulnerable beneficiary, a business or a farm.
No third-party costs.
£150+ VAT(£180 inc. VAT) - Declaration of trust
One person or a couple · 2 to 3 weeks
A deed recording who owns what share of a property, what happens on sale or death, and the Land Registry restriction to protect it.
When Recording who owns what share of a property, for example unequal deposits.
Plus Land Registry official copies £7. Land Registry restriction fee, at cost.
£450+ VAT(£540 inc. VAT) - Deed of variation
One person or a couple · 2 to 4 weeks
Redirecting part or all of an inheritance to someone else by deed, with the tax elections where the death was within two years.
When Redirecting an inheritance after a death. Read back for inheritance tax only within two years of the death; after that the redirection is a gift by the beneficiary and the deed still works.
No third-party costs.
£650+ VAT(£780 inc. VAT) - Lifetime trust
One person or a couple · 4 to 6 weeks
Advice on the right trust, the trust deed, a letter of wishes, trustee guidance, the inheritance tax note on the gift, and registration with HMRC.
When Setting up a trust now with cash, investments or a life policy.
Plus HMRC Trust Registration Service, no fee.
£1,500+ VAT(£1,800 inc. VAT) - Lifetime trust with a property
One person or a couple · 6 to 8 weeks
Everything in the lifetime trust, plus the transfer of one unmortgaged title into the trust and the Land Registry work.
When Setting up a trust now that includes a property.
Plus Land Registry official copies £7. Land Registry restriction fee, at cost. HMRC Trust Registration Service, no fee.
from£2,000+ VAT(£2,400 inc. VAT)agreed as a fixed fee before any work starts - Inheritance tax plan
One person or a couple · 3 to 4 weeks
A written plan of your inheritance tax position and the steps worth taking, agreed in one joint meeting with your accountant or financial adviser.
When A plan without new wills; or a deed of variation asked for more than two years after the death.
No third-party costs.
£750+ VAT(£900 inc. VAT) - Succession review
One person or a couple · 6 to 8 weeks
How the business or farm passes on during your lifetime and on death: relief position, ownership structure, shareholder or partnership documents reviewed with your accountant and land agent, and a written plan.
When Offered when there is a business or farm; added only if you say yes.
No third-party costs.
from£2,500+ VAT(£3,000 inc. VAT)agreed as a fixed fee before any work starts
Registering and running a trust
For trustees of a trust that already exists.
- Trust registration
One person or a couple · 2 to 3 weeks
Gathering the trust details, registering on the Trust Registration Service, and the proof of registration the bank or adviser will ask for.
When A trust that has never been registered.
Plus HMRC Trust Registration Service, no fee.
£300+ VAT(£360 inc. VAT)per trust - Yearly trust administration
One person or a couple · Each year
Annual trustee meeting and minutes, decisions recorded properly, the Trust Registration Service kept up to date, and HMRC correspondence.
When A trust that needs someone to run the yearly administration.
No third-party costs.
£500+ VAT(£600 inc. VAT)a year
Third-party costs are paid at cost and summarised on each line; each service page lists them in full. Regulated work (trust wills, probate, trust and estate administration) carries a small onboarding fee for the matter and an identity check for each person. Standard wills and powers of attorney do not. It is confirmed before any work starts.
Questions
What people ask about trust and estate planning.
How is trust and estate planning different from a will with a trust in it?
A will with a trust in it is one document at a fixed fee. It does one job, usually protecting the first to die’s share of the home or making sure children from an earlier relationship inherit in the end. Trust and estate planning is advice and a plan. It starts with your assets, your family and your advisers, and it may end in several documents: wills, a lifetime trust, a declaration of trust over a property, a deed of variation after a death, or a succession plan for a business or farm. Each piece of work has its own fixed fee on the fees page, and the two planning levels that sit on top of a will are fixed as well. Only a lifetime trust that includes a property and a business or farm succession review start with a from figure.
How is trust and estate planning different from a will with a trust in it?
A will with a trust in it is one document at a fixed fee. It does one job, usually protecting the first to die’s share of the home or making sure children from an earlier relationship inherit in the end. Trust and estate planning is advice and a plan. It starts with your assets, your family and your advisers, and it may end in several documents: wills, a lifetime trust, a declaration of trust over a property, a deed of variation after a death, or a succession plan for a business or farm. Each piece of work has its own fixed fee on the fees page, and the two planning levels that sit on top of a will are fixed as well. Only a lifetime trust that includes a property and a business or farm succession review start with a from figure.
What does trust administration involve?
Most trusts have to be registered with HM Revenue and Customs on the Trust Registration Service, and trustees have duties every year: keeping accounts, making decisions properly, dealing with tax and keeping the register up to date. Aaron registers new trusts, brings existing ones up to date, and can act as a trustee or alongside your trustees so the administration is done properly each year.
What does trust administration involve?
Most trusts have to be registered with HM Revenue and Customs on the Trust Registration Service, and trustees have duties every year: keeping accounts, making decisions properly, dealing with tax and keeping the register up to date. Aaron registers new trusts, brings existing ones up to date, and can act as a trustee or alongside your trustees so the administration is done properly each year.
Can a trust protect my home from care fees?
Not your own home from your own care fees. A will has no effect until you die, and a step taken in your lifetime mainly to avoid care fees can be treated by the local authority as if you still owned the asset. What a trust in a couple’s wills does is ring-fence the first to die’s share of the home for the children. The survivor lives there for life, and that share is held for the children whatever happens later: a new partner, a new will, a family falling-out, or the survivor needing care. It does not protect the survivor’s own share from the survivor’s own care fees. Aaron says plainly what works in your circumstances.
Can a trust protect my home from care fees?
Not your own home from your own care fees. A will has no effect until you die, and a step taken in your lifetime mainly to avoid care fees can be treated by the local authority as if you still owned the asset. What a trust in a couple’s wills does is ring-fence the first to die’s share of the home for the children. The survivor lives there for life, and that share is held for the children whatever happens later: a new partner, a new will, a family falling-out, or the survivor needing care. It does not protect the survivor’s own share from the survivor’s own care fees. Aaron says plainly what works in your circumstances.
What types of trust are there?
The ones Aaron most often advises on are property protection trusts (usually in wills), discretionary trusts (where the trustees decide who benefits and when), bare trusts (where the beneficiary owns the assets outright, often used for children), and family investment companies for larger estates. Each does a different job: protecting a vulnerable beneficiary, sheltering assets, or managing inheritance tax. Aaron recommends the one that fits, not a package.
What types of trust are there?
The ones Aaron most often advises on are property protection trusts (usually in wills), discretionary trusts (where the trustees decide who benefits and when), bare trusts (where the beneficiary owns the assets outright, often used for children), and family investment companies for larger estates. Each does a different job: protecting a vulnerable beneficiary, sheltering assets, or managing inheritance tax. Aaron recommends the one that fits, not a package.
Will a trust reduce inheritance tax?
It can, depending on your circumstances, but a trust is not a loophole and has its own rules and tax charges. Used correctly, often alongside lifetime gifts and the available allowances, a trust can be part of a sound inheritance tax plan. Aaron works out the actual effect for your estate rather than making promises.
Will a trust reduce inheritance tax?
It can, depending on your circumstances, but a trust is not a loophole and has its own rules and tax charges. Used correctly, often alongside lifetime gifts and the available allowances, a trust can be part of a sound inheritance tax plan. Aaron works out the actual effect for your estate rather than making promises.
Do I actually need a trust?
Often, no, and Aaron will tell you so. A trust adds cost and administration, and for many families a well-drafted will does everything needed. A trust earns its place when there is a specific job to do: protecting a share of the home, providing for a disabled or vulnerable beneficiary, shielding an inheritance from divorce or creditors, or managing a larger estate. Aaron gives you a straight answer either way.
Do I actually need a trust?
Often, no, and Aaron will tell you so. A trust adds cost and administration, and for many families a well-drafted will does everything needed. A trust earns its place when there is a specific job to do: protecting a share of the home, providing for a disabled or vulnerable beneficiary, shielding an inheritance from divorce or creditors, or managing a larger estate. Aaron gives you a straight answer either way.
Who manages the trust once it is set up?
The trustees you appoint. They hold and look after the assets for the people who benefit. They can be family members, professionals, or a mix. There are real legal duties involved, so Aaron makes sure your trustees understand them, and he can act as a trustee or alongside yours and handle the yearly compliance if you prefer.
Who manages the trust once it is set up?
The trustees you appoint. They hold and look after the assets for the people who benefit. They can be family members, professionals, or a mix. There are real legal duties involved, so Aaron makes sure your trustees understand them, and he can act as a trustee or alongside yours and handle the yearly compliance if you prefer.
Where we work
Home visits across East and North Yorkshire.
Aaron comes to you for trust and estate planning: kitchen table, care home, farm office. Evening appointments if daytimes are hard. No travel charge anywhere on the map.
All 41 areas, with what Aaron does in each.
Next step
Four ways to start. Take the one you are comfortable with.
Or call 01262 310 850. Monday to Friday, 9am to 5.30pm.
- 01No commitmentFind your plan and price
Sixty seconds of questions that end on your plan and a fixed fee, with VAT. No call needed.
- 02Low commitmentDownload the instruction form
A fillable PDF. Type into it, save it and email it back, or print it.
- 03A conversationBook a 15-minute call
15 minutes with Aaron, by phone or video, at no charge. Appointments are usually available within a few working days, including Tuesday and Thursday evenings, and home visits across East and North Yorkshire.
- 04Ready to goStart my matter
Give Aaron the details he needs and he confirms the fixed fee in writing before any work starts.
Bridlington and the coast
Trusts in Bridlington and the towns around it.
Aaron is based in Bridlington, and the town has its own page for this work: trusts solicitor in Bridlington, with what tends to come up locally, the two town questions and how a home visit is arranged.
The same service, on its own page, for the towns nearest Bridlington: Carnaby, Barmston, Boynton and Flamborough. Every town and village Aaron comes to is on the areas page.