Cost of setting up a Delaware asset protection trust: what you pay for
The cost of setting up a Delaware asset protection trust has three parts: the trustee's set-up work, the Delaware law firm's drafting, and third-party charges such as company formation or tax advice. Yearly trustee and administration fees follow. This page explains each part; the quote form then gives an estimate.
The set-up fee for a Delaware (USA) trust is shown under the key facts. The other groups of cost depend on the structure and are quoted after we review your case.
Set-up
Structure design and onboarding checks
Trust deed drafting by the law firm
Trustee acceptance and account opening
Ongoing
Annual trustee fee
Accounting, minutes and records
Reporting to authorities
Third party
Bank and custodian charges
Tax and legal advice in other countries
Registry or stamp duty where it applies
Key facts
Protector
The deed can name advisers and protectors with defined powers[2]
Reserved settlor powers
The transferor may keep a distribution veto and a power to remove trustees[3]
Trustee requirement
Qualified trustee: a Delaware-resident individual or a supervised entity[3]
Reporting to authorities
A nonresident non-citizen's estate files Form 706-NA above a US-asset threshold[1]
Numbers in brackets point to the Sources list at the end of this page.
Set-up fee
Standard trust
USD 14,000
Trust set-up in Delaware (USA): the fee is fixed for the standard scope listed below.
Includes
Client onboarding, KYC and due diligence
Structure design
Trust deed drafted through a partner law firm
Acceptance of trusteeship by a local partner trustee, coordinated by One Pacific Trust
Filing of any registration the law requires
Excludes
Government fees, initial and annual (passed through at cost)
Stamp duty
Holding or underlying companies
Bank account opening
Tax advice in other countries
Annual trustee, administration and event fees (quoted separately)
VAT or GST where applicable
This fee includes the local partner trustee's acceptance fee as agreed with One Pacific Trust.
Set-up fees shown are One Pacific Trust fees in US dollars for the standard scope described, before government, registry, bank and other third-party charges, which are passed through at cost or billed to you directly.
Annual administration, event-based work and anything outside the standard scope are quoted after we review your case.
A published fee is not an offer and is not tax or legal advice; the terms that apply are those set out in writing when you engage us.
Set-up costs: what they cover
Illustration, not a real client.
Set-up costs pay for work done once. In Delaware much of it goes on deciding who does what, because a Delaware deed can split the trustee’s job from an adviser’s and a protector’s.
Trustee onboarding. Checks on the settlor and on each adviser or protector who can direct the trustee, because in a directed deed their instructions carry weight.
Role design. Dividing powers between the qualified trustee, an investment adviser and a protector, so the deed states who may direct what.
Choice of structure. Deciding between a directed trust, a dynasty trust, a qualified disposition trust, or a mix of them.
Acceptance of office. The Delaware trustee accepts office under the deed, alongside the adviser and protector terms, and opens the trust file.
Asset transfer. Moving each asset to the trustee, with a custodian account where an adviser manages a portfolio.
A listed portfolio under one trustee needs far less design than a trust that hands investment control to an adviser and lets the settlor keep a distribution veto. The set-up guide shows the order of the work.
Ongoing trustee and administration costs
Ongoing costs depend on how many parties share the work. The trustee’s yearly fee usually covers the routine items below, while an adviser’s pay is a separate line set in the deed or in its own agreement.
custody of the assets, kept apart from the trustee’s own;
trustee meetings and minutes, including where an adviser’s direction is recorded;
yearly accounts and an asset report that also covers holdings under an adviser’s management;
fresh checks on the settlor, adviser and protector when risk calls for them;
records for tax information reporting, kept for each party to the deed.
Event work is charged when it happens: a distribution that needs extra review, a change of adviser or protector, a deed amendment, or a move to another trustee.
Out-of-scope work, such as forming a family trust company, is billed on time spent after we tell you.
Third-party costs
Third-party costs come from providers other than the trustee. Your quote says which are passed through at cost and which you pay directly.
Cost
Who charges it
When it arises
Deed drafting, adviser and protector terms, letter of wishes
Delaware law firm
At set-up, and at each amendment
Portfolio management under an adviser’s direction
Investment adviser
Ongoing
Forming a family trust company, if you want one
Delaware counsel and a corporate services provider
At set-up, then every year
Home-country tax advice on a Delaware trust
Your own tax adviser
Before signing, and if your position changes
Custody of listed assets an adviser manages
Custodian
Ongoing
Audit
Auditor
Yearly, by choice
Basis: the intake questions we ask Delaware clients, checked 2026-11-05. The set-up fee shown on this page is the fee for a standard trust; other lines are quoted after we review your case.
US tax filings can add cost. A non-US settlor whose trust holds US real estate or US company shares can face a Form 706-NA filing on death above the IRS threshold (source: Internal Revenue Service: Some nonresidents with U.S. assets must file estate tax returns).
Your tax adviser confirms whether that applies and who prepares the filing. The law and features page explains what the statute allows and requires of the trust.
What changes the total
Five choices in a Delaware deed move the total more than the others:
Directed or not. An adviser or protector adds drafting and a second party to coordinate every year.
Value band. Yearly fees are quoted by value band, and a larger portfolio under an adviser means more review.
Kinds of assets. Listed securities sit easily with a custodian; closely held shares, land or policies need valuation and transfer papers.
Powers the settlor keeps. A veto over distributions or a power to remove trustees must be drafted, then respected in every decision.
A family trust company. Setting up and running one adds formation work and annual filings.
Where beneficiaries live in several countries, reporting grows too. The tax and reporting page explains what the trustee files.
When you compare quotes, ask each provider to list what sits inside the yearly fee, what is charged per event, and which outside costs are passed through. A low headline figure can hide items billed separately.
How to get a quote
A Delaware quote starts from your answers on the structure, the roles for an adviser or protector, the value band, the assets and the countries connected.
Each estimate lists its assumptions. We firm it up after reading the draft deed terms and the asset papers, since an adviser’s powers can change the work.
What do I pay for when I set up a trust in Delaware?
You pay for the work behind a qualified disposition: the Delaware firm that drafts the deed, the trustee's set-up checks and acceptance of office, and any company or tax work. Your quote names each item and says which charges pass through at cost. The set-up fee for a standard trust is shown on this page.
Are there ongoing costs for a trust in Delaware?
Yes. The yearly fee covers the qualified trustee's custody and record duties, meetings, accounts and identity refreshes. If the deed names advisers or a protector, ask in your quote request whether directed decisions are charged on top. Distributions and deed changes are billed when they happen, and bank charges pass through.
How do I get a quote for a trust in Delaware?
Use the quote form and give the structure, the rough value band, the asset types, the number of beneficiaries and the countries involved. For Delaware, add whether advisers will direct investments and whether the settlor keeps a veto, since both shape the work. You receive an estimate and its assumptions, confirmed after we see the documents.
Pick a question for a short answer from our FAQ. Nothing you choose here is sent anywhere. This is a scripted guide from our FAQ, not live chat and not advice.
Setting up, the law and tax
What happens, step by step, when you set up an offshore trust?
First agree the purpose and who should benefit. Your lawyer drafts the deed under the chosen law while the trustee checks identity and the source of the assets. After signing, the assets move into the trustee’s name and are recorded. The guide shows each stage in more detail.
Usually the owner transfers the shares or membership interest to the trustee under the deed, after checking the company’s own documents and any consent a lender or partner must give. The trustee then holds the interest and the company carries on. Company, tax and local law checks come first, so involve your lawyer.
Yes, in the places whose law provides for them. A trust needs a lawful purpose, a valid deed under its governing law, and taxes and reporting dealt with where the people involved live. It cannot be used to hide assets, defeat existing creditors or evade tax. A trustee will refuse a trust whose purpose or funding it cannot confirm.
It depends on where the settlor, the beneficiaries, the trustee and the assets are, and on the law that governs the trust. Many countries tax trust income or distributions in the hands of the people they treat as owners or recipients, and exchange account data under international reporting rules. We do not give tax advice, so ask your own adviser before you sign.
How long does it take to appoint a Hong Kong trustee?
Time depends mostly on how quickly documents arrive and on checks by banks and registries outside our control, so we do not promise a date. Once you apply, the client portal shows each step and what is outstanding, and a 30-minute call sets out what to prepare first.
The cost depends on the structure, the places and assets involved, how many parties the trustee must check, and how much work the trust needs each year. We publish the set-up fee for each place; annual administration and event-based work are quoted after we review your case. Banking, legal and registry charges outside our control can add to it.
A trustee can borrow only if the deed and the governing law allow it. A lender will usually ask to see the deed, the trustee’s authority and the purpose of the loan. Some deeds limit borrowing or need a protector’s consent. Ask a lawyer before approaching a lender.
What is asset management, and is it what a trustee does?
Asset management means running investments for a client, usually under a licence. A trustee does something different: it holds the assets, checks instructions against the deed, approves distributions and keeps the record. A bank or licensed manager that the deed allows for can run the investments.
Hong Kong
Singapore
BVI
Jersey
