Cost of setting up a trust in Singapore: what you pay for
The cost of setting up a trust in Singapore has three parts: the set-up work of the partner trustee and our team, the law firm's drafting, and third-party charges such as company formation. Yearly trustee and administration fees follow. This page explains each part; the quote form then gives an estimate.
The set-up fee for a Singapore 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
Governing law
Trustees Act 1967: duty of care (Part 1A), investments (Part 2), powers (Part 3)[1]
Trustee requirement
Trust business is restricted (section 3); exempt persons are listed (section 15)[2]
Reporting to authorities
Singapore has exchanged account information under the CRS since September 2018[3]
Numbers in brackets point to the Sources list at the end of this page.
Set-up fee
Standard trust
USD 22,500
Trust set-up in Singapore: 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 licensed 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.
Most set-up spending falls in the first weeks, before the deed is signed and while the trustee builds its file. Four groups of work make it up.
Onboarding. Identity and source-of-funds checks on the settlor, the protector and anyone who controls the trust, plus the risk review before the partner trustee accepts.
Structure design. Agreeing with you, the partner trustee, the law firm and your tax adviser what the trust holds, who benefits and who has which powers.
Acceptance of office. The trust company’s resolution to act, opening the trust’s records and setting up reporting.
Asset transfer. Coordinating the bank account opening and the move of each asset into the trustee’s name.
A Singapore family with one brokerage account in its own name needs far less here than a family with a rental property, a private company and a portfolio held abroad.
The set-up guide gives the sequence, so each group above has a place and a time.
Ongoing trustee and administration costs
After signing, costs repeat each year. The trustee’s yearly fee usually covers the routine administration:
holding the assets and keeping them separate from the trustee’s own;
trustee meetings and minutes for decisions and distributions;
trust accounts and an asset report that we send you;
periodic identity checks, scheduled by risk;
tax information reporting and record-keeping.
Carrying on trust business in Singapore is restricted (source: Singapore Statutes Online, Trust Companies Act 2005, sections 3 and 15). In our Singapore service the trust company holds the trustee role, so its fee is part of your quote next to ours.
You receive one estimate and one invoice route, not two separate negotiations.
A few items sit outside the yearly fee and are charged on the day they occur.
Examples include a distribution that needs extra review, a deed amendment, a new beneficiary or protector, a transfer to another trustee, or the closing of the trust.
Anything beyond the agreed scope is billed by time, and you hear about it before the work begins.
Third-party costs
Some bills never come from the trustee. Your quote marks each one as passed through at cost or invoiced to you directly.
Cost
Who charges it
When it arises
Drafting the deed and helping with your letter of wishes
Law firm
At set-up, and when the deed changes
Advice on your own tax position
Your tax adviser
Before signing, and when circumstances change
Forming and maintaining a holding company or PTC
Corporate services provider
At set-up, then every year
Duties or registry charges on the transfer of certain assets
Government or registry
Can arise when shares or property move into the trust
Bank account, custody and transaction charges
Bank or custodian
Ongoing
Audit, if you want one
Auditor
Yearly, by choice
Basis: the items in our Singapore quote form, dated 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.
Duty on a transfer turns on the asset and the way it moves in. The law firm checks your assets while the structure is designed, ahead of the deed draft.
For what Singapore law allows and requires of a trust, read the law and features page.
What changes the total
These five factors do the most to change the final figure:
Type of structure. A discretionary trust, a reserved powers trust, a private trust company or a family office trust each need different drafting and different ongoing work.
Value band of the assets. Our yearly fee is quoted by bands of asset value, because more value usually means more reporting and more review.
Kinds of assets. Cash and listed securities are simpler to hold than private company shares, property or insurance policies.
Number of beneficiaries and places involved. More people and more countries mean more checks, more reporting and more local advice.
Companies under the trust. Each holding company or PTC adds formation work and annual filings.
Equal assets do not guarantee equal quotes, since family circumstances alter how much work the trust needs.
Before you choose between quotes, check what each yearly fee contains and which services are charged only when they occur.
Also check whether the trustee’s fee is inside the headline figure. A lower headline figure can leave more items outside the fee.
Request every provider’s assumptions in writing so the figures line up.
Reporting adds work in some cases. Singapore has exchanged financial account information under the Common Reporting Standard since September 2018 (source: Inland Revenue Authority of Singapore, CRS overview and latest developments).
A trust with beneficiaries in several countries therefore costs more to run than a simple one.
How to get a quote
The quote form asks about the structure, the value band, the kinds of assets, how many beneficiaries there are, any company and the countries connected, then returns an estimate.
Assumptions are listed beside the figure, and the trustee’s share has its own line.
After we see the documents the estimate is confirmed, since one detail in an asset or family arrangement can change the work.
If your case is unusual, you can also book a call and talk it through first. The frequently asked questions cover the common points, and the quote form starts the process.
Frequently asked questions
How much to set up a trust in Singapore?
No single total fits every family. The set-up fee for a standard trust is shown on this page. The total follows the structure, the value band, the asset types and the countries involved. The quote form returns an estimate and its assumptions, confirmed once your documents are in.
What do I pay for when I set up a trust in Singapore?
You pay for onboarding and structure design, the partner trustee's acceptance of office, the law firm that drafts the deed, and any company work. Bank and custody charges are separate. Your quote lists each item and who charges it, and it says who invoices.
Are there ongoing costs for a trust in Singapore?
Yes. The trustee charges a yearly fee for holding the assets, meetings, accounts, records, identity refreshes and reporting. Companies under the trust need annual filings. Events such as distributions or deed changes are charged when they happen, and the quote says when those charges are agreed.
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