How much does a living trust cost in Tennessee? It depends on the structure, the assets and who is involved, and this page publishes the set-up fee for a standard trust. The cost has three parts: set-up work, the law firm's drafting and third-party charges, followed by yearly administration fees.
The set-up fee for a Tennessee (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
Governing law
Investment services trusts: Tennessee Investment Services Act of 2007[1]
The Tennessee Code has a section on private trust companies[2]
Trustee requirement
Qualified trustee: a Tennessee-resident individual or a supervised entity[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 Tennessee (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.
How much does a living trust cost in Tennessee?
Illustration, not a real client.
There is no single total cost. A plain living trust and an investment services trust need different deeds and different trustees, so the first question in any estimate is which of the two you mean.
This page lists what the cost covers for a Tennessee trust. Ask for a quote to see the other figures.
Set-up costs: what they cover
Set-up costs pay for one-off work, and in Tennessee much of it turns on the trust type.
Identity and wealth checks. On the settlor and any protector, run by us and repeated by the Tennessee trustee and the bank.
Choice of trust type. Deciding with the Tennessee lawyer whether the deed is a plain living trust or an investment services trust.
Qualified trustee. For the investment services route, finding and appointing a trustee that meets the state’s residency or supervision test.
Acceptance of office. The trustee accepts office under the Tennessee deed and starts the trust file.
Asset transfer. The trustee opens the account and receives each asset, with title papers for any property or shares.
Appointing a qualified trustee in the state is a step a plain deed does not have. The set-up guide shows the order.
Ongoing trustee and administration costs
Ongoing costs pay for the trust’s yearly running. The yearly fee usually covers:
title to the assets, held by the trustee for the trust;
trustee decisions and minutes, kept in the trust file;
accounts and an asset report;
fresh identity checks when the risk review calls for them;
records the bank needs for tax information reporting.
The investment services route adds a duty: the file should show each year that the trustee still meets the state’s test.
Event work is charged when it arises: a deed amendment, a protector change, or replacing the qualified trustee. Out-of-scope work is billed on time spent.
Third-party costs
Third-party costs come from outside providers such as the Tennessee law firm and the bank. They are passed through at cost or billed to you directly.
Cost
Who charges it
When it arises
Deed and letter of wishes for a Tennessee trust
Tennessee trust lawyer
At set-up, and on amendment
Private trust company, if the family forms one
Tennessee counsel
At set-up, then yearly
Tax advice where you live
Your tax adviser
Before signing
Managing the portfolio the trust holds
Investment manager
Ongoing
Account and custody charges
Bank
Ongoing
Basis: the questions in our Tennessee enquiry form, checked 2026-11-05.
Five points move a Tennessee total more than the others:
Type of trust. A trust under the Investment Services Act needs statute-specific drafting that a plain deed does not.
Trustee route. An individual resident in the state, a supervised entity and a family’s own private trust company price differently.
Value band. The yearly fee is set by bands of asset value.
Kinds of assets. A brokerage account moves quickly; land or a family company needs title papers and valuations.
Duration. A deed built to run for generations needs more drafting and reviewing than a short one.
Compare estimates by what the fee includes, not by the headline. Ask each provider for its assumptions in writing.
Why the total cannot be fixed in advance
Beyond the published set-up fee, a fixed total would hide the choices that drive the work. In Tennessee the biggest is whether the trust sits under the investment services rules at all.
Assets decide the rest, so every estimate beyond the set-up fee starts from questions. The trustee route matters too, since a family’s own private trust company has its own set-up and yearly work.
How to get a quote
You answer a short set of questions on the trust type, how the trustee qualifies, the value band, the assets and the countries connected.
What do I pay for when I set up a trust in Tennessee?
Part of the bill depends on the trust type. A plain living trust needs a deed and a trustee. An investment services trust also needs a qualified trustee that meets the Tennessee test, plus statute-specific drafting. A quote lists each item and says which charges are passed through.
Are there ongoing costs for a trust in Tennessee?
Yes. Alongside the trustee's yearly fee for holding assets, accounts and records, a trust under the Investment Services Act adds the work of showing each year that the qualified trustee still meets the Tennessee test. Replacing that trustee, amending the deed or changing a protector is charged when it happens.
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
