Wyoming asset protection trust cost: what you pay for
Wyoming asset protection trust cost has three parts: the trustee's set-up work, the Wyoming 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 Wyoming (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
Qualified spendthrift trusts: W.S. 4-10-510 to 4-10-523[2]
Protector
The deed can name a trust protector and a trust advisor[2]
Reserved settlor powers
The settlor may keep a distribution veto and act as investment advisor[2]
Trustee requirement
Qualified trustee: a Wyoming-resident individual or an authorised entity[2]
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 13,500
Trust set-up in Wyoming (USA): the fee is fixed for the standard scope listed below.
Includes
Client onboarding, KYC and due diligence
Structure design
Trust deed or foundation charter 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
Liability insurance, if required for a qualified transfer affidavit
Standard foundation
USD 16,000
Foundation set-up in Wyoming (USA): the fee is fixed for the standard scope listed below.
Includes
Client onboarding, KYC and due diligence
Structure design
Trust deed or foundation charter 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
Liability insurance, if required for a qualified transfer affidavit
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 Wyoming the transfer step has its own paperwork, because the settlor’s sworn affidavit accompanies each qualified transfer into the trust.
Trustee onboarding. Checks on the settlor and on each protector or advisor who holds a power over the trustee.
Instrument drafting. The Wyoming law firm writes a deed that names the qualified trustee, chooses Wyoming law and fits the spendthrift provisions.
Affidavit for each transfer. The settlor signs a sworn statement, and the file records which asset it covers.
Acceptance of office. The Wyoming trustee accepts office under the instrument and opens the trust file.
Asset transfer. Opening the account and re-registering each asset to the trustee, one transfer at a time.
A trust funded in one step costs less to document than one funded in stages, because each transfer repeats the affidavit and the record. The set-up guide shows the order.
Ongoing trustee and administration costs
Ongoing costs pay for the yearly running of the trust. Funding in later stages adds paperwork each time, so the yearly fee and the transfer work are best read together.
safe custody of trust assets, separate from the trustee’s property;
minutes of trustee decisions and of any advisor’s directions;
yearly accounts and an asset report sent to you;
identity checks renewed on a risk timetable;
tax information returns and the record file.
If you name yourself investment advisor, the trustee still keeps the records and accounts, and your own time is not part of the fee. A protector’s fee is agreed separately.
Event work is charged when it happens: an extra transfer with its affidavit, a change of protector or a move of the trust.
Third-party costs
Other providers bill for their own work. Your quote marks which charges we pass through at cost and which reach you directly.
Item
Billed by
Timing
Drafting the deed and the sworn affidavit forms
Wyoming law firm
At set-up, and for later transfers
Setting up a private family trust company, if used
Wyoming counsel
At set-up, then every year
Notary or witness for the affidavit, if your lawyer requires one
Notary public
When the settlor signs
Advice on your tax position at home
Your tax adviser
Before signing, and if your position changes
Custody and account charges
Bank
Ongoing
Basis: our Wyoming client intake form, checked 2026-11-05. The set-up fee shown on this page is the fee for a standard trust or foundation; other lines are quoted after we review your case.
A non-US person with US-situated assets can have a Form 706-NA filing to make 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 it applies. The law and features page sets out the statutory features the deed draws on.
What changes the total
What moves a Wyoming total most:
Number of transfers. One funding step is simpler than a series, each with its own affidavit.
Value band. Yearly fees are quoted by asset-value band, as a larger trust means more reporting and review.
Kinds of assets. Listed securities are quick to document; private company shares need ownership papers and valuations.
Settlor roles. Keeping a distribution veto or acting as investment advisor needs careful drafting and clear records.
A family trust company. It adds formation work and annual filings. Tax treatment of it sits with your advisers; see the tax note.
Ask each provider to put its assumptions in writing. Compare what the yearly fee includes, what is charged per event and which costs are passed through.
How to get a quote
A Wyoming quote starts from your answers on the structure, the advisor or protector roles, the value band, the assets and the countries connected.
We confirm the estimate after reading the documents, because the way assets will be moved in can change the work.
What do I pay for when I set up a trust in Wyoming?
You pay for the trustee's set-up checks and acceptance of office, the Wyoming firm that drafts a deed with qualified spendthrift wording and prepares the affidavit for each transfer, and any company or tax work. Your quote lists each item and says which charges pass through. The set-up fee for a standard trust or foundation is shown on this page.
Are there ongoing costs for a trust in Wyoming?
Yes. The yearly fee covers the trustee's custody, records, accounts and identity refreshes. A trust protector or trust advisor named in the deed may add work, so ask in your quote request what is included. Each later transfer needs its own settlor affidavit, so ask how that is charged. Bank and audit charges pass through.
How do I get a quote for a trust in Wyoming?
Use the quote form and give the structure, the value band, the asset types, the beneficiaries and the countries involved. For Wyoming, say whether you will act as investment advisor and whether a family trust company is in view, since both change 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
