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Per stirpes and the two per capita systems, for Illinois trustees

Sooner or later most trustees face the question: a beneficiary died before the settlor — who takes that share? The trust's own words control. Illinois's statutes use one word for the default: an intestate estate passes to the decedent's descendants per stirpes (755 ILCS 5/2-1), and a gift under a living trust to a descendant of the settlor who dies before the gift takes effect passes to that descendant's descendants per stirpes (760 ILCS 3/114). Here is the arithmetic of each system, side by side.

Se muestra en su idioma como traducción automática, pendiente de revisión por un hablante nativo. Los resúmenes de los estatutos y el original en inglés siguen siendo la fuente de referencia.

The three systems, in one sentence each

Strict per stirpes — the division always begins at the children’s generation, one share per child living or deceased with descendants living; a deceased child’s share splits among that child’s own descendants. In Illinois this is the intestate division among descendants (755 ILCS 5/2-1) and the reading of "per stirpes" in a living trust's gift to a deceased descendant (760 ILCS 3/114).

Per capita with representation — divide at the nearest generation with a surviving member: one share for each survivor there and for each deceased member who left descendants; a deceased member’s share passes down to that member’s own descendants. Illinois’s statutes give no instrument phrase this meaning — a trust that wants it says so in its own words.

Per capita at each generation — divide at the nearest generation with survivors; the deceased members’ shares are combined and divided equally among the next generation’s takers, so equally-near relatives take equally. Illinois’s statutes give no instrument phrase this meaning either — a trust that wants it says so in its own words.

The same family tree can come out differently under different governing words — which is why the instrument controls. In Illinois the statutes say "per stirpes" and leave the term to its ordinary legal meaning (755 ILCS 5/2-1; 760 ILCS 3/114); a trust may define its own scheme or name alternate takers, and reading a particular instrument against the statute is licensed-attorney work.

Try the arithmetic yourself

Model a family shape — who is living, who left children — and see each system’s exact split. Two generations (children and grandchildren); this is the math of each rule, not a suggestion of which to use.

Child 1

Child 2

  • Grandchild 2.1

Child 3

  • Grandchild 3.1
  • Grandchild 3.2
Exact shares under each system for the family modeled above — the systems DIVERGE for this shape
PersonStrict per stirpes (IL default)Per capita w/ representationUPC per capita at each generation
Child 11/3 (33.3%)1/3 (33.3%)1/3 (33.3%)
Grandchild 2.11/3 (33.3%)1/3 (33.3%)2/9 (22.2%)
Grandchild 3.11/6 (16.7%)1/6 (16.7%)2/9 (22.2%)
Grandchild 3.21/6 (16.7%)1/6 (16.7%)2/9 (22.2%)

Arithmetic only — the exact fractions each rule produces for the shape you modeled, with Illinois’s default labeled as the per stirpes division 755 ILCS 5/2-1 provides for an intestate estate. Not advice, and never a statement of which rule YOUR trust uses — the instrument’s own words decide that, and reading them is licensed-attorney work.

El Centro de Aprendizaje es información general sobre la ley de Illinois — no es asesoría legal ni sustituye el consejo de un abogado de Illinois con licencia sobre sus hechos específicos. TrusteeClear es software, no un bufete.