Le texte intégral de ce guide est en anglais ; le résumé ci-dessus est dans votre langue. Les résumés des lois et l'anglais restent la source de référence.
Core duties · 6 min de lecture
Keeping the qualified beneficiaries informed
G.L. c. 203E, § 813(a) provides that a trustee keeps the qualified beneficiaries reasonably informed about the administration of the trust and, unless unreasonable under the circumstances, promptly responds to a qualified beneficiary's request for information related to the administration. The qualified beneficiaries are the beneficiaries who, on the date their qualification is determined, are distributees or permissible distributees of trust income or principal, or would be if the trust terminated on that date (§ 103).
G.L. c. 203E, § 813 has no provision for a copy of the trust instrument on a beneficiary's request. The code speaks of the instrument elsewhere: a recipient of a certification of trust may require copies of the excerpts that designate the trustee and confer the power to act in the pending transaction (§ 1013(e)), and a copy sent with the notice of § 604(a)(2) starts the 60-day branch of the period to contest a trust that was revocable at the settlor's death. What a particular request calls for is a question for a licensed Massachusetts attorney of your choosing.
The account: at least annually and at termination
G.L. c. 203E, § 813(c) provides that a trustee sends an account to the distributees and permissible distributees of trust income or principal, and to other qualified beneficiaries who request it, at least annually and at the termination of the trust. The account of trust income and principal may be formal or informal, but it includes information relating to the trust property, liabilities, receipts and disbursements, including the amount of the trustee's compensation, a listing of the trust assets and, if feasible, their respective market values.
The statute prescribes contents, not a form. No trust is subject to continuing judicial supervision unless the court orders it (G.L. c. 203E, § 201(b)); an account rendered to the probate court covers a period distinctly stated, consists of three schedules, and states the trustee's receipts of principal and income separately and the payments and charges on each separately (G.L. c. 206, § 2).
The waiver, the instrument and the revocable period
A beneficiary may waive the right to a trustee's account or other information the section requires, and may withdraw a waiver previously given as to future accounts and information; a waiver does not relieve the trustee from accountability and potential liability for matters the account or information would have disclosed (G.L. c. 203E, § 813(d)). The terms of a trust prevail over the code except for ten listed rules, and the duties of § 813 are not among them (§ 105(b)).
While a trust is revocable and the settlor has capacity to revoke it, the rights of the beneficiaries are subject to the control of the settlor and the trustee's duties are owed exclusively to the settlor (G.L. c. 203E, § 603(a)). Whether a particular instrument varies a duty, and when the settlor's control ended, are questions a licensed Massachusetts attorney of your choosing answers from the instrument and the facts.
The six-month period a final account can start
G.L. c. 203E, § 1005(a) provides that, unless previously barred by adjudication, consent or limitation, a claim against a trustee for breach of trust is barred as to a beneficiary who has received a final account or other statement fully disclosing the matter and showing termination of the trust relationship between the trustee and the beneficiary, unless a proceeding to assert the claim is commenced within 6 months after receipt; and that a claim is barred in any event, notwithstanding lack of full disclosure, after 3 years against a trustee who issued a final account or statement the beneficiary received and informed the beneficiary of the location and availability of records for examination. A beneficiary is deemed to have received it if, being an adult, the beneficiary receives it personally or, being a minor or disabled person, the representative described in article 3 receives it. Where those bars do not apply, a beneficiary may not commence a proceeding more than 3 years after the beneficiary or a representative knew or reasonably should have known of a potential claim (§ 1005(b)), and otherwise a proceeding is commenced within 5 years after the first of the trustee's removal, resignation or death, the termination of the beneficiary's interest, or the termination of the trust (§ 1005(c)).
Whether a particular final account fully disclosed a matter, and when a period began, are questions a licensed Massachusetts attorney of your choosing answers from the account itself.
Les textes de loi, mot pour mot
Limitation of action against trustee
G.L. c. 203E, § 1005 ↗Explication claire et simple ; le texte intégral de la loi n'est pas encore attesté dans notre bibliothèque. Consultez la loi officielle via le lien ci-dessus.
Default and mandatory rules
G.L. c. 203E, § 105 ↗Explication claire et simple ; le texte intégral de la loi n'est pas encore attesté dans notre bibliothèque. Consultez la loi officielle via le lien ci-dessus.
Duty to inform and report
G.L. c. 203E, § 813 ↗Explication claire et simple ; le texte intégral de la loi n'est pas encore attesté dans notre bibliothèque. Consultez la loi officielle via le lien ci-dessus.
Forms of accounts
G.L. c. 206, § 2 ↗Explication claire et simple ; le texte intégral de la loi n'est pas encore attesté dans notre bibliothèque. Consultez la loi officielle via le lien ci-dessus.
Questions fréquentes
Who receives a Massachusetts trustee's account?
The distributees and permissible distributees of trust income or principal, and other qualified beneficiaries who request it (G.L. c. 203E, § 813(c)). A charitable organization expressly designated to receive distributions under a charitable trust, and a person appointed to enforce a trust for an animal or another non-charitable purpose, have the rights of a qualified beneficiary as the statute provides (§ 110(b), (c)).
What must a Massachusetts trustee's account contain?
Information relating to the trust property, liabilities, receipts and disbursements, including the amount of the trustee's compensation, a listing of the trust assets and, if feasible, their respective market values; the account of trust income and principal may be formal or informal (G.L. c. 203E, § 813(c)). No form is prescribed; an account rendered to the probate court follows G.L. c. 206, § 2.
Can a beneficiary give up the account?
A beneficiary may waive the right to a trustee's account or other information and may withdraw the waiver as to future accounts; the waiver does not relieve the trustee from accountability and potential liability for matters the account would have disclosed (G.L. c. 203E, § 813(d)). The terms of the trust may also vary the duty, which is not among the rules of § 105(b).
Lectures liées
Le Centre d'apprentissage est de l'information générale sur la loi du Massachusetts — pas un avis juridique, ni un substitut aux conseils d'un avocat du Massachusetts agréé sur vos faits précis. TrusteeClear est un logiciel, pas un cabinet.