Trying to figure out which Trust fits? A free role check shows you where you stand.
Start the free role checkCommon types of Trusts in Pennsylvania
Revocable living Trust
Created during life and changeable anytime; commonly used to avoid probate and plan for incapacity. You keep control — so it is not asset protection.
Irrevocable Trust
Generally can't be changed or revoked once created; you give up control in exchange for benefits some irrevocable Trusts can offer, such as certain tax or planning goals. Fact-specific — for an attorney to design.
Testamentary Trust
Created by your will and funded only after death, through probate. Useful for leaving assets to minors or in stages.
Special needs (supplemental needs) Trust
Holds assets for a beneficiary with disabilities without disrupting needs-based public benefits like Medicaid or SSI, when properly drafted.
Spendthrift Trust
Includes a spendthrift provision that restrains a beneficiary's ability to transfer their interest and limits some creditors' reach (20 Pa.C.S. §7742), within limits.
Charitable Trust
Benefits a charitable purpose; certain forms can combine giving with income or tax planning. Design and compliance are an attorney/advisor matter.
Trust for a pet
A Pennsylvania trust for the care of an animal alive during the settlor's lifetime (20 Pa.C.S. §7738); it ends at the death of the last animal it covers, and a person the trust or the court appoints can enforce it.
Which type of Trust fits your goals?
Trusts are tools — the right one (if any) depends entirely on your goals, your family, your assets, and tax considerations. This page is general information, not legal advice. A free role check can show you where you stand, and a Pennsylvania attorney can design what fits your situation.
General information about Pennsylvania law, not legal advice.
Frequently asked questions
- What kinds of trusts does Pennsylvania recognize?
- Revocable and irrevocable trusts (20 Pa.C.S. §7752), spendthrift trusts (§7742), discretionary trusts (§7744), charitable trusts, trusts for the care of an animal (§7738), and directed trusts with a trust director or protector (§§7780.15, 7780.17), among others.
- Can a Pennsylvania trust be oral?
- No. Oral trusts are unenforceable in Pennsylvania (20 Pa.C.S. §7737); a trust is created by a signed writing (§7732).
General information about Pennsylvania law, not legal advice.