Are Family Trusts Still Worth It In 2026?

Family Trusts can be a seriously powerful structure for income distribution and asset protection, but they only work well when you’re across the rules and the deadlines. We talk through how trust distributions actually work, what needs to be documented before 30 June, and what changes in ATO reporting mean now that trust distributions are showing on pre-fill reports. If you’ve got a family trust or you’re thinking about setting one up, this is the stuff you want to be across so it does what it’s meant to do.

On this episode, we discuss:

(00:00) Intro
(00:19) Family Trusts: Powerful Structure Or Problematic?
(01:14) How Income Splitting Works In A Family Trust
(02:27) Asset Protection And Why Sole Traders Can Be Exposed
(04:00) The 30 June Deadline For Trust Distribution Minutes
(06:39) The Tax Strategy Of Distributing To Adult Children
(07:22) Trust Distributions Will Show On ATO Pre Fill Reports
(10:14) Section 100A: The Rules On Reimbursement Agreements
(13:04) The Risks Of Distributing Trust Income To Pensioners
(14:20) Buying Property In A Family Trust
(16:08) Why Banks Are Tightening Family Trust Lending Right Now
(20:07) The Cost Of Moving Company Shares Into A Trust Later
(23:44) The Family Trust Compliance Checklist For 2026

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Hosts:
Nick Reilly
Jason Robinson

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