Finding Balance...

How accurate does a Trust accounting have to be in order to be approved by the Court? I always say that every accounting balances, it is just a matter of finding the right information. Still, it can be frustrating to put together a year or two (or three or four) of information and not have the accounting balance.

A Trust accounting is a very unique thing. It is unlike any other type of accounting (and very much unlike a corporate accounting). But Trust accountings are also easy to understand—in theory.

Trust Accountings start with the charges—those are the list of things that come into the Trustee’s possession (what the Trustee is charged with possessing). The first charge includes all the assets on hand when the accounting begins. Then you add in all income received and any gains on the sale of assets. Each of these items has a separate schedule showing the detailed information. You then total all these amounts and that gives you the total charges.

Next you look at the total credits. Credits start with disbursements, amounts that are paid out by the Trustee for bills and expenses; then distributions to beneficiaries and losses on sale. The final piece is a list of the assets on hand at the end of the accounting period. Again, each of these items has a corresponding schedule that details the information. You add up the total for each of these items and that gives you the total credits.

For a Trust accounting to balance the charges must equal the credits. The summary of charges and credits typically looks like this:

Charges

Assets on Hand at Beginning of Accounting (Schedule A)……………… $1,000,000

Income Received (Schedule B)…………………………………………………………………………….. $100,000

Gains of Sale (Schedule C)…………………………………………………………………………………………. $50,000

Total Charges……………………………………………………………. $1,150,000

Credits

Disbursements (Schedule D)…………………………………………………………………………………… $75,000

Distributions (Schedule E)……………………………………………………………………………………… $500,000

Losses of Sale (Schedule F)……………………………………………………………………………………….. $25,000

Assets on Hand at End of Accounting (Schedule G)……………………………….. $550,000

Total Credits…………………………………………………………….. $1,150,000

As long as the total charges match the total credits, the accounting balances. If those two numbers are off, then there may be a problem.

But how far off does an accounting have to be in order to have a real problem? Typically small discrepancies will be allowed. For example, a $40 or $50 discrepancy is not enough of a problem to warrant any type of court order. Of course, it really depends on the size of the estate and the judge who is passing judgment on the accounting.

There is always an answer somewhere as to why any accounting is off. Accountings are just a collection of numbers. Usually the problem lies in a missing bank statement that has some bank charges or fees listed on them. Once all the information is located, it can be properly entered and the accounting should balance.

It is not a hard job to prepare an accounting, it just takes a lot of time, patience, and perseverance. Good luck!