Trust company fees: what professional trustees charge
The short answer
Most trust companies charge a yearly percentage of trust assets, stepping down as the trust grows, with an annual minimum. Estate settlement is often a separate percentage, and unusual work is billed by the hour. In two published schedules, first-tier annual rates were 1.25% and 1.55%, with minimums from $2,500 to $15,000.
You may be thinking of naming a trust company because the people you'd ask are busy, far away or your own age. The next question is fair and practical: what does it cost?
The honest answer is that fees vary a lot from one company to the next. So instead of guessing, this page walks through two real fee schedules that trust companies publish, and explains each piece. It is part of our guide to paying for care and protecting what you leave.
What are you paying a trust company for?
A trustee manages the money and property in a trust and follows its instructions. A trust company doing that job is a fiduciary, which means legally required to act in your interest and follow what you wrote.
The fee usually covers record keeping, statements, routine payments and, at many companies, investment management. Deutsche Bank Wealth Management's fee schedule lists what its trustee role includes. That means investment management, custody, records, statements, routine and special payments, and fiduciary tax returns.
Fees tend to come in four parts:
- An annual fee, usually a percentage of assets.
- A minimum annual fee, for smaller trusts.
- Separate charges for extraordinary work, often hourly.
- A fee to settle an estate as executor, or to close the trust at the end.
Two published fee schedules, side by side
These are the companies' own documents, opened in October 2026. They show how far apart two companies can be.
| Item | Members Trust Company (SECU Trust Services) | Deutsche Bank Wealth Management |
|---|---|---|
| Schedule date | April 2024 | November 2025 |
| Annual trustee fee | 1.25% of first $1 million, 1.00% next $1 million, 0.85% next $1 million, 0.75% next $3 million | 1.55% of first $2 million, 1.00% next $3 million, 0.65% next $5 million, 0.50% above |
| Minimum annual fee | $2,500 for revocable living trusts ($3,000 irrevocable, $3,500 special needs) | $15,000 |
| Minimum account size | $250,000 in investable assets | Not stated |
| Acting as executor | 5% of probate assets | 5% of the first $100,000, stepping down to 2% above $5 million (minimum $100,000) |
| Closing or settling a trust | 3% of trust assets for trust settlement | $2,500 to $7,500, by trust size |
| Extraordinary work | Hourly rates or a fixed fee | Example: $275 an hour for real estate work |
Sources: SECU Trust Services fee schedule, Deutsche Bank Wealth Management fiduciary fee schedule.
Two schedules are not a survey of the industry. They are a fair picture of how fees are built, and of how wide the range can be.
How the annual percentage works
Most annual fees are tiered. You pay one rate on the first slice of assets and lower rates on each slice above it.
Applying the published schedules to a $500,000 trust, for example:
- Members Trust Company: 1.25% of $500,000 is $6,250 a year, which is above its $2,500 minimum.
- Deutsche Bank Wealth Management: 1.55% of $500,000 is $7,750, but its minimum is $15,000 a year.
The arithmetic matters less than the pattern. At smaller trust sizes, the minimum often decides what you pay.
The charges people miss
The annual percentage is the headline. The smaller lines are where surprises come from.
- Real estate. Members Trust Company charges $1,000 a year for each property held in a trust and $1,000 for each purchase or sale.
- Tax preparation. Members Trust Company passes through the tax preparer's actual charge for fiduciary returns.
- Outside costs. Deutsche Bank's annual fee does not include accountants' and attorneys' charges for formal accountings.
Settling an estate costs extra
If a trust company is your executor, expect a separate settlement fee. Both schedules above charge a percentage of the estate. Members Trust Company charges 5% of probate assets, and Deutsche Bank starts at 5% and steps down. Deutsche Bank sets a minimum estate settlement fee of $100,000.
That fee sits on top of court costs and attorney fees if the estate goes through probate. Our pages on probate fees and how much an executor gets paid cover those pieces.
What Washington law says about trustee pay
State law sets the outer limits, and it varies by state. In Washington, a trustee may pay itself "reasonable compensation" considering all circumstances (RCW 11.98.070).
For an executor (called a personal representative in Washington), compensation set in the will is the full compensation unless the executor renounces it. Otherwise the court allows what it deems just and reasonable (RCW 11.48.210).
Questions to ask any trust company
- What is your minimum annual fee, and your minimum account size?
- Is investment management included, or charged separately?
- What counts as extraordinary work, and what are your hourly rates?
- What do you charge to hold or sell a house?
- What is the fee to settle my estate, and to close the trust?
- Will you serve as backup to a family member, and what does that cost while you're standing by?
That last question is worth asking directly, because a backup may wait years before it's needed. Kinly's approach is one example. The membership has an annual fee. If Trella Trust Company steps in and does work, that work is billed by the hour, and you see the rates before anything starts.
For more on how a company compares with a person, see corporate vs individual trustees and attorney, trust company or family. If you're the adult child weighing this for a parent, read caring for aging parents. Our page on caregiver burnout speaks to what happens when the job lands on you.
Common questions
What percentage do trust companies charge?
In the two schedules on this page, first-tier annual rates were 1.25% at Members Trust Company and 1.55% at Deutsche Bank Wealth Management. Rates step down as the trust grows. Always ask for the current written schedule.
Is there a minimum fee for a corporate trustee?
Usually, yes. The minimums in these schedules ran from $2,500 a year at Members Trust Company (for a revocable living trust) to $15,000 a year at Deutsche Bank Wealth Management. For smaller trusts, the minimum often sets the real cost.
Do trust companies charge by the hour?
Mostly for unusual work. Members Trust Company bills extraordinary services, such as litigation or complex real estate, at hourly rates or a fixed fee. Deutsche Bank lists $275 an hour for certain real estate work.
Are trust company fees negotiable?
Some schedules say so. Members Trust Company lists fees above $6 million as negotiable. For smaller trusts, ask; the answer depends on the company.
Sources
This page is general information, not legal or financial advice. Laws vary by state.