Since a Trust can own a business or a share of a business, Trusts are also involved in the Corporate Transparency Act, but under more limited circumstances.
So how do you know if your Trust information will need to be disclosed?
Let’s break it down…
The new rule applies to any company that is created by filing a formation document with the Secretary of State or a similar office, such as corporations and limited liability companies (LLCs).
Non-profits, publicly traded companies, and regulated companies like banks and investment advisors are exempt from the rule. Large companies are also exempt if they have 20 or more full-time employees in the US and generate $5 million in sales. So, if your trust owns a share of any of these types of companies, it does not need to be reported.
If you have an LLC or corporation you created but aren’t actively using to run a business, that company is exempt from reporting due to its inactivity, so your Trust would not be reported in that instance, either.
But, if your Trust owns a share of a small, for-profit company, (like a small family business or local investment) the beneficial owner of the Trust will need to be reported to the Financial Crimes Enforcement Network.
The beneficial owner is the person or people who benefit from the Trust or have the power to make major decisions about the Trust assets. Depending on how your Trust is written, this is usually the trustee, but it can also be the beneficiaries of your Trust.
Make sure to contact us to have your Trust reviewed before 2024 to make sure you report the correct beneficial owner of your Trust.
