Trust Representatives have a serious responsibility to both the trust Beneficiary and to Alabama Family Trust, the Trustee. Representatives are responsible for:
- Requesting disbursements for the Beneficiary and providing Alabama Family Trust with the proper documentation for the disbursement request to be considered. Requests without proper documentation will not be considered for payment.
- Making certain any disbursement requests are submitted before the Beneficiary’s death. Alabama Family Trust is not allowed to pay any expenses, no matter how reasonable or justifiable, after a Beneficiary passes away. Read this blog post Start at the End – Pre-need Funeral Plans as a prime example.
- Contacting Alabama Family Trust to understand why the request has not been approved or paid. Your disbursement request may not have been received and Alabama Family Trust cannot notify a Representative that we have not received a disbursement request when we do not know it is being sent.
- Making certain that disbursement requests are for the sole benefit of the Beneficiary. We will review the request to verify that the request is for the sole benefit of the Beneficiary. Representatives are asked to refrain from submitting requests that are not for the sole benefit of the Beneficiary.
- Filing any individual federal and state income tax returns that may be required for the Beneficiary’s personal taxes. Alabama Family Trust prepares federal and state fiduciary tax returns for the trust, but not for a Beneficiary’s individual taxes.
- Notifying Alabama Family Trust of the death of a Beneficiary and providing a death certificate as soon as possible.