Estate under administration or held in trust

Key requirements

Administration starts the day after death and ends when the representative has completed the steps to ascertain the residue and administer the estate. IRAS generally treats it as ending on 31 December in the year the grant is issued unless the representative advises otherwise; the actual facts remain relevant. During administration, beneficiaries are generally not entitled to income unless the will specifically gives immediate entitlement. Afterwards, remaining assets may be held in trust, with fixed-trust beneficiaries potentially entitled under the terms. Record the relevant dates and instrument rather than treating a probate grant alone as an immediate switch for every receipt.