The cost of putting life insurance in trust is often nothing from the insurer: Legal & General (L&G) calls its trust service free, and Royal London's guide expects insurers generally to make no charge when a policy goes into trust. Costs can arise elsewhere: a solicitor or financial adviser if you pay for advice, and a professional trustee if you appoint one.

If a trust is part of what you are weighing for a new policy, a broker with FCA authorisation will talk through the choices; use the form on this page and they ring back at no charge.

What do insurers charge for their trust forms?

L&G's Protection trusts page (undated, read 26 October 2026) answers the question head-on: "Our trust service is free and simple to use." Royal London's customer guide, published 13 October 2025, is more general. It says that "Insurers will generally not charge for putting a life policy into trust, but more complex trusts could involve legal fees, especially if you use a solicitor."

Aviva's knowledge centre article (last updated 30 June 2026) puts the cost where the advice sits rather than in the form. It says that "If you want to put an existing policy in trust, you might need a financial adviser or a solicitor’s help and bear in mind that might cost." Its separate trust page adds that advisers may charge for their advice, usually with a number of ways to pay.

LV= offers an Online Trusts tool for its protection policies, which picks one of its trust forms from your answers and collects signatures electronically. What it costs, if anything, for your own policy is a point a broker can clear up for you by phone.

Taking a trust does not by itself change what you pay for cover. Royal London's guide answers the question about premiums directly: "No, writing your policy in trust does not affect the cost of your premiums."

When do people use a solicitor, and what for?

Insurers supply ready-made trust forms, and the ones quoted here still point you towards advice. Royal London's trust forms page for existing customers says: "We strongly recommend that you take separate legal and taxation advice prior to signing the trust form and while the trust is in existence." The same page notes that the Financial Conduct Authority and the Prudential Regulation Authority do not regulate legal advice, taxation advice and trust advice.

Aviva's guide to trusts (January 2026 edition, EDCO0853 0126) explains the choice. A trust can be written by a solicitor, it says, but insurers such as Aviva also provide ready-made specimen trusts for the life policies they sell, and those are not usually suitable for anything else. Aviva still recommends taking legal advice before setting one up, particularly with questions about your circumstances.

Zurich's absolute trust deed (NP720472007 08/25) is "provided in draft form for consideration by your legal advisers", who are responsible for fitting it to your circumstances. LV= says its tool does not advise whether a trust suits you, and for anyone in doubt it recommends a financial adviser or a solicitor. In its online tool, LV= also warns that "you shouldn’t use our trusts if your financial arrangements are complex."

The types of trust are in life insurance trust options; whether to use one at all is in does life insurance need to be in trust.

Can you put life insurance in trust without a solicitor?

Insurers let you use their own forms directly: Aviva's trust page says to fill in its application form and send it to Aviva, and LV= describes an online tool that collects the signatures electronically. Each insurer's steps and forms are in our walk-through of writing a policy in trust. Whether a given insurer's form suits your family is something a broker can discuss on the call-back.

These insurers still recommend taking advice for the reasons above, and a trust is hard to undo: LV= says placing a policy in trust is normally irrevocable. For a joint policy there are extra points, covered in joint life insurance in trust.

What do trustees have to do, and does it cost anything?

L&G says that where a protection policy is the only thing in the trust, the trustees "will usually not have much to do until the time comes to make a claim". They must act in the best interests of the beneficiaries, and "Trustees are not allowed to profit personally from their role as trustee." L&G also says trustees need to tell it if their contact details change, so that it can pay the trustees quickly.

Zurich's guide for trustees (October 2022 edition, written on law and practice as at May 2021) says trustees send in the policy document and the death certificate, and that where the trust carries on, for example because a beneficiary is under 18, the trustees must keep proper records and make appropriate tax returns. It adds that the trustees may decide to use a solicitor to guide them while the trust remains in force.

Aviva's guide says trustees must keep a record of "any decisions they make, actions they take, advice they have taken and any costs the trust has had to pay", and that a trustee who fails to follow the trust terms or their duties is personally liable to make good the trust fund's financial loss. The guide adds that this liability is limited to breaches arising from the trustee's own fraud, wilful misconduct or gross negligence, except for a trustee acting in a professional capacity. Aviva says a professional trustee "will usually charge for their services", while Zurich's guide adds that a professional trustee such as a solicitor or accountant can make reasonable charges for work done for the trust.

Could registering the trust add a cost?

GOV.UK's guidance on registering a trust (last updated 13 July 2026) lists, among trusts that do not need to be registered unless they are liable to UK tax, "a trust holding life insurance policies that only pay out on death, illness, or disability". HMRC's Trust Registration Service manual page on insurance policies says that exclusion lasts for two years after the death, giving trustees time to pay the money out, and that if a policy is surrendered and the cash kept in the trust, the trust has to register from then. For a trust that does have to register, GOV.UK warns that failing to do so means "you may need to pay a £5,000 penalty". Tax rules can change. The wider picture is in trusts and tax and what a life insurance trust is.

Weighing up a trust with a new policy? Add your name and number to the quote form and a broker will talk it through at no cost.

Frequently asked questions

Does a life insurance trust cost anything each month?

Writing a policy in trust does not change the premium, according to Royal London's guide. Any ongoing cost would come from help you choose to pay for, such as a professional trustee, who Aviva says will usually charge for their services.

Can I get a quote for life insurance in trust?

You can ask for a quote for the policy and for how the insurer handles trusts in the same conversation. A broker can go through the trust forms the insurers they work with provide once you have sent your details on the form.

Is there a cost to changing who benefits later?

That depends on the type of trust and the insurer's forms. How each insurer handles changes is set out in changing the beneficiary on life insurance.

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