To put a life insurance policy in trust, you complete the insurer's trust form, name your trustees and beneficiaries, sign it (some insurers ask for a witness) and send it, or a copy, to the insurer; the forms of the insurers quoted here can be used when you apply or later. Legal & General (L&G) says "The policyholder can put their personal life insurance policy into trust when they take it out, or at any time after that."

If you are buying cover and want a trust from the start, an FCA-authorised adviser can explain how the insurers they deal with handle trust forms. The form on this page will arrange that introduction, at no charge. Which trust to use is for you and a solicitor or tax adviser.

This page reports what insurers' trust guides and forms, and HMRC, say, as read in October 2026; it is not legal or tax advice, and the rules can change. What a trust is, and the types, are on what a life insurance trust is.

What are the steps to put life insurance in trust?

Details differ, so each step names the insurer that says it.

  1. Pick the form. L&G says "Setting up a trust means completing a form (sometimes known as a ‘trust deed’)." The forms are listed in the next section; whether to use a trust at all is the subject of does life insurance need to be in trust?
  2. Choose trustees. Aviva says "the settlor has to be one of the trustees. There must also be at least one trustee who isn’t a settlor." Royal London's form needs at least one additional trustee, allows up to four, and says they "must have agreed to take on the role before being listed on this trust form." Zurich's Absolute Trust Deed (NP720472007, August 2025) says "We recommend that at least two additional trustees are appointed."
  3. Fill in the form. You give your details, the trustees', the beneficiaries and the policy. L&G's checklist asks, among other things, whether you have inserted the policy number "(if known)" and dated the trust.
  4. Sign it, and have it witnessed where the form asks. L&G's Absolute Trust Deed (W12710, May 2026) and Flexible Trust Deed (W12712, October 2023) both say "Please ensure that all signatures are witnessed by an independent person." Zurich's Absolute Trust Deed says the donor's signature "must be witnessed by an individual who is neither a trustee nor a beneficiary under the trust, nor your spouse or civil partner." Royal London's Discretionary Trust form (A P9 PD 0002/4) describes signing by the donors, either physically or electronically.
  5. Send it to the insurer. L&G's deeds go to its Trust Team in Hove. Royal London asks for a copy ("a scanned copy or a clear digital photograph") and says "You should not send us the original form". Zurich says its form "contains 4 pages that must be returned to us". Aviva says it "will not need to see the trust deed before the insurance policy starts" but that you or your adviser will be asked to send a copy once it is executed.

Which trust forms do insurers use?

InsurerTrust forms namedWhere it says so
AvivaBare trust and discretionary trustGuide to trusts (EDCO0853 0126)
Legal & GeneralAbsolute, Discretionary, Survivor's Discretionary and FlexibleProtection trusts page
Royal LondonDiscretionary Trust and Bare Trust, plus a Deed of AssignmentTrust forms page
ZurichAbsolute Trust Deed (the form quoted on this page)NP720472007, August 2025

Some forms are tied to particular policies. L&G lists products it says can be put in trust, including Whole of Life Protection Plan and Over 50's Life Insurance, and products that cannot, including "Income Protection Benefit". Royal London says of its Discretionary Trust form that it "cannot be used for pension plans". For income protection on its own, see can you put an income protection policy in trust?

Can you put an existing life insurance policy in trust?

It depends on the insurer and the policy. L&G's Flexible Trust Deed says the trust "can be used for new or existing Legal & General protection policies." It is "designed for use with applications for new policies or assignment of existing policies but not both within the same Deed", so a person with one of each needs two deeds. L&G adds that a policy already given as security for a loan, for example, may mean "a trust cannot be used".

Royal London's Discretionary Trust form says it "can be used with an existing plan (a plan already in force) or within the application process so that the trust applies from the plan start date." The same form says it "can only be used with" Royal London protection plans "issued by Royal London after November 2015" and certain older Bright Grey and Scottish Provident plans. Vitality's guide (last updated 10 September 2025) tells anyone moving an existing policy into trust to "be careful that you don’t invalidate your insurance".

If you are weighing a new policy against putting an old one in trust, an FCA-authorised adviser can say how the insurers they work with handle each. Leave your details with the form on this page and one will get in touch.

How do you put a joint life insurance policy in trust?

Both policyholders take part. Aviva's guide makes both owners settlors of the trust and says "One of them cannot do it on their own." L&G likewise says "both of the policyholders must agree to place their policy in trust".

On a joint policy that pays on the first death, the form decides whether the survivor can receive the money. Zurich's Absolute Trust Deed says not to use it "If your policy is a joint owner/joint life first death policy, because the surviving owner will not be able to benefit from the proceeds of the policy payable on death." L&G says that if the policyholders want the survivor to be a beneficiary "they should consider using our Survivors Discretionary Trust." Aviva's trusts carry a Survivorship Option: if the settlors select it, a first-death payout goes to the survivor provided they outlive the other person by 30 days; if they do not, it goes to the trust. How joint cover itself works is in what a joint life insurance policy is, and the trust choices are in joint life insurance in trust.

Does a life insurance trust have to be registered with HMRC?

Often not while the insured person is alive, but checking HMRC's conditions falls to the trustees. HMRC's Trust Registration Service Manual (TRSM23030, updated 7 August 2026) excludes trusts of life policies during that time, on the condition that "The policy must only pay out: on the death, terminal or critical illness or permanent or temporary disablement of the person assured, or to meet the cost of healthcare services provided to the person assured."

The manual adds that where a trust holds "any other policy not meeting the above conditions or any other non-insurance assets, the exclusion does not apply." Whole of life and term policies are treated alike, and a trust holding a policy with a surrender value can stay excluded until the policy is cashed in: "If a policy is surrendered and the cash sum is retained in the trust, the trust would be required to register from that point." HMRC's guidance Check if you need to register a trust (updated 13 July 2026) lists such life insurance trusts among those that need not register unless the trust is liable to UK tax.

After a death, provided the policy met those conditions, the exclusion runs on for two years; if the money has not been distributed by then, "the trust is from that point required to register on TRS". Royal London's form puts the duty on the trustees: "It is, however, the responsibility of the trustees to register and identify when to register the trust." This is HMRC's general position, not tax advice, and it can change; more is on what a life insurance trust is.

Do insurers charge for the form, and what do they say about advice?

L&G says "Our trust service is free and simple to use." Royal London's guide says "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." More is in the cost of putting life insurance in trust, and wider questions in the trusts and tax guides.

For the trust itself, the insurers point elsewhere. Aviva says "We cannot advise on whether putting a life insurance policy into a trust would be suitable for your particular circumstances", and Royal London recommends separate legal and tax advice before signing.

If you would like cover arranged with a trust in mind, filling in the form here will put you in touch with an FCA-authorised adviser for the policy side; the trust decision stays with you and your solicitor.

Frequently asked questions

Can a trust take out a life insurance policy?

In effect, yes, on Royal London's form: used with a new application, it says the donor "requests and directs the Company to issue the Plan to the Trustees", so the trustees hold the policy from the start.

Can you put an existing whole of life policy in trust?

L&G lists its Whole of Life Protection Plan among products it says can be put in trust, and its deeds cover existing policies. Zurich's Absolute Trust Deed notes that putting a policy already in force into trust is a potentially exempt transfer (a gift) for inheritance tax which, in general, is "based on the market value of the policy at the time"; how that works for whole of life cover is in whole of life insurance and inheritance tax.

Sources