UPDATE2025–26 tax return deadlines are approaching.
Registered Tax Agent · 15+ years

Family Trust Tax Return

Your family trust's annual return, prepared and lodged with the ATO for a fixed fee. Whether it holds investments, runs from a spreadsheet, or just distributed to the family this year.

Fixed pricing 100% online ATO lodgement
Family trust return from
$660
  • Family & discretionary trusts
  • Distribution statements included
  • Beneficiary returns from $150 each
  • Spreadsheet records welcome
The family trust premium

Most family trust returns follow the same shape every year. Your fee should reflect that.

A family trust that holds investments and distributes to the family each year is well-trodden work: statements in, distributions confirmed, return out. Traditional firms still price it as bespoke advisory.

Typical accounting firm
$1,500–$3,000

Hourly billing at trust-specialist rates, for a return built mostly from statements you already have.

VS
ReturnTax
From $660

Fixed fee. Prepared by an experienced accountant. 100% online. You pay for the work, not the office.

Unit trust, or a trading trust with employees? See our standard trust tax return service →

How we're different

A better way to get the family trust return done

01 / Fixed fee

Transparent pricing

$660 for a standard family trust return, on the page before you start. Genuinely complex trusts get a fixed-fee quote in writing, never an hourly rate.

02 / Records

Start from what you have

Reconciled software, broker and bank statements, or a tidy spreadsheet all work. Many family trusts don't need accounting software, and we won't make you buy one.

03 / Together

Whole family, one place

Trust, bucket company and beneficiary returns prepared together, so distributions line up across every return.

Family trust return pricing

One price for the standard year

Complex

Trading activity with payroll, many beneficiaries, overdue years

Custom quote
  • Everything in the standard return
  • Trading activity & payroll
  • Multiple overdue years
  • Combined family quotes
Get a quote
NOTEFixed fees assume tax-ready records: reconciled accounts in any major software, clean broker, bank and managed fund statements, or a tidy spreadsheet. Beneficiary personal returns from $150 each. Not sure where your records stand? Tell us what you have and we'll let you know before any work begins.
The process

How it works

01

Tell us about your trust

Who the trustee is, what the trust holds, and where the records live. A spreadsheet is a fine answer.

02

Onboard online

Complete a short form and share your records or statements. About 10 minutes of your time.

03

We prepare the return

Your accountant prepares the return, financial statements and a distribution statement for each beneficiary.

04

Review and lodge

Review the completed return, approve it, and we lodge with the ATO. Done for the year.

Frequently asked questions

Common questions about family trust returns

How much does a family trust tax return cost?

$660 inc GST for a family or discretionary trust with tax-ready records, including financial statements and beneficiary distribution statements. Trading trusts, many beneficiaries or overdue years get a custom fixed-fee quote in writing first. For what firms typically charge, see our trust tax return cost guide.

Is a family trust the same as a discretionary trust?

Mostly, yes: a family trust is a discretionary trust run for a family group, and the tax return is the same either way. Whichever your deed calls it, this is the right page and the price is the same.

The trust just earns interest and dividends and lives in a spreadsheet. Is that enough?

Yes. A tidy spreadsheet, or your bank, broker and managed fund statements, is a fine starting point, and many family trusts never need accounting software. Send us what you have and we'll let you know if anything needs sorting before we start.

Does our corporate trustee need to lodge its own company tax return?

Often the trustee company exists only to act as trustee and earns nothing in its own right. What the ATO requires from it depends on its circumstances, so we confirm that as part of the trust engagement. Where a return is needed, it is usually a dormant-style company return at $330.

The trust was only set up this year. What needs to happen?

Its first tax return, covering establishment to 30 June. We check the registrations are in place, prepare the first financial statements and distribution statements, and lodge. First-year trusts are usually the standard $660.

Do you prepare the beneficiary distribution statements?

Yes. Beneficiary distribution statements, financial statements and franking credit reconciliation are all included in the standard return.

Can you do the beneficiaries' returns and the bucket company too?

Yes, and it is usually the right move, so distributions line up across every return. Beneficiary personal returns are from $150 each alongside the trust return, and a bucket company is handled as an investment company return. Ask for a combined quote.

What about the proposed 30% minimum tax on family trusts?

An announced measure, proposed to apply to discretionary trusts from 1 July 2028, with tax applying at the trustee level and beneficiaries receiving a credit for it. It is not yet law and changes nothing for your current return. Our guide to how family trusts are taxed covers it.

Get the family trust return off your list

Most clients are onboarded and lodged within two weeks.

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