PROPERTY CODE
TITLE 9. TRUSTS
SUBTITLE B. TEXAS TRUST CODE: CREATION, OPERATION, AND
TERMINATION OF TRUSTS
CHAPTER 116. UNIFORM PRINCIPAL AND INCOME ACT
SUBCHAPTER A. DEFINITIONS, FIDUCIARY DUTIES, AND OTHER
MISCELLANEOUS PROVISIONS
Sec. 116.001. SHORT TITLE. This chapter may be cited as the
Uniform Principal and Income Act.
Added by Acts 2003, 78th Leg., ch. 659, Sec. 1, eff. Jan. 1,
2004.
Sec. 116.002. DEFINITIONS. In this chapter:
(1) "Accounting period" means a calendar year unless another
12-month period is selected by a fiduciary. The term includes a
portion of a calendar year or other 12-month period that begins
when an income interest begins or ends when an income interest
ends.
(2) "Beneficiary" includes, in the case of a decedent's estate,
an heir, legatee, and devisee and, in the case of a trust, an
income beneficiary and a remainder beneficiary.
(3) "Fiduciary" means a personal representative or a trustee.
The term includes an executor, administrator, successor personal
representative, special administrator, and a person performing
substantially the same function.
(4) "Income" means money or property that a fiduciary receives
as current return from a principal asset. The term includes a
portion of receipts from a sale, exchange, or liquidation of a
principal asset, to the extent provided in Subchapter D.
(5) "Income beneficiary" means a person to whom net income of a
trust is or may be payable.
(6) "Income interest" means the right of an income beneficiary
to receive all or part of net income, whether the terms of the
trust require it to be distributed or authorize it to be
distributed in the trustee's discretion.
(7) "Mandatory income interest" means the right of an income
beneficiary to receive net income that the terms of the trust
require the fiduciary to distribute.
(8) "Net income" means the total receipts allocated to income
during an accounting period minus the disbursements made from
income during the period, plus or minus transfers under this
chapter to or from income during the period.
(9) "Person" has the meaning assigned by Section 111.004.
(10) "Principal" means property held in trust for distribution
to a remainder beneficiary when the trust terminates.
(11) "Remainder beneficiary" means a person entitled to receive
principal when an income interest ends.
(12) "Terms of a trust" means the manifestation of the intent of
a settlor or decedent with respect to the trust, expressed in a
manner that admits of its proof in a judicial proceeding, whether
by written or spoken words or by conduct.
(13) "Trustee" has the meaning assigned by Section 111.004.
Added by Acts 2003, 78th Leg., ch. 659, Sec. 1, eff. Jan. 1,
2004.
Amended by:
Acts 2007, 80th Leg., R.S., Ch.
451, Sec. 12, eff. September 1, 2007.
Sec. 116.003. UNIFORMITY OF APPLICATION AND CONSTRUCTION. In
applying and construing this Uniform Act, consideration must be
given to the need to promote uniformity of the law with respect
to its subject matter among states that enact it.
Added by Acts 2003, 78th Leg., ch. 659, Sec. 1, eff. Jan. 1,
2004.
Sec. 116.004. FIDUCIARY DUTIES; GENERAL PRINCIPLES. (a) In
allocating receipts and disbursements to or between principal and
income, and with respect to any matter within the scope of
Subchapters B and C, a fiduciary:
(1) shall administer a trust or estate in accordance with the
terms of the trust or the will, even if there is a different
provision in this chapter;
(2) may administer a trust or estate by the exercise of a
discretionary power of administration given to the fiduciary by
the terms of the trust or the will, even if the exercise of the
power produces a result different from a result required or
permitted by this chapter;
(3) shall administer a trust or estate in accordance with this
chapter if the terms of the trust or the will do not contain a
different provision or do not give the fiduciary a discretionary
power of administration; and
(4) shall add a receipt or charge a disbursement to principal to
the extent that the terms of the trust and this chapter do not
provide a rule for allocating the receipt or disbursement to or
between principal and income.
(b) In exercising the power to adjust under Section 116.005(a)
or a discretionary power of administration regarding a matter
within the scope of this chapter, whether granted by the terms of
a trust, a will, or this chapter, a fiduciary shall administer a
trust or estate impartially, based on what is fair and reasonable
to all of the beneficiaries, except to the extent that the terms
of the trust or the will clearly manifest an intention that the
fiduciary shall or may favor one or more of the beneficiaries. A
determination in accordance with this chapter is presumed to be
fair and reasonable to all of the beneficiaries.
Added by Acts 2003, 78th Leg., ch. 659, Sec. 1, eff. Jan. 1,
2004.
Sec. 116.005. TRUSTEE'S POWER TO ADJUST. (a) A trustee may
adjust between principal and income to the extent the trustee
considers necessary if the trustee invests and manages trust
assets as a prudent investor, the terms of the trust describe the
amount that may or must be distributed to a beneficiary by
referring to the trust's income, and the trustee determines,
after applying the rules in Section 116.004(a), that the trustee
is unable to comply with Section 116.004(b). The power to adjust
conferred by this subsection includes the power to allocate all
or part of a capital gain to trust income.
(b) In deciding whether and to what extent to exercise the power
conferred by Subsection (a), a trustee shall consider all factors
relevant to the trust and its beneficiaries, including the
following factors to the extent they are relevant:
(1) the nature, purpose, and expected duration of the trust;
(2) the intent of the settlor;
(3) the identity and circumstances of the beneficiaries;
(4) the needs for liquidity, regularity of income, and
preservation and appreciation of capital;
(5) the assets held in the trust; the extent to which they
consist of financial assets, interests in closely held
enterprises, tangible and intangible personal property, or real
property; the extent to which an asset is used by a beneficiary;
and whether an asset was purchased by the trustee or received
from the settlor;
(6) the net amount allocated to income under the other sections
of this chapter and the increase or decrease in the value of the
principal assets, which the trustee may estimate as to assets for
which market values are not readily available;
(7) whether and to what extent the terms of the trust give the
trustee the power to invade principal or accumulate income or
prohibit the trustee from invading principal or accumulating
income, and the extent to which the trustee has exercised a power
from time to time to invade principal or accumulate income;
(8) the actual and anticipated effect of economic conditions on
principal and income and effects of inflation and deflation; and
(9) the anticipated tax consequences of an adjustment.
(c) A trustee may not make an adjustment:
(1) that reduces the actuarial value of the income interest in
a trust to which a person transfers property with the intent to
qualify for a gift tax exclusion;
(2) that changes the amount payable to a beneficiary as a fixed
annuity or a fixed fraction of the value of the trust assets;
(3) from any amount that is permanently set aside for charitable
purposes under a will or the terms of a trust unless both income
and principal are so set aside;
(4) if possessing or exercising the power to make an adjustment
causes an individual to be treated as the owner of all or part of
the trust for income tax purposes, and the individual would not
be treated as the owner if the trustee did not possess the power
to make an adjustment;
(5) if possessing or exercising the power to make an adjustment
causes all or part of the trust assets to be included for estate
tax purposes in the estate of an individual who has the power to
remove a trustee or appoint a trustee, or both, and the assets
would not be included in the estate of the individual if the
trustee did not possess the power to make an adjustment;
(6) if the trustee is a beneficiary of the trust; or
(7) if the trustee is not a beneficiary, but the adjustment
would benefit the trustee directly or indirectly.
(d) If Subsection (c)(5), (6), (7), or (8) applies to a trustee
and there is more than one trustee, a cotrustee to whom the
provision does not apply may make the adjustment unless the
exercise of the power by the remaining trustee or trustees is not
permitted by the terms of the trust.
(e) A trustee may release the entire power conferred by
Subsection (a) or may release only the power to adjust from
income to principal or the power to adjust from principal to
income if the trustee is uncertain about whether possessing or
exercising the power will cause a result described in Subsection
(c)(1)-(6) or (c)(8) or if the trustee determines that possessing
or exercising the power will or may deprive the trust of a tax
benefit or impose a tax burden not described in Subsection (c).
The release may be permanent or for a specified period, including
a period measured by the life of an individual.
(f) Terms of a trust that limit the power of a trustee to make
an adjustment between principal and income do not affect the
application of this section unless it is clear from the terms of
the trust that the terms are intended to deny the trustee the
power of adjustment conferred by Subsection (a).
Added by Acts 2003, 78th Leg., ch. 659, Sec. 1, eff. Jan. 1,
2004.
Amended by:
Acts 2005, 79th Leg., Ch.
148, Sec. 25, eff. January 1, 2006.
Sec. 116.006. JUDICIAL CONTROL OF DISCRETIONARY POWER. (a) The
court may not order a trustee to change a decision to exercise or
not to exercise a discretionary power conferred by Section
116.005 of this chapter unless the court determines that the
decision was an abuse of the trustee's discretion. A trustee's
decision is not an abuse of discretion merely because the court
would have exercised the power in a different manner or would not
have exercised the power.
(b) The decisions to which Subsection (a) applies include:
(1) a decision under Section 116.005(a) as to whether and to
what extent an amount should be transferred from principal to
income or from income to principal; and
(2) a decision regarding the factors that are relevant to the
trust and its beneficiaries, the extent to which the factors are
relevant, and the weight, if any, to be given to those factors in
deciding whether and to what extent to exercise the discretionary
power conferred by Section 116.005(a).
(c) If the court determines that a trustee has abused the
trustee's discretion, the court may place the income and
remainder beneficiaries in the positions they would have occupied
if the discretion had not been abused, according to the following
rules:
(1) to the extent that the abuse of discretion has resulted in
no distribution to a beneficiary or in a distribution that is too
small, the court shall order the trustee to distribute from the
trust to the beneficiary an amount that the court determines will
restore the beneficiary, in whole or in part, to the
beneficiary's appropriate position;
(2) to the extent that the abuse of discretion has resulted in a
distribution to a beneficiary which is too large, the court shall
place the beneficiaries, the trust, or both, in whole or in part,
in their appropriate positions by ordering the trustee to
withhold an amount from one or more future distributions to the
beneficiary who received the distribution that was too large or
ordering that beneficiary to return some or all of the
distribution to the trust; and
(3) to the extent that the court is unable, after applying
Subdivisions (1) and (2), to place the beneficiaries, the trust,
or both, in the positions they would have occupied if the
discretion had not been abused, the court may order the trustee
to pay an appropriate amount from its own funds to one or more of
the beneficiaries or the trust or both.
(d) If the trustee of a trust reasonably believes that one or
more beneficiaries of such trust will object to the manner in
which the trustee intends to exercise or not exercise a
discretionary power conferred by Section 116.005, the trustee may
petition the court having jurisdiction over the trust, and the
court shall determine whether the proposed exercise or
nonexercise by the trustee of such discretionary power will
result in an abuse of the trustee's discretion. The trustee
shall state in such petition the basis for its belief that a
beneficiary would object. The failure or refusal of a
beneficiary to sign a waiver or release is not reasonable grounds
for a trustee to believe the beneficiary will object. The court
may appoint one or more guardians ad litem or attorneys ad litem
pursuant to Section 115.014. If the petition describes the
proposed exercise or nonexercise of the power and contains
sufficient information to inform the beneficiaries of the reasons
for the proposal, the facts upon which the trustee relies, and an
explanation of how the income and remainder beneficiaries will be
affected by the proposed exercise or nonexercise of the power, a
beneficiary who challenges the proposed exercise or nonexercise
has the burden of establishing that it will result in an abuse of
discretion. The trustee shall advance from the trust principal
all costs incident to the judicial determination, including the
reasonable attorney's fees and costs of the trustee, any
beneficiary or beneficiaries who are parties to the action and
who retain counsel, any guardian ad litem, and any attorney ad
litem. At the conclusion of the proceeding, the court may award
costs and reasonable and necessary attorney's fees as provided in
Section 114.064, including, if the court considers it
appropriate, awarding part or all of such costs against the trust
principal or income, awarding part or all of such costs against
one or more beneficiaries or such beneficiary's or beneficiaries'
share of the trust, or awarding part or all of such costs against
the trustee in the trustee's individual capacity, if the court
determines that the trustee's exercise or nonexercise of
discretionary power would have resulted in an abuse of discretion
or that the trustee did not have reasonable grounds for believing
one or more beneficiaries would object to the proposed exercise
or nonexercise of the discretionary power.
Added by Acts 2003, 78th Leg., ch. 659, Sec. 1, eff. Jan. 1,
2004.
Amended by:
Acts 2009, 81st Leg., R.S., Ch.
672, Sec. 7, eff. September 1, 2009.
Sec. 116.007. PROVISIONS REGARDING NONCHARITABLE UNITRUSTS. (a)
This section does not apply to a charitable remainder unitrust
as defined by Section 664(d), Internal Revenue Code of 1986 (26
U.S.C. Section 664), as amended.
(b) In this section:
(1) "Unitrust" means a trust the terms of which require
distribution of a unitrust amount.
(2) "Unitrust amount" means a distribution mandated by the terms
of a trust in an amount equal to a fixed percentage of not less
than three or more than five percent per year of the net fair
market value of the trust's assets, valued at least annually. The
unitrust amount may be determined by reference to the net fair
market value of the trust's assets in one year or more than one
year.
(c) Distribution of the unitrust amount is considered a
distribution of all of the income of the unitrust and shall not
be considered a fundamental departure from applicable state law.
A distribution of the unitrust amount reasonably apportions the
total return of a unitrust.
(d) Unless the terms of the trust specifically provide
otherwise, a distribution of the unitrust amount shall be treated
as first being made from the following sources in order of
priority:
(1) from net accounting income determined as if the trust were
not a unitrust;
(2) from ordinary accounting income not allocable to net
accounting income;
(3) from net realized short-term capital gains;
(4) from net realized long-term capital gains; and
(5) from the principal of the trust estate.
Added by Acts 2003, 78th Leg., ch. 659, Sec. 1, eff. Jan. 1,
2004.
SUBCHAPTER B. DECEDENT'S ESTATE OR TERMINATING INCOME INTEREST
Sec. 116.051. DETERMINATION AND DISTRIBUTION OF NET INCOME.
After a decedent dies, in the case of an estate, or after an
income interest in a trust ends, the following rules apply:
(1) A fiduciary of an estate or of a terminating income interest
shall determine the amount of net income and net principal
receipts received from property specifically given to a
beneficiary under the rules in Subchapters C, D, and E which
apply to trustees and the rules in Subdivision (5). The fiduciary
shall distribute the net income and net principal receipts to the
beneficiary who is to receive the specific property.
(2) A fiduciary shall determine the remaining net income of a
decedent's estate or a terminating income interest under the
rules in Subchapters C, D, and E which apply to trustees and by:
(A) including in net income all income from property used to
discharge liabilities;
(B) paying from income or principal, in the fiduciary's
discretion, fees of attorneys, accountants, and fiduciaries;
court costs and other expenses of administration; and interest on
death taxes, but the fiduciary may pay those expenses from income
of property passing to a trust for which the fiduciary claims an
estate tax marital or charitable deduction only to the extent
that the payment of those expenses from income will not cause the
reduction or loss of the deduction; and
(C) paying from principal all other disbursements made or
incurred in connection with the settlement of a decedent's estate
or the winding up of a terminating income interest, including
debts, funeral expenses, disposition of remains, family
allowances, and death taxes and related penalties that are
apportioned to the estate or terminating income interest by the
will, the terms of the trust, or applicable law.
(3) A fiduciary shall distribute to a beneficiary who receives a
pecuniary amount outright the interest or any other amount
provided by the will, the terms of the trust, or applicable law
from net income determined under Subdivision (2) or from
principal to the extent that net income is insufficient. If a
beneficiary is to receive a pecuniary amount outright from a
trust after an income interest ends and no interest or other
amount is provided for by the terms of the trust or applicable
law, the fiduciary shall distribute the interest or other amount
to which the beneficiary would be entitled under applicable law
if the pecuniary amount were required to be paid under a will.
Unless otherwise provided by the will or the terms of the trust,
a beneficiary who receives a pecuniary amount, regardless of
whether in trust, shall be paid interest on the pecuniary amount
at the legal rate of interest as provided by Section 302.002,
Finance Code. Interest on the pecuniary amount is payable:
(A) under a will, beginning on the first anniversary of the date
of the decedent's death; or
(B) under a trust, beginning on the first anniversary of the
date on which an income interest ends.
(4) A fiduciary shall distribute the net income remaining after
distributions required by Subdivision (3) in the manner described
in Section 116.052 to all other beneficiaries even if the
beneficiary holds an unqualified power to withdraw assets from
the trust or other presently exercisable general power of
appointment over the trust.
(5) A fiduciary may not reduce principal or income receipts from
property described in Subdivision (1) because of a payment
described in Section 116.201 or 116.202 to the extent that the
will, the terms of the trust, or applicable law requires the
fiduciary to make the payment from assets other than the property
or to the extent that the fiduciary recovers or expects to
recover the payment from a third party. The net income and
principal receipts from the property are determined by including
all of the amounts the fiduciary receives or pays with respect to
the property, whether those amounts accrued or became due before,
on, or after the date of a decedent's death or an income
interest's terminating event, and by making a reasonable
provision for amounts that the fiduciary believes the estate or
terminating income interest may become obligated to pay after the
property is distributed.
(6) A fiduciary, without reduction for taxes, shall pay to a
charitable organization that is entitled to receive income under
Subdivision (4) any amount allowed as a tax deduction to the
estate or trust for income payable to the charitable
organization.
Added by Acts 2003, 78th Leg., ch. 659, Sec. 1, eff. Jan. 1,
2004.
Sec. 116.052. DISTRIBUTION TO RESIDUARY AND REMAINDER
BENEFICIARIES. (a) Each beneficiary described in Section
116.051(4) is entitled to receive a portion of the net income
equal to the beneficiary's fractional interest in undistributed
principal assets, using values as of the distribution date. If a
fiduciary makes more than one distribution of assets to
beneficiaries to whom this section applies, each beneficiary,
including one who does not receive part of the distribution, is
entitled, as of each distribution date, to the net income the
fiduciary has received after the date of death or terminating
event or earlier distribution date but has not distributed as of
the current distribution date.
(b) In determining a beneficiary's share of net income, the
following rules apply:
(1) The beneficiary is entitled to receive a portion of the net
income equal to the beneficiary's fractional interest in the
undistributed principal assets immediately before the
distribution date, including assets that later may be sold to
meet principal obligations.
(2) The beneficiary's fractional interest in the undistributed
principal assets must be calculated without regard to property
specifically given to a beneficiary and property required to pay
pecuniary amounts not in trust.
(3) The beneficiary's fractional interest in the undistributed
principal assets must be calculated on the basis of the aggregate
value of those assets as of the distribution date without
reducing the value by any unpaid principal obligation.
(4) The distribution date for purposes of this section may be
the date as of which the fiduciary calculates the value of the
assets if that date is reasonably near the date on which assets
are actually distributed.
(c) If a fiduciary does not distribute all of the collected but
undistributed net income to each person as of a distribution
date, the fiduciary shall maintain appropriate records showing
the interest of each beneficiary in that net income.
(d) A fiduciary may apply the rules in this section, to the
extent that the fiduciary considers it appropriate, to net gain
or loss realized after the date of death or terminating event or
earlier distribution date from the disposition of a principal
asset if this section applies to the income from the asset.
Added by Acts 2003, 78th Leg., ch. 659, Sec. 1, eff. Jan. 1,
2004.
SUBCHAPTER C. APPORTIONMENT AT BEGINNING AND END OF INCOME
INTEREST
Sec. 116.101. WHEN RIGHT TO INCOME BEGINS AND ENDS. (a) An
income beneficiary is entitled to net income from the date on
which the income interest begins. An income interest begins on
the date specified in the terms of the trust or, if no date is
specified, on the date an asset becomes subject to a trust or
successive income interest.
(b) An asset becomes subject to a trust:
(1) on the date it is transferred to the trust in the case of an
asset that is transferred to a trust during the transferor's
life;
(2) on the date of a testator's death in the case of an asset
that becomes subject to a trust by reason of a will, even if
there is an intervening period of administration of the
testator's estate; or
(3) on the date of an individual's death in the case of an asset
that is transferred to a fiduciary by a third party because of
the individual's death.
(c) An asset becomes subject to a successive income interest on
the day after the preceding income interest ends, as determined
under Subsection (d), even if there is an intervening period of
administration to wind up the preceding income interest.
(d) An income interest ends on the day before an income
beneficiary dies or another terminating event occurs, or on the
last day of a period during which there is no beneficiary to whom
a trustee may distribute income.
Added by Acts 2003, 78th Leg., ch. 659, Sec. 1, eff. Jan. 1,
2004.
Sec. 116.102. APPORTIONMENT OF RECEIPTS AND DISBURSEMENTS WHEN
DECEDENT DIES OR INCOME INTEREST BEGINS. (a) A trustee shall
allocate an income receipt or disbursement other than one to
which Section 116.051(1) applies to principal if its due date
occurs before a decedent dies in the case of an estate or before
an income interest begins in the case of a trust or successive
income interest.
(b) A trustee shall allocate an income receipt or disbursement
to income if its due date occurs on or after the date on which a
decedent dies or an income interest begins and it is a periodic
due date. An income receipt or disbursement must be treated as
accruing from day to day if its due date is not periodic or it
has no due date. The portion of the receipt or disbursement
accruing before the date on which a decedent dies or an income
interest begins must be allocated to principal and the balance
must be allocated to income.
(c) An item of income or an obligation is due on the date the
payer is required to make a payment. If a payment date is not
stated, there is no due date for the purposes of this chapter.
Distributions to shareholders or other owners from an entity to
which Section 116.151 applies are deemed to be due on the date
fixed by the entity for determining who is entitled to receive
the distribution or, if no date is fixed, on the declaration date
for the distribution. A due date is periodic for receipts or
disbursements that must be paid at regular intervals under a
lease or an obligation to pay interest or if an entity
customarily makes distributions at regular intervals.
Added by Acts 2003, 78th Leg., ch. 659, Sec. 1, eff. Jan. 1,
2004.
Sec. 116.103. APPORTIONMENT WHEN INCOME INTEREST ENDS. (a) In
this section, "undistributed income" means net income received
before the date on which an income interest ends. The term does
not include an item of income or expense that is due or accrued
or net income that has been added or is required to be added to
principal under the terms of the trust.
(b) When a mandatory income interest ends, the trustee shall pay
to a mandatory income beneficiary who survives that date, or the
estate of a deceased mandatory income beneficiary whose death
causes the interest to end, the beneficiary's share of the
undistributed income that is not disposed of under the terms of
the trust unless the beneficiary has an unqualified power to
revoke more than five percent of the trust immediately before the
income interest ends. In the latter case, the undistributed
income from the portion of the trust that may be revoked must be
added to principal.
(c) When a trustee's obligation to pay a fixed annuity or a
fixed fraction of the value of the trust's assets ends, the
trustee shall prorate the final payment if and to the extent
required by applicable law to accomplish a purpose of the trust
or its settlor relating to income, gift, estate, or other tax
requirements.
Added by Acts 2003, 78th Leg., ch. 659, Sec. 1, eff. Jan. 1,
2004.
SUBCHAPTER D. ALLOCATION OF RECEIPTS DURING ADMINISTRATION OF
TRUST
PART 1. RECEIPTS FROM ENTITIES
Sec. 116.151. CHARACTER OF RECEIPTS. (a) In this section,
"entity" means a corporation, partnership, limited liability
company, regulated investment company, real estate investment
trust, common trust fund, or any other organization in which a
trustee has an interest other than a trust or estate to which
Section 116.152 applies, a business or activity to which Section
116.153 applies, or an asset-backed security to which Section
116.178 applies.
(b) Except as otherwise provided in this section, a trustee
shall allocate to income money received from an entity.
(c) A trustee shall allocate the following receipts from an
entity to principal:
(1) property other than money;
(2) money received in one distribution or a series of related
distributions in exchange for part or all of a trust's interest
in the entity;
(3) money received in total or partial liquidation of the
entity; and
(4) money received from an entity that is a regulated investment
company or a real estate investment trust if the money
distributed is a capital gain dividend for federal income tax
purposes.
(d) Money is received in partial liquidation:
(1) to the extent that the entity, at or near the time of a
distribution, indicates that it is a distribution in partial
liquidation; or
(2) if the total amount of money and property received in a
distribution or series of related distributions is greater than
20 percent of the entity's gross assets, as shown by the entity's
year-end financial statements immediately preceding the initial
receipt.
(e) Money is not received in partial liquidation, nor may it be
taken into account under Subsection (d)(2), to the extent that it
does not exceed the amount of income tax that a trustee or
beneficiary must pay on taxable income of the entity that
distributes the money.
(f) A trustee may rely upon a statement made by an entity about
the source or character of a distribution if the statement is
made at or near the time of distribution by the entity's board of
directors or other person or group of persons authorized to
exercise powers to pay money or transfer property comparable to
those of a corporation's board of directors.
Added by Acts 2003, 78th Leg., ch. 659, Sec. 1, eff. Jan. 1,
2004.
Sec. 116.152. DISTRIBUTION FROM TRUST OR ESTATE. A trustee
shall allocate to income an amount received as a distribution of
income from a trust or an estate in which the trust has an
interest other than a purchased interest, and shall allocate to
principal an amount received as a distribution of principal from
such a trust or estate. If a trustee purchases an interest in a
trust that is an investment entity, or a decedent or donor
transfers an interest in such a trust to a trustee, Section
116.151 or 116.178 applies to a receipt from the trust.
Added by Acts 2003, 78th Leg., ch. 659, Sec. 1, eff. Jan. 1,
2004.
Sec. 116.153. BUSINESS AND OTHER ACTIVITIES CONDUCTED BY
TRUSTEE. (a) If a trustee who conducts a business or other
activity determines that it is in the best interest of all the
beneficiaries to account separately for the business or activity
instead of accounting for it as part of the trust's general
accounting records, the trustee may maintain separate accounting
records for its transactions, whether or not its assets are
segregated from other trust assets.
(b) A trustee who accounts separately for a business or other
activity may determine the extent to which its net cash receipts
must be retained for working capital, the acquisition or
replacement of fixed assets, and other reasonably foreseeable
needs of the business or activity, and the extent to which the
remaining net cash receipts are accounted for as principal or
income in the trust's general accounting records. If a trustee
sells assets of the business or other activity, other than in the
ordinary course of the business or activity, the trustee shall
account for the net amount received as principal in the trust's
general accounting records to the extent the trustee determines
that the amount received is no longer required in the conduct of
the business.
(c) Activities for which a trustee may maintain separate
accounting records include:
(1) retail, manufacturing, service, and other traditional
business activities;
(2) farming;
(3) raising and selling livestock and other animals;
(4) management of rental properties;
(5) extraction of minerals and other natural resources;
(6) timber operations; and
(7) activities to which Section 116.177 applies.
Added by Acts 2003, 78th Leg., ch. 659, Sec. 1, eff. Jan. 1,
2004.
PART 2. RECEIPTS NOT NORMALLY APPORTIONED
Sec. 116.161. PRINCIPAL RECEIPTS. A trustee shall allocate to
principal:
(1) to the extent not allocated to income under this chapter,
assets received from a transferor during the transferor's
lifetime, a decedent's estate, a trust with a terminating income
interest, or a payer under a contract naming the trust or its
trustee as beneficiary;
(2) money or other property received from the sale, exchange,
liquidation, or change in form of a principal asset, including
realized profit, subject to this subchapter;
(3) amounts recovered from third parties to reimburse the trust
because of disbursements described in Section 116.202(a)(7) or
for other reasons to the extent not based on the loss of income;
(4) proceeds of property taken by eminent domain, but a separate
award made for the loss of income with respect to an accounting
period during which a current income beneficiary had a mandatory
income interest is income;
(5) net income received in an accounting period during which
there is no beneficiary to whom a trustee may or must distribute
income; and
(6) other receipts as provided in Part 3.
Added by Acts 2003, 78th Leg., ch. 659, Sec. 1, eff. Jan. 1,
2004.
Sec. 116.162. RENTAL PROPERTY. To the extent that a trustee
accounts for receipts from rental property pursuant to this
section, the trustee shall allocate to income an amount received
as rent of real or personal property, including an amount
received for cancellation or renewal of a lease. An amount
received as a refundable deposit, including a security deposit or
a deposit that is to be applied as rent for future periods, must
be added to principal and held subject to the terms of the lease
and is not available for distribution to a beneficiary until the
trustee's contractual obligations have been satisfied with
respect to that amount.
Added by Acts 2003, 78th Leg., ch. 659, Sec. 1, eff. Jan. 1,
2004.
Sec. 116.163. OBLIGATION TO PAY MONEY. (a) An amount received
as interest, whether determined at a fixed, variable, or floating
rate, on an obligation to pay money to the trustee, including an
amount received as consideration for prepaying principal, must be
allocated to income without any provision for amortization of
premium.
(b) A trustee shall allocate to principal an amount received
from the sale, redemption, or other disposition of an obligation
to pay money to the trustee more than one year after it is
purchased or acquired by the trustee, including an obligation
whose purchase price or value when it is acquired is less than
its value at maturity. If the obligation matures within one year
after it is purchased or acquired by the trustee, an amount
received in excess of its purchase price or its value when
acquired by the trust must be allocated to income.
(c) This section does not apply to an obligation to which
Section 116.172, 116.173, 116.174, 116.175, 116.177, or 116.178
applies.
Added by Acts 2003, 78th Leg., ch. 659, Sec. 1, eff. Jan. 1,
2004.
Sec. 116.164. INSURANCE POLICIES AND SIMILAR CONTRACTS. (a)
Except as otherwise provided in Subsection (b), a trustee shall
allocate to principal the proceeds of a life insurance policy or
other contract in which the trust or its trustee is named as
beneficiary, including a contract that insures the trust or its
trustee against loss for damage to, destruction of, or loss of
title to a trust asset. The trustee shall allocate dividends on
an insurance policy to income if the premiums on the policy are
paid from income, and to principal if the premiums are paid from
principal.
(b) A trustee shall allocate to income proceeds of a contract
that insures the trustee against loss of occupancy or other use
by an income beneficiary, loss of income, or, subject to Section
116.153, loss of profits from a business.
(c) This section does not apply to a contract to which Section
116.172 applies.
Added by Acts 2003, 78th Leg., ch. 659, Sec. 1, eff. Jan. 1,
2004.
PART 3. RECEIPTS NORMALLY APPORTIONED
Sec. 116.171. INSUBSTANTIAL ALLOCATIONS NOT REQUIRED. If a
trustee determines that an allocation between principal and
income required by Section 116.172, 116.173, 116.174, 116.175, or
116.178 is insubstantial, the trustee may allocate the entire
amount to principal unless one of the circumstances described in
Section 116.005(c) applies to the allocation. This power may be
exercised by a cotrustee in the circumstances described in
Section 116.005(d) and may be released for the reasons and in the
manner described in Section 116.005(e).
Added by Acts 2003, 78th Leg., ch. 659, Sec. 1, eff. Jan. 1,
2004.
Sec. 116.172. DEFERRED COMPENSATION, ANNUITIES, AND SIMILAR
PAYMENTS. (a) In this section:
(1) "Future payment asset" means the asset from which a payment
is derived.
(2) "Payment" means a payment that a trustee may receive over a
fixed number of years or during the life of one or more
individuals because of services rendered or property transferred
to the payer in exchange for future payments. The term includes
a payment made in money or property from the payer's general
assets or from a separate fund created by the payer.
(3) "Separate fund" includes a private or commercial annuity, an
individual retirement account, and a pension, profit-sharing,
stock-bonus, or stock-ownership plan.
(b) To the extent that the payer characterizes a payment as
interest or a dividend or a payment made in lieu of interest or a
dividend, a trustee shall allocate it to income. The trustee
shall allocate to principal the balance of the payment and any
other payment received in the same accounting period that is not
characterized as interest, a dividend, or an equivalent payment.
(c) If no part of a payment is characterized as interest, a
dividend, or an equivalent payment, and all or part of the
payment is required to be made, a trustee shall allocate to
income the part of the payment that does not exceed an amount
equal to:
(1) four percent of the fair market value of the future payment
asset on the date specified in Subsection (d); less
(2) the total amount that the trustee has allocated to income
for all previous payments received from the future payment asset
during the same accounting period in which the payment is
received.
(d) For purposes of Subsection (c)(1), the determination of the
fair market value of a future payment asset is made on the later
of:
(1) the date on which the future payment asset first becomes
subject to the trust; or
(2) the last day of the accounting period of the trust that
immediately precedes the accounting period during which the
payment is received.
(e) For each accounting period a payment is received, the amount
determined under Subsection (c)(1) must be prorated on a daily
basis unless the determination of the fair market value of a
future payment asset is made under Subsection (d)(2) and is for
an accounting period of 365 days or more.
(f) A trustee shall allocate to principal the part of the
payment described by Subsection (c) that is not allocated to
income.
(g) If no part of a payment is required to be made or the
payment received is the entire amount to which the trustee is
entitled, the trustee shall allocate the entire payment to
principal. For purposes of Subsection (c) and this subsection, a
payment is not "required to be made" to the extent that it is
made only because the trustee exercises a right of withdrawal.
(h) Subsections (j) and (k) apply and Subsections (b) and (c) do
not apply in determining the allocation of a payment made from a
separate fund to:
(1) a trust to which an election to qualify for a marital
deduction under Section 2056(b)(7), Internal Revenue Code of
1986, has been made; or
(2) a trust that qualifies for the marital deduction under
Section 2056(b)(5), Internal Revenue Code of 1986.
(i) Subsections (h), (j), and (k) do not apply if and to the
extent that a series of payments would, without the application
of Subsection (h), qualify for the marital deduction under
Section 2056(b)(7)(C), Internal Revenue Code of 1986.
(j) The trustee shall determine the internal income of the
separate fund for the accounting period as if the separate fund
were a trust subject to this code. On request of the surviving
spouse, the trustee shall demand of the person administering the
separate fund that this internal income be distributed to the
trust. The trustee shall allocate a payment from the separate
fund to income to the extent of the internal income of the
separate fund, and the balance to the principal. On request of
the surviving spouse, the trustee shall allocate principal to
income to the extent the internal income of the separate fund
exceeds payments made to the trust during the accounting period
from the separate fund.
(k) If the trustee cannot determine the internal income of the
separate fund but can determine the value of the separate fund,
the internal income of the separate fund shall be four percent of
the fund's value, according to the most recent statement of value
preceding the beginning of the accounting period. If the trustee
can determine neither the internal income of the separate fund
nor the fund's value, the internal income of the fund shall be
the product of the interest rate and the present value of the
expected future payments, as determined under Section 7520,
Internal Revenue Code of 1986, for the month preceding the
accounting period for which the computation is made.
Added by Acts 2003, 78th Leg., ch. 659, Sec. 1, eff. Jan. 1,
2004.
Amended by:
Acts 2005, 79th Leg., Ch.
148, Sec. 26, eff. January 1, 2006.
Acts 2007, 80th Leg., R.S., Ch.
451, Sec. 13, eff. September 1, 2007.
Acts 2009, 81st Leg., R.S., Ch.
672, Sec. 8, eff. September 1, 2009.
Acts 2009, 81st Leg., R.S., Ch.
672, Sec. 9, eff. September 1, 2009.
Sec. 116.173. LIQUIDATING ASSET. (a) In this section,
"liquidating asset" means an asset whose value will diminish or
terminate because the asset is expected to produce receipts for a
period of limited duration. The term includes a leasehold,
patent, copyright, royalty right, and right to receive payments
during a period of more than one year under an arrangement that
does not provide for the payment of interest on the unpaid
balance. The term does not include a payment subject to Section
116.172, resources subject to Section 116.174, timber subject to
Section 116.175, an activity subject to Section 116.177, an asset
subject to Section 116.178, or any asset for which the trustee
establishes a reserve for depreciation under Section 116.203.
(b) A trustee shall allocate to income 10 percent of the
receipts from a liquidating asset and the balance to principal.
(c) The trustee may allocate a receipt from any interest in a
liquidating asset the trust owns on January 1, 2004, in the
manner provided by this chapter or in any lawful manner used by
the trustee before January 1, 2004, to make the same allocation.
Added by Acts 2003, 78th Leg., ch. 659, Sec. 1, eff. Jan. 1,
2004.
Sec. 116.174. MINERALS, WATER, AND OTHER NATURAL RESOURCES. (a)
To the extent that a trustee accounts for receipts from an
interest in minerals or other natural resources pursuant to this
section, the trustee shall allocate them as follows:
(1) If received as delay rental or annual rent on a lease, a
receipt must be allocated to income.
(2) If received from a production payment, a receipt must be
allocated to income if and to the extent that the agreement
creating the production payment provides a factor for interest or
its equivalent. The balance must be allocated to principal.
(3) If received as a royalty, shut-in-well payment, take-or-pay
payment, or bonus, the trustee shall allocate the receipt
equitably.
(4) If an amount is received from a working interest or any
other interest not provided for in Subdivision (1), (2), or (3),
the trustee must allocate the receipt equitably.
(b) An amount received on account of an interest in water that
is renewable must be allocated to income. If the water is not
renewable, the trustee must allocate the receipt equitably.
(c) This chapter applies whether or not a decedent or donor was
extracting minerals, water, or other natural resources before the
interest became subject to the trust.
(d) The trustee may allocate a receipt from any interest in
minerals, water, or other natural resources the trust owns on
January 1, 2004, in the manner provided by this chapter or in any
lawful manner used by the trustee before January 1, 2004, to make
the same allocation. The trustee shall allocate a receipt from
any interest in minerals, water, or other natural resources
acquired by the trust after January 1, 2004, in the manner
provided by this chapter.
(e) An allocation of a receipt under this section is presumed to
be equitable if the amount allocated to principal is equal to the
amount allowed by the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 as a
deduction for depletion of the interest.
Added by Acts 2003, 78th Leg., ch. 659, Sec. 1, eff. Jan. 1,
2004.
Amended by:
Acts 2007, 80th Leg., R.S., Ch.
451, Sec. 14, eff. September 1, 2007.
Sec. 116.175. TIMBER. (a) To the extent that a trustee
accounts for receipts from the sale of timber and related
products pursuant to this section, the trustee shall allocate the
net receipts:
(1) to income to the extent that the amount of timber removed
from the land does not exceed the rate of growth of the timber
during the accounting periods in which a beneficiary has a
mandatory income interest;
(2) to principal to the extent that the amount of timber removed
from the land exceeds the rate of growth of the timber or the net
receipts are from the sale of standing timber;
(3) to or between income and principal if the net receipts are
from the lease of timberland or from a contract to cut timber
from land owned by a trust, by determining the amount of timber
removed from the land under the lease or contract and applying
the rules in Subdivisions (1) and (2); or
(4) to principal to the extent that advance payments, bonuses,
and other payments are not allocated pursuant to Subdivision (1),
(2), or (3).
(b) In determining net receipts to be allocated pursuant to
Subsection (a), a trustee shall deduct and transfer to principal
a reasonable amount for depletion.
(c) This chapter applies whether or not a decedent or transferor
was harvesting timber from the property before it became subject
to the trust.
(d) If a trust owns an interest in timberland on January 1,
2004, the trustee may allocate a net receipt from the sale of
timber and related products in the manner provided by this
chapter or in any lawful manner used by the trustee before
January 1, 2004, to make the same allocation. If the trust
acquires an interest in timberland after January 1, 2004, the
trustee shall allocate net receipts from the sale of timber and
related products in the manner provided by this chapter.
Added by Acts 2003, 78th Leg., ch. 659, Sec. 1, eff. Jan. 1,
2004.
Sec. 116.176. PROPERTY NOT PRODUCTIVE OF INCOME. (a) If a
marital deduction is allowed for all or part of a trust whose
assets consist substantially of property that does not provide
the spouse with sufficient income from or use of the trust
assets, and if the amounts that the trustee transfers from
principal to income under Section 116.005 and distributes to the
spouse from principal pursuant to the terms of the trust are
insufficient to provide the spouse with the beneficial enjoyment
required to obtain the marital deduction, the spouse may require
the trustee to make property productive of income, convert
property within a reasonable time, or exercise the power
conferred by Section 116.005(a). The trustee may decide which
action or combination of actions to take.
(b) In cases not governed by Subsection (a), proceeds from the
sale or other disposition of an asset are principal without
regard to the amount of income the asset produces during any
accounting period.
Added by Acts 2003, 78th Leg., ch. 659, Sec. 1, eff. Jan. 1,
2004.
Sec. 116.177. DERIVATIVES AND OPTIONS. (a) In this section,
"derivative" means a contract or financial instrument or a
combination of contracts and financial instruments which gives a
trust the right or obligation to participate in some or all
changes in the price of a tangible or intangible asset or group
of assets, or changes in a rate, an index of prices or rates, or
other market indicator for an asset or a group of assets.
(b) To the extent that a trustee does not account under Section
116.153 for transactions in derivatives, the trustee shall
allocate to principal receipts from and disbursements made in
connection with those transactions.
(c) If a trustee grants an option to buy property from the
trust, whether or not the trust owns the property when the option
is granted, grants an option that permits another person to sell
property to the trust, or acquires an option to buy property for
the trust or an option to sell an asset owned by the trust, and
the trustee or other owner of the asset is required to deliver
the asset if the option is exercised, an amount received for
granting the option must be allocated to principal. An amount
paid to acquire the option must be paid from principal. A gain or
loss realized upon the exercise of an option, including an option
granted to a settlor of the trust for services rendered, must be
allocated to principal.
Added by Acts 2003, 78th Leg., ch. 659, Sec. 1, eff. Jan. 1,
2004.
Sec. 116.178. ASSET-BACKED SECURITIES. (a) In this section,
"asset-backed security" means an asset whose value is based upon
the right it gives the owner to receive distributions from the
proceeds of financial assets that provide collateral for the
security. The term includes an asset that gives the owner the
right to receive from the collateral financial assets only the
interest or other current return or only the proceeds other than
interest or current return. The term does not include an asset to
which Section 116.151 or 116.172 applies.
(b) If a trust receives a payment from interest or other current
return and from other proceeds of the collateral financial
assets, the trustee shall allocate to income the portion of the
payment which the payer identifies as being from interest or
other current return and shall allocate the balance of the
payment to principal.
(c) If a trust receives one or more payments in exchange for the
trust's entire interest in an asset-backed security in one
accounting period, the trustee shall allocate the payments to
principal. If a payment is one of a series of payments that will
result in the liquidation of the trust's interest in the security
over more than one accounting period, the trustee shall allocate
10 percent of the payment to income and the balance to principal.
Added by Acts 2003, 78th Leg., ch. 659, Sec. 1, eff. Jan. 1,
2004.
SUBCHAPTER E. ALLOCATION OF DISBURSEMENTS DURING ADMINISTRATION
OF TRUST
Sec. 116.201. DISBURSEMENTS FROM INCOME. A trustee shall make
the following disbursements from income to the extent that they
are not disbursements to which Section 116.051(2)(B) or (C)
applies:
(1) one-half of the regular compensation of the trustee and of
any person providing investment advisory or custodial services to
the trustee;
(2) one-half of all expenses for accountings, judicial
proceedings, or other matters that involve both the income and
remainder interests;
(3) all of the other ordinary expenses incurred in connection
with the administration, management, or preservation of trust
property and the distribution of income, including interest,
ordinary repairs, regularly recurring taxes assessed against
principal, and expenses of a proceeding or other matter that
concerns primarily the income interest; and
(4) recurring premiums on insurance covering the loss of a
principal asset or the loss of income from or use of the asset.
Added by Acts 2003, 78th Leg., ch. 659, Sec. 1, eff. Jan. 1,
2004.
Sec. 116.202. DISBURSEMENTS FROM PRINCIPAL. (a) A trustee
shall make the following disbursements from principal:
(1) the remaining one-half of the disbursements described in
Sections 116.201(1) and (2);
(2) all of the trustee's compensation calculated on principal as
a fee for acceptance, distribution, or termination, and
disbursements made to prepare property for sale;
(3) payments on the principal of a trust debt;
(4) expenses of a proceeding that concerns primarily principal,
including a proceeding to construe the trust or to protect the
trust or its property;
(5) premiums paid on a policy of insurance not described in
Section 116.201(4) of which the trust is the owner and
beneficiary;
(6) estate, inheritance, and other transfer taxes, including
penalties, apportioned to the trust; and
(7) disbursements related to environmental matters, including
reclamation, assessing environmental conditions, remedying and
removing environmental contamination, monitoring remedial
activities and the release of substances, preventing future
releases of substances, collecting amounts from persons liable or
potentially liable for the costs of those activities, penalties
imposed under environmental laws or regulations and other
payments made to comply with those laws or regulations, statutory
or common law claims by third parties, and defending claims based
on environmental matters.
(b) If a principal asset is encumbered with an obligation that
requires income from that asset to be paid directly to the
creditor, the trustee shall transfer from principal to income an
amount equal to the income paid to the creditor in reduction of
the principal balance of the obligation.
Added by Acts 2003, 78th Leg., ch. 659, Sec. 1, eff. Jan. 1,
2004.
Sec. 116.203. TRANSFERS FROM INCOME TO PRINCIPAL FOR
DEPRECIATION. (a) In this section, "depreciation" means a
reduction in value due to wear, tear, decay, corrosion, or
gradual obsolescence of a fixed asset having a useful life of
more than one year.
(b) A trustee may transfer to principal a reasonable amount of
the net cash receipts from a principal asset that is subject to
depreciation, but may not transfer any amount for depreciation:
(1) of that portion of real property used or available for use
by a beneficiary as a residence or of tangible personal property
held or made available for the personal use or enjoyment of a
beneficiary;
(2) during the administration of a decedent's estate; or
(3) under this section if the trustee is accounting under
Section 116.153 for the business or activity in which the asset
is used.
(c) An amount transferred to principal need not be held as a
separate fund.
Added by Acts 2003, 78th Leg., ch. 659, Sec. 1, eff. Jan. 1,
2004.
Sec. 116.204. TRANSFERS FROM INCOME TO REIMBURSE PRINCIPAL. (a)
If a trustee makes or expects to make a principal disbursement
described in this section, the trustee may transfer an
appropriate amount from income to principal in one or more
accounting periods to reimburse principal or to provide a reserve
for future principal disbursements.
(b) Principal disbursements to which Subsection (a) applies
include the following, but only to the extent that the trustee
has not been and does not expect to be reimbursed by a third
party:
(1) an amount chargeable to income but paid from principal
because it is unusually large, including extraordinary repairs;
(2) a capital improvement to a principal asset, whether in the
form of changes to an existing asset or the construction of a new
asset, including special assessments;
(3) disbursements made to prepare property for rental, including
tenant allowances, leasehold improvements, and broker's
commissions;
(4) periodic payments on an obligation secured by a principal
asset to the extent that the amount transferred from income to
principal for depreciation is less than the periodic payments;
and
(5) disbursements described in Section 116.202(a)(7).
(c) If the asset whose ownership gives rise to the disbursements
becomes subject to a successive income interest after an income
interest ends, a trustee may continue to transfer amounts from
income to principal as provided in Subsection (a).
Added by Acts 2003, 78th Leg., ch. 659, Sec. 1, eff. Jan. 1,
2004.
Sec. 116.205. INCOME TAXES. (a) A tax required to be paid by a
trustee based on receipts allocated to income must be paid from
income.
(b) A tax required to be paid by a trustee based on receipts
allocated to principal must be paid from principal, even if the
tax is called an income tax by the taxing authority.
(c) A tax required to be paid by a trustee on the trust's share
of an entity's taxable income must be paid proportionately:
(1) from income to the extent that receipts from the entity are
allocated to income; and
(2) from principal to the extent that:
(A) receipts from the entity are allocated to principal; and
(B) the trust's share of the entity's taxable income exceeds the
total receipts described in Subdivisions (1) and (2)(A).
(d) For purposes of this section, receipts allocated to
principal or income must be reduced by the amount distributed to
a beneficiary from principal or income for which the trust
receives a deduction in calculating the tax.
Added by Acts 2003, 78th Leg., ch. 659, Sec. 1, eff. Jan. 1,
2004.
Sec. 116.206. ADJUSTMENTS BETWEEN PRINCIPAL AND INCOME BECAUSE
OF TAXES. (a) A fiduciary may make adjustments between
principal and income to offset the shifting of economic interests
or tax benefits between income beneficiaries and remainder
beneficiaries which arise from:
(1) elections and decisions, other than those described in
Subsection (b), that the fiduciary makes from time to time
regarding tax matters;
(2) an income tax or any other tax that is imposed upon the
fiduciary or a beneficiary as a result of a transaction involving
or a distribution from the estate or trust; or
(3) the ownership by an estate or trust of an interest in an
entity whose taxable income, whether or not distributed, is
includable in the taxable income of the estate, trust, or a
beneficiary.
(b) If the amount of an estate tax marital deduction or
charitable contribution deduction is reduced because a fiduciary
deducts an amount paid from principal for income tax purposes
instead of deducting it for estate tax purposes, and as a result
estate taxes paid from principal are increased and income taxes
paid by an estate, trust, or beneficiary are decreased, each
estate, trust, or beneficiary that benefits from the decrease in
income tax shall reimburse the principal from which the increase
in estate tax is paid. The tota