Question:

How much money should a trustee of a trust receive for trustee’s fees?

Answer:

Unless the trust states how much a trustee receives, then California Law states that trustee’s fees must be “reasonable”.  I typically advise clients to maintain a log describing and dating the tasks performed, the amount of time required to complete the task and an appropriate rate of pay.  If the fees are in dispute a beneficiary can ask a court to review the amount of fees claimed by the Trustee and, in doing so, the court will look to factors such as the amount of assets in the trust, the complexity of the tasks, the rate of pay associated with the task and the benefits received by the trust as a result of the tasks completed.