Taxation of Trusts - How does the tax work? 2026 (live webinar)

Trusts can hold income-earning assets and investments resulting in the accumulation of income and capital gains within the Trust. The Income Tax Act 2007 includes specific rules on how trusts are classified, and on how distributions are taxed based on the trust’s classification. 

The webinar will look at the taxation of the income earned by the trust and the treatment of distributions from complying, foreign, and non-complying trusts.  It will also consider forgiveness of trustee debt and how distributions may result in the clawing back of forgiven debt as income. 

Issues considered will include:

• How is the income earned by a trust taxed?
• How are distributions of trust assets treated from an income tax and GST perspective?
• How are distributions from foreign trusts and foreign inheritances taxed?

• apply the tax rules to income earned by a trust
• explain how distributions from complying, foreign and non-complying trusts are taxed
• describe potential issues around debt forgiveness claw back.

This course will be suited to:

• accountants and lawyers who act for trusts
• accountants and lawyers who are trustees of trusts and want to ensure the trust is meeting its tax obligations.

Duration: 1.00 CPD hours (approx. 55 mins content + 5 mins Q&A)

PRESENTER

Nola Crafar, Senior Manager, Findex/Crowe
Nola is a Senior Manager for Findex in the Dunedin Tax Team. Nola has been with Findex for over 15 years, where she advises on a wide range of tax matters, including property transactions and property ownership structures, structuring opportunities for businesses including relationship property considerations, providing advice on the tax treatment of transactions for clients and other professional advisory firms and managing Inland Revenue Department queries, disputes and debt relief applications.