Trust Officer

A Trust Officer administers trusts, estates, and beneficiary accounts on behalf of financial institutions, legal firms, or independent trust companies in Australia. They manage trust documentation, maintain accurate financial records, process distributions to beneficiaries, and ensure compliance with trust deeds, state trust laws, and ATO requirements. The role involves day-to-day account management, correspondence with beneficiaries and trustees, and reconciliation of trust assets.

Prepare and maintain trust documentation including trust deeds, beneficiary statements, and account registers in accordance with state trust law requirements. Process distributions to beneficiaries by verifying entitlements against trust deeds, calculating amounts, arranging payments, and issuing distribution statements. Reconcile trust bank accounts and investment holdings against trust records and external statements to identify discrepancies. Maintain beneficiary records including contact details, entitlements, tax file numbers, and update beneficiary registers when changes occur. Lodge trust income tax returns and manage tax compliance documentation with the ATO, including preparation of trust distribution statements. Prepare and distribute annual financial statements to trustees and beneficiaries showing income, expenses, distributions, and asset valuations. Administer estate accounts by tracking receipts and payments and managing distributions to heirs. Correspond with beneficiaries, trustees, solicitors, and accountants regarding trust matters, account inquiries, and distribution requests.

The standard entry pathway requires a Certificate IV or Certificate III with at least two years of on-the-job training (ABS skill level 3). Specific qualification requirements vary by employer and state. Some employers may accept equivalent experience. Check yourcareer.gov.au for available courses and dewr.gov.au/skills-reform/free-tafe for subsidised training options.

The pay ceiling is real. The work is repetitive compliance and data entry: reconciling accounts, updating registers, processing the same distributions month after month. One mistake with beneficiary entitlements or ATO deadlines creates legal liability for your employer. Emotional load comes from managing upset or greedy beneficiaries fighting over inheritance.

Most positions are in big banks, law firms, and specialised trust companies in CBDs. Some regional offices exist but are limited. Remote work is rare because you handle sensitive legal documents and original records. Very few roles outside metro areas.

Published for ANZSCO unit group 5992, the wider group this job sits in, not for this job on its own.

This is the median for full-time employees who are not managers and are paid at the adult rate, before tax and salary sacrifice. It is a guide to what the work pays, not a wage rate.

Source: ABS Survey of Employee Earnings and Hours, May 2025, customised report.

• Attention to Detailcore
• Basic Arithmetic and Numerical Accuracycore
• Confidentiality and Privacy Compliancecore
• Correspondence Draftingcore
• Electronic Document Managementcore
• Legal Document Preparationcore
• Matter Managementcore
• Policy and Procedure Adherencecore
• Record Managementcore
• Regulatory and Legislative Awarenesscore
• Research and Analysiscore
• Stakeholder Communicationcore
• Verification and Authenticationcore
• Written Communicationcore
• Civil law
• Civil process order
• Empathy and Emotional Intelligence
• Invoice Matching and Reconciliation
• Legal Research
• Legal Terminology
• Microsoft Office Suite Proficiency
• Negotiation
• Participant or Client Advocacy
• Report Writing
• Risk Identification
• Superannuation Administration
• Time Management and Prioritisation
• Verbal Communication

• ABS OSCA 2024, occupation definition and task statements
• ABS Survey of Employee Earnings and Hours, May 2025, customised report.
• ABS, 2021 Census of Population and Housing based on usual place of residence (Custom Report). OSCA Experimental Estimates.

Role data is drawn from official Australian Government sources, and each figure names where it comes from. Where a role is not in the ABS classification, the page shows no government figures for it. Data may not reflect every local variation.

Where our numbers come from.

Last updated: 30 October 2026