Enduring Power of Attorney Fees & Charges

Estate Planning Preparation fees (incl. GST)	Single Person	Couple
Will preparation(Appointment Includes preparing an enduring power of attorney)	$140	$210
Enduring power of attorney preparation(Financial matters)	$140	$210
Enduring guardianship preparation(Personal and medical matters)	$140	$210

If the estate planning documents are complex to prepare an hourly fee of $295 (pro rata) may apply.

A standard Will and enduring power of attorney are prepared free for Seniors and Australian Government Pensioner concession card holders when the Public Trustee is appointed as executor/attorney (card must be presented and only applies to one appointment in a 12-month period).

If you nominate Public Trustee as your executor fees will apply when we are required to administer your estate when you pass away.
If you nominate Public Trustee as your attorney fees will apply if we are required to manage your affairs if you lose decision-making ability or if you choose for us to manage your financial affairs.
Existing clients of the Public Trustee receive a 10% discount to prepare/revise new estate planning documents.
Fees for couples are based on the assumption instructions are similar.
Will (with an enduring power of attorney), enduring power of attorney and enduring guardianship preparation fees are based on the following standard appointment times
- Single person – 1 hour to take instructions + 30 minutes to draft the documents + 30 minutes for the documents to be signed.
- Couples – 1.5 hours to take instructions + 30 minutes to draft the documents + 30 minutes for the documents to be signed.
If you need more time than a standard appointment to provide your instructions and/or for us to provide advice to complete your documents, we will discuss your options with you before additional time is charged. If required, additional time is charged at $295 per hour, billed in 6-minute units ($29.50 per unit), based on the actual time used.
There is an additional Government registration fee to register an enduring guardianship and or an enduring power of attorney. If the Public Trustee is asked to register an enduring guardianship or enduring power of attorney, an administration fee of $40 is also charged per document.

To act as attorney

$120 per hour (pro rata) will be charged, if the Public Trustee is acting as the attorney,
A time sheet is kept, and fees will be charged quarterly.
No capital commission will be taken.
With tenanted realty the income commission covers only the normal collection of rents. Additional work involved with the tenanted realty will incur a charge based on the hourly rate ($120 per hour, pro rata).

Income commission

6.6% fee is charged on income received, such as interest, dividends, pensions and rental income (where the Public Trustee is managing the property).
3.3% fee is charged on rental income where the Public Trustee is not managing the property.

Investment management fee

1.1% per annum fee is charged on funds invested in our Common Fund or Group Investment Fund. This fee is deducted from your gross earnings before any distributions are made to your account.

Other fees that may apply:

These fees may apply depending on the situation:

$13.50 account keeping fee (per month)
$6.00 domestic cheque drawing and $3.20 direct credit
$24.00 international bank transfers and $32.00 international bank drafts, excluding any 3rd party transaction and processing fees
Fee for preparing an investment review to develop an investment strategy for the client portfolio. The fee will depend on the complexity of individual circumstances.
Fee for preparing an income tax return or other taxation services. The fee will depend on the complexity of the matter and may include fees to establish how much the assets cost for capital gains tax purposes.
Fee for conveyancing or other services involved with selling, buying or transferring property.
Hourly rates may apply for complex work not covered by the standard fees.

Legal services

The Public Trustee can seek outside practitioners to provide legal services. These services will be charged at the firm’s market rate.

The cost of legal services from our legal practitioners depends on how difficult the task is. The Public Trustee will not charge more than the maximum hourly attendance rate set out in the Supreme Court Rules 2000. This is currently set between $194.00 and $423.00.

More Information

For more information about our potential out-of-pocket expenses, please download our Out of Pocket Expenses information sheet.

View a list of all fees & charges.