Anyone can buy a template. The question is who's signing off.
If a discretionary trust deed turns out to be non-compliant with the latest tax legislation, or contains a foreign person flaw, who is liable? Most template services exclude liability for the document. The risk lands on the firm using the deed, not the firm that supplied it.
Our legal partner actually signs off. The indemnity attaches to a real professional review of a specific deed for a specific client.
The deed catalogue
Discretionary (family) trust
$264
Flexible distribution among beneficiaries. Includes Bamford amendments and foreign persons exclusion as standard.
Unit trust
$264
Fixed entitlement structure. Joint ventures and investment vehicles.
Hybrid trust
$429
Combined discretionary and unit features. Typically for property and business asset structures.
SMSF establishment
$429
Self managed super fund deed and establishment documents. Corporate trustee and ATO registrations quoted separately. Bare trust available alongside for property purchases.
SMSF bare trust (LRBA)
$473
Borrowing custodian trust for SMSF limited recourse arrangements. Compliant with section 67A SIS Act.
Deed variations
$418
Bamford amendments, foreign persons exclusions and appointor changes, each with legal sign-off. SMSF deed variations $418. Deeds of confirmation for lost deeds $814.
Standard pricing per deed. Volume tiers available for firms preparing 10+ deeds annually.
Volume pricing for firms
Materially better pricing past 10 deeds per year
Volume pricing is on individual quote rather than published rates so the structure fits your firm's deed mix. The bands below are indicative.
1 to 9 deeds / year
Standard pricing. Same legal partner sign-off and indemnity coverage as volume tiers.
10 to 24 deeds / year
Volume tier with materially better pricing on standard deed types. Account manager assigned.
25 to 99 deeds / year
Custom pricing for the firm's book. Priority turnaround and direct legal partner access for complex matters.
100+ deeds / year
Bespoke arrangement. Dedicated drafting capacity. Branded deed cover pages on request.
Four steps from your instructions to a signed-off deed, same day for standard types
1
Your fee earner provides instructions
Use our online deed brief or send us a marked-up template. Settlor, trustee, appointor, beneficiaries, and any specific clauses you want.
2
We prepare the deed
Drafted from current templates that have been reviewed by Key Legal (our legal partner) for compliance with the latest tax and trust legislation.
3
Our legal partner signs off
Every deed is individually reviewed by Key Legal before delivery. The legal partner carries the indemnity on the document.
4
You deliver to your client under your brand
Deed delivered same day in most cases. You present to your client; we stay invisible. No CoSec branding on the final deed.
What's different from automated template providers
Four differences worth understanding
Automated template services are cheap and fast. They are also fine for straightforward cases. The differences below matter when something is more complex or when something later goes wrong.
Individually reviewed, not template-driven
Most online trust deed services run on automated templates. The output is generated, not reviewed. Our deeds are individually checked by a lawyer before delivery, including the specific facts of your client's structure.
Legal partner carries the indemnity
When something later turns out to be wrong with a deed, the question is who carries the risk. Most template services exclude liability. Our legal partner is professionally indemnified for the deeds they sign off.
Tax legislation tracked actively
Bamford. Foreign persons exclusion. Section 100A reasonable family arrangements. Our deeds are updated when the law changes, not when someone notices.
No client-facing CoSec brand
The final deed is delivered without our branding on it. Your client sees a deed prepared for them by your firm, with appropriate professional review behind it.
What firms ask about trust deed volume
How fast is the turnaround?
Standard deeds (discretionary, unit, SMSF) come back same day for orders received before 2pm Adelaide time. Hybrid deeds and complex variations typically next business day. Rush is rarely needed and never charged extra.
What happens if there's an issue with the deed later?
Our legal partner reviews every deed individually and is professionally indemnified for that review. If a deed turns out to be defective in a way that should have been caught at sign-off, the indemnity sits with them, not your firm.
Who carries the indemnity?
Key Legal, our legal partner. The indemnity attaches to their professional review and sign-off of the specific deed delivered to your client. Details available on request as part of the engagement letter.
Can we use our own letterhead?
Yes. We deliver in plain professional formatting by default; if you want firm-branded cover pages or specific letterhead applied, we can do that for volume engagements. Let us know during scoping.
Can we mark up the price to our client?
That's your commercial decision. Our pricing is to your firm; what you charge your client is your business. Many firms add their own preparation and consultation fee, which is appropriate.
Do you handle deed variations?
Yes. Bamford amendments, foreign persons exclusion clauses, appointor changes, and deed of confirmation for lost or unsigned deeds are all routine for us. Each is quoted individually.
What about complex SMSF setups?
For straightforward SMSF establishments we deliver same-day. For more complex matters (LRBA structures, property warehousing, multi-member fund arrangements), we work directly with our SMSF specialist team and turnaround is typically two to three business days.
How does volume pricing work?
We quote per firm rather than running a published volume table. The factors are deed mix (discretionary vs SMSF vs hybrid), expected annual volume, and whether you want priority turnaround. Most firms reach the second tier with 10+ deeds per year and the third with 25+.