How Much Can a Trustee Charge in Arizona?
Arizona law says a trustee is entitled to compensation that is reasonable under the circumstances. Market custom runs 0.5% to 1.0% of trust assets per year. Most Arizona fees land somewhere in that band.
Arizona trustee fee at a glance
Fee basis
Reasonable compensation, statutory standard
Customary range
$1,250 to $50,000/yr by trust size
Court involvement
No pre-approval needed
- $250,000 trust$1,250 – $2,500
- $750,000 trusttypical$3,750 – $7,500
- $2,000,000 trust$10,000 – $20,000
- $5,000,000 trust$25,000 – $50,000
AZ rates preloaded — free, no login.
Three people usually land on this page. A successor trustee who never asked for the job and now needs to know what they may take. A family member deciding whether to charge anything at all. And a beneficiary checking whether the fee the trustee planned to draw is fair. One statute answers all three. This page walks through it in plain terms, including a look at what are trust minutes and why a written record of the fee decision matters.
The rule Arizona actually applies
The governing law is Ariz. Rev. Stat. § 14-10708, part of the Arizona Trust Code. You can read the full text on the Arizona Legislature’s site. It works like this:
- Subsection A, the default right. If the terms of the trust do not specify the trustee’s compensation, a trustee is entitled to compensation that is reasonable under the circumstances.
- Subsection B, the court’s adjustment role. The court may allow more or less than the instrument specifies. That happens when duties turned out substantially different from those contemplated, or when the specified amount is unreasonably low or high.
And to be direct about the thing most people come here asking: Arizona does not publish a percentage schedule for trustee compensation. No statute sets a percent of assets, and no statute lists the factors courts weigh. Any figure you hear, including the customary band this page uses, is market practice. It is not something a judge is obligated to copy.
What that looks like at four trust sizes
These are arithmetic illustrations of the customary band, not statutory amounts. Each card shows the trust size, the 0.5% low end, and the 1.0% high end.
Based on Arizona customary practice. Not statutory.
Typical Arizona family trust. Not statutory.
Based on Arizona customary practice. Not statutory.
Based on Arizona customary practice. Not statutory.
If you are the family trustee
In practice, family trustees in Arizona do one of two things. They charge a fee and document it, or they waive the fee and document the waiver. Both are common, and neither is wrong. Many successor trustees charge when the work is real and recurring. Others waive because the trust is going to people they love, and they would rather not touch the money.
Waiving is usually treated as final. Courts generally treat a knowing waiver as binding, so if you are leaning that way, pause and check with an attorney before waiving, especially if the trust will pay you back in some other form later. If you charge instead, write the decision down. Our family trustee compensation guide covers how to document the choice, and the trust minutes template shows the fee-approval section ready to fill in.
Three Arizona rules people miss
Most fee disputes trace back to ignoring one of these rules.
- The lawyer who drafted the trust usually cannot take a fee. Under § 14-10812, the drafting attorney (or a related person) is barred from trustee compensation in most cases. The exceptions: they are related to the settlor, or the pre-execution disclosures were given and the settlor signed a separate written acknowledgment. This is the most contested sentence in the whole statute, so lawyers read it closely.
- The court adjusts, it does not pre-approve. § 14-10708(B) gives the court a role when there is a dispute. The trigger is duties substantially different from those contemplated, or a specified amount unreasonably low or high. Nothing in the statute requires you to petition for approval before taking a fee. To see how the fee decision gets recorded, start with how to write trust minutes.
- Beneficiaries must be told about compensation changes.Under § 14-10813, a trustee shall notify qualified beneficiaries at least thirty days in advance of any change in the method or rate of the trustee’s compensation. Skip this step and the fee you took can look like a surprise, which is never good for family harmony.
Run your numbers right here
Enter the trust's approximate size — this page uses Arizona's customary annual range (AZ rates locked).
Estimated annual fee in Arizona
$1,250 – $2,500
Arizona: Ariz. Rev. Stat. § 14-10708. Reasonable compensation standard. No statutory percentage or schedule. Customary 0.5–1% of assets.
Arizona trustee fee FAQ
Does Arizona law set a percentage a trustee can charge?
No. Arizona has no statutory percentage schedule for trustee fees. Under Ariz. Rev. Stat. § 14-10708(A), a trustee is entitled to compensation that is reasonable under the circumstances when the trust terms do not set the amount. The 0.5% to 1.0% of assets per year you often see quoted is market custom among Arizona fiduciaries, not a rule written into law. Run your Arizona numbers above to see the customary band for your trust size.
Is it reasonable to charge a fee when the trust says nothing about it?
Yes. When the trust instrument is silent, § 14-10708(A) supplies the default right to reasonable compensation. You do not need a paragraph in the trust authorizing a fee. The practical step is to document what you did and how you set the fee in your minutes so the amount can be defended later. Run your Arizona numbers above to see the customary band for your trust size.
Do I need the court's approval before taking my fee?
No. Arizona does not require a trustee to file anything or see a judge before paying themselves. That widespread idea is a misconception. The court's role under § 14-10708(B) is to adjust compensation on dispute, when the duties turned out substantially different from what the trust contemplated or the specified amount is unreasonably low or high. Run your Arizona numbers above to see the customary band for your trust size.
Can the lawyer who drafted the trust also serve as trustee and charge a fee?
Usually not. Under Ariz. Rev. Stat. § 14-10812, an attorney who drafted the trust instrument (or a person related to them) generally may not take trustee compensation unless the settlor was informed and consented in writing. If you planned to pay a lawyer-trustee, make sure the disclosure-and-acknowledgment record exists before the fee is taken. Run your Arizona numbers above to see the customary band for your trust size.
Are extra services like selling property billed on top of the annual fee?
They can be. § 14-10708 does not explicitly address extra services, but the underlying reasonableness standard means a trustee may seek additional reasonable compensation for services beyond ordinary administration. An unusual project (litigation support, contested accountings, real-estate closings) does not automatically fold into the baseline fee. The extra charge still has to be reasonable under the circumstances. Run your Arizona numbers above to see the customary band for your trust size.
How Arizona compares
Arizona sits with the majority of states on a reasonableness standard rather than a fixed schedule. Here is a slice of the full national table.
| State | Statute | Structure | Customary band | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Arizona | Ariz. Rev. Stat. § 14-10708 | Reasonableness, no schedule | 0.5 to 1.0% customary | Arizona is the state this page covers |
| California | Cal. Prob. Code §§ 15680–15681 | Reasonableness, no schedule | 1 to 1.5% customary | |
| New York | N.Y. SCPA § 2309 | Statutory commissions | ~0.5 to 1% effective | |
| Texas | Tex. Prop. Code § 114.061 | Reasonableness, no schedule | 0.5 to 1% customary | |
| New Jersey | N.J.S.A. 3B:18-2 | Reasonableness, no schedule | 0.5 to 1% customary |
Where TrustMinutes fits
Whatever fee you land on, your trust administration file should show how you got there. Trust record keeping requirements apply to the fee decision like any other. The state-specific side you can read about in our guide to trust minutes requirements in Arizona.
TrustMinutes writes one meeting’s minutes free. If your trust needs ongoing governance (distributions, records, year after year), TrustOffice is the paid platform built for that. Take a look at trustoffice.app.
Some fees end up contested. Our sister service WingPoint takes trust administration end to end, and it’s living at wingpointtrust.com.
This page is general information, not legal or tax advice for your specific trust. For guidance on a live matter, see our disclaimer and consult an Arizona estate-planning attorney.
Updated October 2026.