The Trust Distribution Resolution Deadline Campaign (Before 30 June)

11 October 2026·5 min read

Quick answer: Discretionary trust clients generally need a valid distribution resolution in place before the end of the financial year, not after — leaving it until the accountant mentions it in July is often too late. A short, well-timed campaign (a reminder email plus a simple checklist) gets trust clients thinking about it in May instead of panicking in June. This is general information only — exact requirements depend on each trust deed and current rules, so the final resolution should always be confirmed with your accountant. 🌴

Every accountant with discretionary trust clients knows the June scramble — the trustee who "meant to get to it," the deed nobody's re-read in three years, the resolution drafted at 11pm on the 29th. None of that is because trustees are careless; it's because nobody reminded them early enough, in plain English, that this is a deadline-driven task at all. 💖

Please note: general information, not tax or legal advice — trust distribution requirements depend on each trust's deed and current ATO guidance, both of which this article does not attempt to state as fact. Confirm exact requirements and timing with your accountant before relying on anything here.

What most firms get wrong about this reminder

Sending one email, once, in late June — by then there's no runway left to actually fix anything that comes up.
Assuming trustees remember from last year — most don't; this is an annual admin task competing with a dozen other things.
Using dense technical language — "resolution," "deed," and "present entitlement" mean nothing without a plain-English translation.
Not explaining why the timing matters — a deadline without a reason attached feels optional; a deadline with consequences attached doesn't.
Treating this as a compliance chore instead of a client-care moment — getting ahead of it for a client is genuinely useful service, not just box-ticking.

The campaign structure

Run this as a short two-touch campaign rather than a single email — copy the structure and adjust the dates to your own internal timeline:

Touch 1 — early reminder (around 6 weeks before year end): "Hi [Name], a heads-up that trust distribution resolutions generally need to be finalised before 30 June. Let's book 20 minutes in the next few weeks to talk through how you'd like income distributed this year, so there's no last-minute rush."

Touch 2 — checklist follow-up (around 3 weeks before year end): "Hi [Name], quick checklist before our chat: who are the intended beneficiaries this year, has anything changed since last year's resolution, and do you have a copy of the trust deed handy? Bring your thoughts and we'll sort the rest together."

Touch 3 — final nudge (around 1 week before year end, for anyone who hasn't booked): "Hi [Name], just following up — we're coming right up against the 30 June timeline for trust resolutions. Can we lock in a short call this week?"

How this plays out for different firms

A 3-partner suburban accounting firm: They ran the three-touch sequence as a mail-merge filtered to clients flagged as discretionary trust structures. The win wasn't fewer missed deadlines — it was fewer confused calls about what a "resolution" even was, because touch two explained it in plain terms first.

A sole-practitioner BAS/tax agent who refers trust work to a colleague: She doesn't draft resolutions herself, but sends trust clients a version of touch one as a referral prompt — turning a compliance deadline into a well-timed, useful referral rather than a missed opportunity.

A firm with 200 SME clients: At that scale they segmented by trust complexity — simple, single-beneficiary trusts got the standard email sequence, while complex multi-generational trusts were flagged for an earlier phone call instead of relying on email alone.

Why the timing genuinely matters

Resolutions generally need to reflect decisions made before the financial year ends, not decisions documented afterwards to match what already happened — which is why "we'll sort it in July" defeats the purpose. The precise requirements (what counts as valid, how specific a resolution needs to be, what a particular deed requires) vary and change, which is deliberately not stated here as settled fact. The campaign's job is to start the conversation early enough to get those specifics right with an adviser — not to replace that conversation.

💡 Heads up: flag any trust where the deed hasn't been reviewed in a few years as part of touch one, not touch three. A deed that doesn't match how the trust is actually being run is a bigger problem than a late resolution, and it needs far more runway to sort out properly.

Mistakes to avoid

Sending the first reminder too late to leave room for a real conversation — six weeks out, not six days, is the difference between a chat and a scramble.
Quoting specific dollar thresholds or rulings as settled fact in client-facing content — these change, and getting it wrong in writing is worse than saying nothing.
Letting the reminder double as unsolicited advice on how to distribute — the campaign's job is to prompt the conversation, not to tell a trustee what decision to make.
Running this only for your biggest trust clients — smaller, simpler trusts miss deadlines just as often, usually because nobody thought they were worth reminding.

Frequently asked questions

Why can't the resolution just be done after 30 June if the numbers are simple?

Because the timing requirement relates to when the decision is made, not just when it's written down — this is a genuine, structural part of how discretionary trusts are generally expected to work, not an arbitrary firm preference. The exact mechanics depend on the trust deed and current guidance, so this is squarely a conversation for your accountant, not a DIY judgement call.

Does every discretionary trust need this exact same reminder?

No — simple, single-beneficiary trusts and complex multi-generational ones generally need very different levels of attention, and a one-size-fits-all email risks under-serving the complex cases and over-complicating the simple ones. Segment the campaign if your client base has both.

Can this campaign replace a proper conversation with the client's accountant?

No, and it isn't trying to — it's a prompt to start that conversation earlier, not a substitute for it. The actual resolution, and the decisions behind it, still need to be worked through properly with a qualified adviser who knows the specific trust and its deed.

What if a client still misses the deadline despite the campaign?

It happens, and it's worth being honest that no reminder sequence has a 100% catch rate — some clients genuinely won't engage until it's urgent, regardless of how early or how often you reach out. The campaign reduces how often that happens; it doesn't eliminate the risk entirely, and firms should have a plan for what happens when a deadline is genuinely missed. 🤍

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Written by

Kate, founder of Chronically Online

I help Gold Coast and Brisbane businesses grow with branding, websites and marketing that actually works.

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