Trust registration
The simplest structure for a charitable purpose, built on a deed and registered with the sub registrar.
What the fee covers
- Trust deed drafted around your objects
- Stamp duty guidance for your state
- Registration before the sub registrar
- Trust PAN application
- Bank account documentation
Professional fee
9,999
professional fee, stamp duty and registration charges at actuals
- Timeline
- 12 to 20 working days
- Filed with
- Sub Registrar of your district
The lightest charitable structure
A public charitable trust is created by a deed and registered with the sub registrar. There is no annual filing with a registrar of companies, no board meeting requirement and no audit until the tax law thresholds bite, which makes it the cheapest of the three charitable structures to run.
The trade off is disclosure. A trust's accounts are not public, and institutional donors and CSR committees frequently prefer a section 8 company for that reason. If your funding will come from companies rather than individuals, weigh that before you choose.
Best suited to
- Family run charitable initiatives
- Religious and educational endowments
- Groups that want a light structure to start with
- Organisations planning to apply for 12A and 80G later
Documents you need
- PAN and Aadhaar of the settlor and every trustee
- Passport size photographs
- Address proof for each trustee
- Proof of the registered office address with a no objection letter
- Details of the objects and the initial corpus
- Two witnesses for the deed execution
Scanned copies are enough to begin. We check every document against the department's current format before filing, because a rejected form costs more time than a resubmitted scan.
How the filing runs
Get free consultationDeed drafting
Objects, trustee powers, succession and the corpus are written into the deed, because the deed is the constitution of a trust.
Stamping
The deed is printed on stamp paper at the value your state notifies for a trust deed.
Registration
The settlor and trustees present the deed before the sub registrar with witnesses, and the deed is registered.
PAN and next steps
The trust gets its own PAN, and we set out what 12A, 80G and CSR-1 will need if you intend to raise donations.
What it costs
9,999
professional fee, stamp duty and registration charges at actuals
Typical timeline: 12 to 20 working days
Get free consultationTen percent below any comparable quote
Send us a written quote from another online filing platform for the same scope of work. We do the same filing for ten percent less, and the difference is shown in your quote before you pay anything.
- Applies to professional fees on like for like scope and turnaround
- Government fees and stamp duty are statutory and are charged at actuals by everyone
- The quote you send has to be current and in writing
Trust questions
How many trustees does a trust need?
At least two. There is no upper limit. The settlor who creates the trust can also be a trustee, and the deed decides how trustees are appointed and replaced.
Is a trust better than a society or a section 8 company?
It is the lightest of the three to set up and to run, with no annual filing with a registrar of companies. The trade off is disclosure: institutional donors and CSR committees often prefer a section 8 company because its accounts are public.
Which law governs a public charitable trust?
Public trusts are governed by state law, such as the Maharashtra Public Trusts Act in Maharashtra and Gujarat. The Indian Trusts Act 1882 governs private trusts. Which one applies depends on your state and your objects.
Can a trust receive foreign donations?
Only with registration or prior permission under the Foreign Contribution Regulation Act. FCRA is a separate application with its own eligibility conditions, and accepting foreign funds without it is an offence.
Talk to a CA about trust
Send your details and a chartered accountant calls you back with the document checklist, the timeline and the exact cost for trust.
Reach us directly
22-1-3 Rajapangal Road, 7th Line, Ongole, Andhra Pradesh 523001. The office is open 10am to 7pm, Monday to Saturday, and WhatsApp and phone are answered around the clock.