How do I open a personal injury trust bank account, or, I need to open a personal injury trust account, is what callers often say to me. My answer to such questions is, you first need a trust and the trust must then open an account or accounts to hold your compensation.
To protect your benefits if you receive personal injury compensation, you actually need two things. First you need to create a trust and then a bank account is set up for the trust.
Often called a personal injury trust, the trust is created by a legal document, called a trust deed. The trust deed states its purpose is to hold personal injury compensation. The trust appoints your trustees. Once the trust is in place, the trustees then open a joint bank account.
You need a trust first, then somewhere to hold the compensation separate from your own money. The second step is to open the trust bank account.
If you receive a payment for an injury to you, which you hold in a trust, it will be ignored for means-tested benefit purposes. This is allowed by the benefit regulations themselves. It is not the trust which protects the compensation, it is the benefit regulations themselves which allow this arrangement.
Your compensation must be held separate from your personal funds, with benefits being assessed on your personal funds only. The need for separation is why the compensation must be held in the trust, which is an arrangement to hold and use your compensation. Once you understand the need for this separation, you will have the answer to most questions as to how the trust should operate.
The first job is to set up the trust, then the trustees can set up a separate bank account. I advise the account be given the same name as the trust, so it is clear to benefit agencies that the trust holds the money.
You should not be limited to holding all compensation in a single current account which pays no interest. With the trusts I write, the compensation can be held in a wide range of accounts and investments. The golden rule is the trust must hold the funds, not you personally.
Please do not waste time making enquiries of banks. As at September 2023, there are very few banks which will open a joint current account for a trust. You cannot open an account without a trust deed, so concentrate on setting up the trust first, then we will help you with banking.
Related content
How a trust protects your personal injury compensation.
A personal injury trust is a positive thing, not a problem
How I will help you set up a trust.