When Should a Child Get Full Access to Their Inheritance?
Balancing Maturity, Milestones, and Meaning in Your Estate Plan
One of the most important—and most personal—decisions you’ll make when setting up a trust for your children is deciding when they should receive full access to the assets. While age benchmarks are common, many families today are also incorporating values-based guidance to encourage responsible, purposeful living.
At Kaminski Law Group, we help clients design trusts that strike a thoughtful balance: ensuring financial support is available when it’s needed, while also protecting the inheritance from misuse, external threats, or poor timing.
Age Isn’t Just a Number—It’s a Strategy
There’s no universal “right” age for full access. Instead, we tailor it to your child’s needs, your goals, and the size of the inheritance. Common benchmarks include:
- Age 18 – Legal adulthood, but very rarely recommended for full access.
- Age 25 – A frequent first distribution milestone, typically used in staggered plans.
- Age 30 or 35 – Often used for full access, as financial maturity tends to increase in these years.
- Age 40, 50, or even 65 – For larger estates or long-term asset protection, it’s not uncommon to withhold full access until much later in life. In fact, some trusts are designed so the beneficiary never receives the assets outright, instead keeping them in trust for lifetime protection.
Delaying access doesn’t mean your child can’t benefit from the trust earlier. Trustees can still make distributions for things like education, home purchases, or business opportunities, based on guidelines you set.
Adding Purpose: Incentive-Based Planning
Age isn’t the only factor. Many families incorporate incentive provisions—language in the trust that encourages specific values or behaviors. These don’t create rigid requirements, but they help guide the trustee’s decisions.
In my own trust, I’ve included provisions designed to encourage:
- Education through college or vocational training
- Gainful employment and financial self-sufficiency
- Community involvement and law-abiding behavior
- Creative or entrepreneurial pursuits
- Charitable giving
- Financial responsibility and avoiding wasteful spending
- Healthy relationships and lifestyles
- Acts of kindness, compassion, and empathy
These provisions are flexible and take into account your child’s age, health, and life circumstances. They are meant to support a well-rounded, meaningful life—not impose a single path.
Trustee Discretion and Protection from Risk
We also help clients include provisions that allow trustees to withhold distributions if the beneficiary is experiencing issues like addiction, legal trouble, or financial instability. These safeguards protect both the inheritance and the beneficiary during vulnerable times.
Similarly, if a child is going through a divorce or being sued, keeping assets in trust rather than distributing them outright can keep them protected from outside claims.
The Big Picture: Supporting, Not Controlling
Whether you choose access at 25, 35, or 65, the real goal of your trust is to provide support without inviting harm. That might mean staggered access, lifetime discretionary distributions, or a mix of both—depending on your child’s personality, your values, and the complexity of your estate.
At Kaminski Law Group, we understand that trusts are more than legal documents—they’re an extension of your love, your legacy, and your life’s work. We help you build plans that reflect that.
Want to talk through age benchmarks and meaningful provisions for your own trust?
We’re here to help. Schedule your consultation today.
