Title 12, Decedents’ Estates and Fiduciary Relations

§ 61-102. Definitions. In this chapter: (1) “Accounting period” means a calendar year unless another 12-month period is selected by a fiduciary. The term includes a portion of a calendar year or other 12-month period that begins when an income interest begins or ends when an inco…

§ 61-103. Fiduciary duties; general principles. (a) In allocating receipts and disbursements to or between principal and income, and with respect to any matter within the scope of subchapters II and III of this chapter, a fiduciary: (1) Shall administer a trust or estate in accor…

§ 61-104. Trustee’s power to adjust. (a) A trustee may adjust between principal and income to the extent the trustee considers necessary if the trustee invests and manages trust assets as a prudent investor, the terms of the trust describe the amount that may or must be distribut…

§ 61-105. Judicial control of discretionary power. (a) In any proceeding that involves a fiduciary’s decision to exercise or refrain from the exercise of a discretionary power conferred upon the fiduciary by this chapter, the fiduciary’s decision shall be changed by the court onl…

§ 61-106. Total return unitrusts. (a) In this section: (1) “Disinterested person” means a person who is not a “related or subordinate party” (as defined in § 672(c) of the Internal Revenue Code [26 U.S.C. § 672(c)] or any successor provision thereof (hereinafter referred to in th…

§ 61-107. Express total return unitrusts. (a) The following provisions shall apply to a trust that, by its governing instrument, requires or permits the distribution, at least annually, of a unitrust amount equal to a fixed percentage of not less than 3 nor more than 5 percent pe…

§ 61-201. Determination and distribution of net income. After a decedent dies, in the case of an estate, or after an income interest in a trust ends, the following rules apply: (1) A fiduciary of an estate or of a terminating income interest shall determine the amount of net inco…

§ 61-202. Distribution to residuary and remainder beneficiaries. (a) Each beneficiary described in § 61-201(4) of this title is entitled to receive a portion of the net income equal to the beneficiary’s fractional interest in undistributed principal assets, using values as of the…

§ 61-301. When right to income begins and ends. (a) An income beneficiary is entitled to net income from the date on which the income interest begins. An income interest begins on the date specified in the terms of the trust or, if no date is specified, on the date an asset becom…

§ 61-302. Apportionment of receipts and disbursements when decedent dies or income interest begins. (a) A trustee shall allocate an income receipt or disbursement other than 1 to which § 61-201(1) of this title applies to principal if its due date occurs before a decedent dies in…

§ 61-303. Apportionment when income interest ends. (a) In this section, “undistributed income” means net income received before the date on which an income interest ends. The term does not include an item of income or expense that is due or accrued or net income that has been add…

§ 61-401. Character of receipts. (a) In this section, “entity” means a corporation, partnership, limited liability company, regulated investment company, real estate investment trust, common trust fund, statutory trust or any other organization in which a trustee has an interest …

§ 61-402. Distribution from trust or estate. A trustee shall allocate to income an amount received as a distribution of income from a trust or an estate in which the trust has an interest other than a purchased interest, and shall allocate to principal an amount received as a dis…

§ 61-403. Business and other activities conducted by an estate. (a) If a trustee who conducts a business or other activity determines that it is in the best interest of all the beneficiaries to account separately for the business or activity instead of accounting for it as part o…

§ 61-404. Principal receipts. A trustee shall allocate to principal: (1) To the extent not allocated to income under this chapter, assets received from a transferor during the transferor’s lifetime, a decedent’s estate, a trust with a terminating income interest, or a payer under…

§ 61-405. Rental property. To the extent that a trustee accounts for receipts from rental property pursuant to this section, the trustee shall allocate to income an amount received as rent of real or personal property, including an amount received for cancellation or renewal of a…

§ 61-406. Obligation to pay money. (a) An amount received as interest, whether determined at a fixed, variable, or floating rate, on an obligation to pay money to the trustee, including an amount received as consideration for prepaying principal, must be allocated to income witho…

§ 61-407. Insurance policies and similar contracts. (a) Except as otherwise provided in subsection (b) of this section, a trustee shall allocate to principal the proceeds of a life insurance policy or other contract in which the trust or its trustee is named as beneficiary, inclu…

§ 61-408. Insubstantial allocations not required. If a trustee determines that an allocation between principal and income required by § 61-409, § 61-410, § 61-411, § 61-412 or § 61-415 of this title is insubstantial, the trustee may allocate the entire amount to principal unless …

§ 61-409. Deferred compensation, annuities, and similar payments. (a) In this section: (1) “Payment” means a payment that a trustee may receive over a fixed number of years or during the life of 1 or more individuals because of services rendered or property transferred to the pay…

§ 61-410. Liquidating asset. (a) In this section, “liquidating asset” means an asset whose value will diminish or terminate because the asset is expected to produce receipts for a period of limited duration. The term includes a leasehold, patent, copyright, royalty right, and rig…

§ 61-411. Minerals, water and other natural resources. (a) To the extent that a trustee accounts for receipts from an interest in minerals or other natural resources pursuant to this section, the trustee shall allocate them as follows: (1) If received as nominal delay rental or n…

§ 61-412. Timber. (a) To the extent that a trustee accounts for receipts from the sale of timber and related products pursuant to this section, the trustee shall allocate the net receipts: (1) To income to the extent that the amount of timber removed from the land does not exceed…

§ 61-413. Property not productive of income. Upon request of the income beneficiary, if the trustee determines that the assets of a trust consist substantially of property that does not provide the income beneficiary with a reasonable income from or use of the trust assets, and t…

§ 61-414. Derivatives and options. (a) In this section, “derivative” means a contract or financial instrument or a combination of contracts and financial instruments which gives a trust the right or obligation to participate in some or all changes in the price of a tangible or in…

§ 61-415. Asset-backed securities. (a) In this section, “asset-backed security” means an asset whose value is based upon the right it gives the owner to receive distributions from the proceeds of financial assets that provide collateral for the security. The term includes an asse…

§ 61-501. Disbursements from income. A trustee shall make the following disbursements from income to the extent that they are not disbursements to which § 61-201(2)(B) or (C) of this title applies: (1) One-half of the regular compensation of the trustee and of any person providin…

§ 61-502. Disbursements from principal. (a) A trustee shall make the following disbursements from principal: (1) The remaining 1/2 of the disbursements described in § 61-501(1) and (2) of this title; (2) All of the trustee’s compensation calculated on principal as a fee for accep…

§ 61-503. Transfers from income to principal for depreciation. (a) In this section, “depreciation” means a reduction in value due to wear, tear, decay, corrosion, or gradual obsolescence of a fixed asset having a useful life of more than 1 year. (b) A trustee may transfer to prin…

§ 61-504. Transfers from income to reimburse principal. (a) If a trustee makes or expects to make a principal disbursement described in this section, the trustee may transfer an appropriate amount from income to principal in 1 or more accounting periods to reimburse principal or …

§ 61-505. Income taxes. (a) A tax required to be paid by a trustee based on receipts allocated to income must be paid from income. (b) A tax required to be paid by a trustee based on receipts allocated to principal must be paid from principal, even if the tax is called an income …

§ 61-506. Adjustments between principal and income because of taxes. (a) A fiduciary may make adjustments between principal and income to offset the shifting of economic interests or tax benefits between income beneficiaries and remainder beneficiaries which arise from: (1) Elect…

§ 61-601. Uniformity of application and construction. In applying and construing subchapters I through V of this chapter, consideration must be given to the need to promote uniformity of the law with respect to its subject matter among States that enact the Uniform Principal and …

§ 61-602. Applicability of § 61-409 of this title. Section 61-409 of this title applies to a trust described in § 61-409(d) of this title on and after the following dates: (1) If the trust is not funded as of the effective date of this chapter, that is, August 1, 2009, the date o…

§ 61-603. Accounts with register of wills not affected. Nothing in this chapter shall be construed to effect or change the form of accounting required under § 2301 of this title.77 Del. Laws, c. 99, § 1;

§ 61-604. Certain charitable remainder unitrusts. (a) Notwithstanding any contrary provision of the chapter, if the trust instrument adopts the provisions of this section by reference, an increase in the value of the following investments owned by a charitable remainder unitrust …

§ 61-605. Trusts governed by this act. This chapter shall apply to any trust that is administered in Delaware under Delaware law or to any trust, wherever administered, whose governing instrument provides that the construction or administration of the trust be governed by Delawar…