A Certification of Trust is a condensed document used to prove a trust's existence to third parties (like banks) without revealing private distribution details.
Why is my Certification of Trust missing?
We only provide a formal Certification of Trust if your state has a specific statute that protects third parties who rely on it. Currently, the following states do not have these statutes, and therefore a COT is not generated for them:
New York
Oklahoma
Rhode Island
Vermont
Where to find the COT
For all other states where a Certification of Trust is legally recognized, the document is automatically generated as part of your estate plan. You can find it inside your main Trust PDF once your documents have been fully drafted and are ready for signature.
Using the COT
Once located, the Certification of Trust can be signed and notarized independently of the full Trust Agreement, allowing you to share only the necessary legal facts with financial institutions.