A special disability trust is a trust established under legislation passed by the Federal Government in 2006 to assist families plan for the future care and accommodation needs of a family member with a severe disability.

The trust can be established during the lifetime of the person contributing assets to the trust or in that person’s Will.
A means test applies to the assets and income of an individual for the purposes of assessing their entitlement to social security payments.

Assets owned by a special disability trust up to the specified limit (currently $609,500 indexed annually plus the value of a home occupied by the beneficiary) are disregarded for the application of the Centrelink or Department of Veterans Affairs assets test. Download our brochure “Special Disability Trusts”