A trustee shall keep the qualified beneficiaries of the trust reasonably informed about the administration of the trust and the material facts necessary to protect the beneficiaries' interests.
1. The trustee shall inform each qualified beneficiary of the beneficiary's right to receive an annual accounting and a copy of the trust instrument. The trustee shall also inform each qualified beneficiary about the process necessary to obtain an annual accounting or a copy of the trust instrument, if not provided. The trustee shall further inform the beneficiary whether the beneficiary will, or will not, receive an annual accounting if the beneficiary fails to take any action. If a beneficiary has previously been provided the notice required by this section, additional notice shall not be required due to a change of trustees or a change in the composition of the qualified beneficiaries.
2. The trustee shall provide the notice required in subsection 1 to each qualified beneficiary within a reasonable time following any of the following events:
a. The commencement of the trust administration.
b. The trustee becoming aware that there is a new qualified beneficiary or a representative of any minor or incompetent beneficiary.
c. The trust becoming irrevocable.
d. The time that no person, except the trustee, has the right to change the beneficiaries of the trust.
3. A trustee of an irrevocable trust shall provide annually to each adult beneficiary and the representative of any minor or incompetent beneficiary who may receive a distribution of income or principal during the accounting time period, an accounting, unless an accounting has been waived specifically for a particular accounting time period.
4. This section does not apply to any trust where the grantor has retained the right, or has transferred the right, to change the beneficiaries of the trust.
5. The only consequence to a trustee's failure to provide a required accounting or notice is that the trustee shall not be able to rely upon the statute of limitations under section 633.4504. If the trustee has refused, after a reasonable request, to provide an accounting to a qualified beneficiary, the court may assess costs, including attorney fees, against the trustee personally.
6. The format and content of an accounting required by this section shall be within the discretion of the trustee, if sufficient to reasonably inform the beneficiary of the condition and activities of the trust during the accounting period.
7. This section applies to any trust created on or after July 1, 2002, unless the trustor has specifically waived the requirements of this section in the trust instrument. Waiver of this section shall not bar any beneficiary's common-law right to an accounting, and shall not provide any immunity to a trustee, acting under the terms of the trust, for liability to any beneficiary who discovers facts giving rise to a cause of action against the trustee.
99 Acts, ch 125, §59, 109; 2001 Acts, ch 176, §78; 2002 Acts, ch 1107, §12; 2002 Acts, ch 1175, §93
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