Investing for Children

A Trust is a legal arrangement that allows a Trustee to hold assets on behalf of a Beneficiary(ies).

A Bare Trust is a type of trust that allows money to be paid by a Settlor(s) to a trust fund managed by Trustees on behalf of the Beneficiary(ies) of the trust. The Settlors and Trustees are often the Beneficiaries’ parents, grandparents, or other relatives.

Settlor(s): The Settlor or Settlors are a person or people who:

•  Set up the Children’s Savings Investment Trust
•  Pay the premiums into the Policy.
• Appoint the Trustees.

There can be up to two Settlors. The Settlor(s) may also be Trustees.

Trustees: The Trustees legally hold and manage the Policy on behalf of the Beneficiary or Beneficiaries until they reach 18 and possibly later. The Settlor(s) appoint the Trustees. There are a minimum of two Trustees.

Beneficiary(ies): The Beneficiary or Beneficiaries:

• may receive the Policy’s benefits when they reach 18 years.
• are typically the minor children or grandchildren of the Settlor(s) when the Bare Trust is set up.
• are named individuals who must benefit from the Bare Trust at the start of the Policy.

• The payer of premiums is the Settlor.
• Life /lives assured are the Settlor(s).
• The Trustees are the policy owners and are responsible for the administration of the Trust/policy.
• A Trustee and a Settlor can be the same person.
• A Trustee can be appointed or removed by the Settlor(s) after the trust has been set up by writing to Aviva.
• The Settlor and Trustees complete and sign all paperwork.
• A third party must witness signatures on the Bare Trust.
• Beneficiaries and their percentage share of the Trust assets are specified in the Bare Trust section of the Application Form at the outset.
• A Bare Trust cannot be revoked. Once monies are paid into the trust, the Beneficiary(ies) becomes immediately and absolutely entitled to the assets. Therefore, a transfer of money into the trust cannot be reversed.
• The Small Gift Tax Exemption allows your clients to gift up to €3,000 tax-free in any one year to their child, grandchild, or anyone else and this gift will not impact the recipient’s Group tax-free threshold for Capital Acquisition Tax purposes.
• The €3,000 per annum premium is INCLUSIVE of the Government Levy.
• Anti-Money laundering requirements are needed for the Trustees and the Settlor(s).
• Full anti-money laundering requirements are needed for Beneficiaries on encashment. Up-to-date Customer Due Diligence documentation for Trustees may also be sought as the encashment stage.

The Small Gift Exemption allows your clients to gift up to €3,000 tax-free in any one year to their child, grandchild, or anyone else and this gift will not impact the recipient’s Group tax-free threshold for Capital Acquisition Tax purposes. The use of a Bare Trust allows money to be paid by a Settlor(s) to a trust fund managed by Trustees on behalf of the Beneficiary(ies) of the trust.

While the Beneficiary(ies) are under age 18, only the Trustees can make any alterations/encashments to the plan. When a Beneficiary reaches age 18, they can surrender their share of the policy and we will make payment directly to that Beneficiary with authorisation from the Trustees. Should a Beneficiary and /or Trustees wish for the Trustees to continue to manage the assets on behalf of that Beneficiary after the Beneficiary’s 18th birthday, then a separate contractual arrangement must be put in place between the relevant parties to that effect. This contractual arrangement is a matter for the parties involved to agree and put in place.

Important: In the absence of such an agreement, the Trustees could be held liable to a Beneficiary for losses suffered by the trust and could affect the classification of the trust as a Bare Trust for tax purposes.

While the Beneficiary(ies) are under age 18, we will pay all payments to the Trustees’ bank account. When a Beneficiary reaches age 18, they can surrender their share of the policy and we will make payment directly to that Beneficiary with authorisation from the Trustees.

You and your client fill in the Aviva Children’s Savings Investment Trust Application Form including the Bare Trust.

You can share the Children’s Savings Investment Trust Brochure with your clients.  It is also important to share the Savings Plan Brochure with them.

Yes, the product can be keyed on BrokerSecure. Your client will need to fill in a standalone declaration and a Bare Trust Form

Responsibility for determining eligibility for the exemption, applying it correctly, and meeting any reporting obligations to Revenue rests with the recipient of the gift (or, where applicable, their parent or legal guardian).

You may choose to use an Aviva Savings Plan as a means of making a gift. How this is structured depends on whether the recipient of the gift is an adult or a minor.

A Trust is a legal arrangement that allows a Trustee to hold assets on behalf of a Beneficiary(ies).

A Bare Trust is a type of trust that allows money to be paid by a Settlor(s) to a trust fund managed by Trustees on behalf of the Beneficiary(ies) of the trust. The Settlors and Trustees are often the Beneficiaries’ parents, grandparents, or other relatives.

CAT is a tax on gifts and inheritances. Your client’s beneficiary can receive gifts and inheritances up to a set value over their lifetime before paying CAT. Gifts and inheritances received below these thresholds over the beneficiary’s lifetime are not subject to CAT.

Generally, Group A includes children of the disponer. Group B includes other relatives of the disponer, such as grandparents. Group C includes everyone else. For more details see CAT groups and group thresholds (revenue.ie).

The information given is a guideline only. Aviva Life & Pensions Ireland DAC accepts no responsibility for monitoring CAT thresholds or for any CAT liabilities that may arise.

The current CAT rate as of June 2026 is 33% for amounts above the relevant threshold.

A Bare Trust can be used to benefit from today’s Capital Acquisitions Tax (CAT) Thresholds. Any investment growth on the Investment Bond is not treated as an additional gift and therefore not subject to CAT.

For all trusts, Trustees must register trusts with Ireland’s Central Register of Beneficial Ownership of Trusts (CRBOT) to comply with anti-money laundering laws. Registration is done via Revenue’s Online Service (ROS), requiring information about beneficial owners. Further information is available on revenue.ie

While the Beneficiary(ies) are under age 18, only the Trustees can make any alterations/encashments to the plan. When a Beneficiary reaches age 18, they can surrender their share of the policy and we will make payment directly to that Beneficiary with notification issued to the Trustees. Should a Beneficiary and /or Trustees wish for the Trustees to continue to manage the assets on behalf of that Beneficiary after the Beneficiary’s 18th birthday, then a separate contractual arrangement must be put in place between the relevant parties to that effect. This contractual arrangement is a matter for the parties involved to agree and put in place.

Important: In the absence of such an agreement, the Trustees could be held liable to a Beneficiary for losses suffered by the trust and could affect the classification of the trust as a Bare Trust for tax purposes.

While the Beneficiary(ies) are under age 18, we will pay all payments to the Trustees’ bank account. When a Beneficiary reaches age 18, they can surrender their share of the policy and we will make payment directly to that Beneficiary with authorisation from the Trustees.

You and your client fill in the Aviva Children’s Investment Trust Application Form including the Bare Trust.

You can share the Children’s Investment Trust Brochure with your clients.  It is also important to share the Investment Bond Customer Guide with them.

Yes, the product can be keyed on BrokerSecure. Your client will need to fill in a standalone declaration and a Bare Trust Form.

• Life assured is the adult beneficiary.
• The proposer/policy owner is also the adult beneficiary. The adult beneficiary completes and signs all paperwork.
• The policy should be set up on a Single Life /Single Owner basis only.
• The payer of premiums is the donor (e.g., parent, grandparent, godparent etc).
• Maximum premium payable is €3,000 per annum for single payer or €6,000 per annum for joint payers.
• The €3,000 per annum premium is inclusive of the Government Levy.
• Anti-Money laundering requirements are necessary for both the donor (e.g., parent, grandparent, godparent) and the adult beneficiary.

No tax charges arise where an adult receives the gift if it is within the small gift tax exemption limits, and they affect their own contract.

The adult Beneficiary completes and signs all paperwork to make any alterations/encashments to the plan.

All premiums are debited from the donor’s bank account, i.e., the parent, grandparent, godparent's account.

Yes, the maximum investment is linked to the current Small Gift Tax Exemption limits, currently €3,000 for a single payer and €6,000 for joint payers. When Savings Plan is taken out to available of the annual Small Gift Tax Exemption limits, Aviva won’t allow a third-party payment above this amount.

You and your client fill in the standard Aviva Savings Plan Application Form .

You can share the Saving for Adult Beneficiaries Customer Guide with your clients. It is also important to share the Savings Plan Brochure with them.

Yes, the product can be keyed on Aviva BrokerSecure. Your client will need to fill in a Standalone Declaration.