Comprehensive guide to Alaska's trust statutes for dynasty planning.
Compare Alaska against other top jurisdictions based on your specific planning goals.
Start Comparison →Alaska allows trusts to exist for up to 1,000 years, measured from the date of trust creation. This applies to both real and personal property held in trust. While not perpetual, 1,000 years is effectively dynastic for any planning purpose.
Alaska has no state income tax. The state relies on oil revenues and other sources rather than income tax. Trust income is not taxed at the state level, and Alaska residents receive annual Permanent Fund Dividends.
Alaska enacted the first US Domestic Asset Protection Trust statute in 1997. The statute of limitations for fraudulent transfer claims is 4 years from transfer or 1 year from discovery, whichever is later. This is longer than some competing jurisdictions.
Alaska has comprehensive directed trust and trust protector statutes. The statutes allow separation of trustee powers among multiple parties with explicit liability protection. Trust protectors can be granted broad powers including modification of trust terms, removal of trustees, and change of situs.
Alaska's decanting statute (enacted 2014) allows trustees with discretionary distribution authority to distribute to new trusts with modified terms. No court approval is required. Decanting can modify administrative and dispositive provisions, merge or divide trusts, and extend trust terms.
First state to allow self-settled asset protection trusts. 1,000-year duration and no state income tax. Pioneered many trust innovations.
Geographically isolated, which makes trustee meetings and trust administration more complicated. Also, the trust industry here is smaller.
Alaska was groundbreaking 20 years ago. Today, SD and NV have caught up and passed it. Unless you have Alaska-specific reasons, there's usually a better choice.