Updated June 29, 2022

The Arizona revocable living trust is a document created by an individual who wishes to protect their assets and leave instructions for an appointed Trustee to distribute assets to Beneficiaries when they die. Unlike a will, the contents of a living trust don’t have to be distributed in probate and are not made public record. Ownership of the assets are transferred to the Trust, but the Grantor (creator) can continue to benefit from all property and assets while alive. This type of trust can also be amended, altered, or revoked at any point during the Grantor’s lifetime. When they die, the trust becomes irrevocable. A revocable trust does not avoid Federal and State estate taxes.

Laws – § 14-10602

How to Write

Step 1 – Download in Adobe PDF (.pdf), Microsoft Word (.docx), or Open Document Text (odt).

Step 2 – Enter the name of the Grantor (creator) at the top of the page as well as the date. Next, type the names of the Grantor and Trustee and include their addresses. Under Article 1, enter the name of the Trust and specify whether or not the Trust is an amendment to a prior Living Trust.

Step 3 – Section A of Article 4 asks for a list of property and the names of the individuals or organizations who will be inheriting them.

Step 4 – To grant personal property to the named Beneficiaries, select the box labeled “The Beneficiaries” under Section B of Article 4. Alternatively, select the second box and provide the name, address, and Social Security or Tax ID number of an individual not mentioned in the Beneficiaries section that should receive the Grantor’s personal property.

Step 5 – Section C of Article 4 is to be completed by entering the name and address of the individual who will care for the Grantor’s pet(s) after death. Blank spaces are available for a second name and address should the first Pet Caretaker be not up to the task.

Step 6 – Continued under Section C of Article 4 is Part (ii) which pertains to the funding required for the care of the Grantor’s pets. If funding is to be provided, tick the first box and enter the amount (in US dollars) that will be provided to the Pet Caretaker. The Grantor may choose not to provide funding for the Pet Caretaker and may do so by selecting the second checkbox.

Step 7 – Part (iii) of Section C must be filled out with the name of the individual in charge of making sure the funds granted to the Pet Caretaker are indeed being used for the responsibilities associated with the care of the Grantor’s pets.

Step 8 – Still under Article 4 is Section D, where names of the Beneficiaries to whom the Grantor’s assets will be bequeathed should be entered. The last 4 digits of their Social Security (or Tax ID) numbers and mailing addresses should also be provided.

Step 9 – Scroll down to page 11 and, under Article 10, provide an amount of time, either per month or per year, that a Beneficiary may request an accounting of the property held in the Trust.

Step 10 – The next blank fields are found under Article 13. Here, the names and addresses of the Successor Trustee and the 2nd Successor Trustee must be provided.

Step 11 – If the Grantor wishes to provide funding to the Trustee, they may do so by ticking the second box under Section I of Article 13. Or, if no funding is to be provided, tick the first box.

Step 12 – Article 15 requires the input of the amount of time (in days) in which an individual or organization must survive past the Grantor’s death in order to make a claim or benefit from the Trust.

Step 13 – Under Article 17, provide the marital status of the Grantor by selecting either the first box (if they are not married) or the second box (if they are). If the second box has been selected, the name of the Grantor’s spouse must be entered into the field provided.

Step 14 – The names of the Grantor’s children must be included in the trust document. The field for this can be found under Article 18 on page 16.

Step 15 – Any individuals or organizations that are not to benefit in any way from the Trust should be mentioned under Article 21, “Exclusion.”

Step 16 – The next part, Article 22, asks for the signatures and printed names of the Grantor, the Trustee, and the Successor Trustee. Dates must be included beside the printed names.

Step 17 – In order for the trust document to be legitimate, the Self-Proving Affidavit must be completed. Provide the following information on page 18 of the revocable trust form:

• State
• County
• Grantor’s signature and the date
• Trustee’s signature and the date
• Successor Trustee’s signature and the date
• 2nd Successor Trustee’s signature and the date
• 2 witness signatures and the dates

A notary public must fill out the last part of the Self-Proving Affidavit in order for it to be a legal document.

Step 18 – The last page, labeled Attachment A, should include a list of all the assets within the Trust.