Circumstances Under Which Payments Can/Cannot Be Made

Circumstances Under Which Payments Can/Cannot Be Made. In determining whether payments can or cannot be made from a trust to or for an individual, any restrictions on payments must be taken into account, such as use restrictions, exculpatory clauses, or limits on trustee discretion that may be included in the trust. A. Example: If an irrevocable trust provides that the trustee can disburse only $1,000 to or for the individual out of a $20,000 trust, only the $1,000 is treated as a payment that could be made. The remaining $19,000 is treated as an amount which cannot, under any circumstances, be paid to or for the benefit of the individual. B. On the other hand, if a trust contains $50,000 that the trustee can pay to the grantor only in the event that the grantor needs, for example, a heart transplant, this full amount is considered as payment that could be made under some circumstances, even though the likelihood of payment is remote. Similarly, if a payment cannot be made until some point in the distant future, it is still payment that can be made under some circumstances.