If there is no trust in the Will, an executor may wish to pay the child’s inheritance into Court.  By doing so, the executor is discharged from further responsibility to the extent of the amount paid into Court.  The executor does not need to monitor the Court’s handling of the money, how it is invested, or keep any further records.

When a minor child is left an inheritance, the Office of the Children’s Lawyer (OCL) may become involved.  An office within the Ministry of the Attorney General for Ontario, the OCL’s mandate is to represent personal and property rights of minors and unborn children, including estate and trust matters. 

Parents may also be surprised to learn that when a child reaches the age of 18, he or she can demand that the inheritance be handed over to him or her if the inheritance is not being held in a trust.  The child can also demand a full accounting of all transactions affecting the inheritance unless previously approved by the Court.

A parent (or other person leaving a gift to a child) who wishes to defer payment of the child’s inheritance beyond the age of 18 can include a trust in his or her Will.  In a trust, the parent can specify that partial payments of the inheritance are to be made at various ages with income (what the trust assets earn) being paid out regularly.