Scope sheet
finbryn.com
Estate & Trust
Charitable trust and private foundation accounting
Finbryn keeps the books for US charitable remainder trusts, charitable lead trusts and private foundations: contributions, investment income and grants tracked by recipient, the structure's own required distribution calculated each year, and Form 990-PF or split-interest trust workpapers built for a credentialed signer to review before filing.
What is included
- A ledger tracking contributions, investment income and grants made, by recipient and purpose
- A minimum investment return or unitrust/annuity payout calculation updated against current asset values
- Investment accounts reconciled to custodian statements each period
- A grant schedule organized in the format Form 990-PF's grant reporting requires
- A flagged list of transactions that may raise self-dealing, excess business holdings or jeopardizing investment questions
- Workpapers assembled for Form 990-PF or the applicable split-interest trust information return
- A distribution shortfall alert issued with enough of the year remaining to correct it
- Copies of contribution acknowledgment records retained with the foundation or trust's files
The process
- 1.
Identify the structure and its governing rules
We confirm whether the entity is a private foundation, a charitable remainder trust or a charitable lead trust, and pull the specific payout percentage or dollar figure from the governing document.
- 2.
Set up contribution and grant tracking
A ledger is built to log every contribution received and every grant made individually, by recipient, amount and purpose, rather than as lump categories.
- 3.
Reconcile investment accounts each period
Brokerage and investment accounts are reconciled to custodian statements each period, since the distribution calculation depends on accurate asset values.
- 4.
Calculate the required distribution
The minimum investment return figure for a foundation, or the unitrust or annuity payout for a charitable remainder or lead trust, is calculated against current-year asset values and checked against what has actually been distributed so far.
- 5.
Flag excise tax risk items as they appear
Transactions that look like self-dealing, excess business holdings or a jeopardizing investment are flagged on the ledger for the credentialed signer to review, as they happen rather than at year end.
- 6.
Assemble the filing workpapers
Contribution records, the distribution calculation and the grant schedule are compiled into the workpaper package a credentialed signer needs to prepare Form 990-PF or the applicable split-interest trust return.
- 7.
Hand off for signer review and filing
A credentialed signer, an enrolled agent or a CPA partner, reviews the completed workpapers and files the return; we do not file it ourselves.
Software
QuickBooks Online, Xero, Excel, Google Sheets, Foundant Grant Lifecycle Manager
Pricing
Charitable trust and private foundation accounting is scoped by the entity's asset size, grant volume and whether it is a foundation or a split-interest trust, since the distribution calculation and grant tracking work scale with both. Most engagements fall under the Growth or Scale tiers; see current published pricing and the custom-quote path at /us/pricing.
Finbryn is a brand of Northlane Solutions Inc., a Delaware corporation.
Reviewed September 2026