STEP Certificate for Financial Services – Trust and Estate Planning
Grow your expertise and gain the skills to navigate the core legal, tax and investment issues that overlap with estate planning.
Course details
In-Depth Client Understanding:
Gain insights into the diverse needs of trustee, incapacitated, and charity clients, enhancing your ability to address their unique requirements.
Cutting-Edge Knowledge:
Stay abreast of the latest developments in will trusts and the transferable nil-rate band, ensuring your knowledge is current and relevant in the ever-evolving legal and financial landscape.
Professional Credibility:
Boost your professional standing by mastering UK-specific legal and tax considerations, positioning yourself as a trusted advisor and expanding your network within the private client landscape.
Strategic Business Growth:
Build your business strategically by leveraging your newfound knowledge, establishing a network of contacts, and attracting clients through your enhanced expertise in private client services.
Adaptability to Market Changes:
Develop the adaptability to navigate shifts in legal and financial landscapes, ensuring that your skills and advice remain relevant and effective in dynamic market conditions.
To take this course you need to be a member of STEP. Find out more about how to join STEP here.
Course fees: £700 + local taxes
You may also be interested in:
STEP Advanced Certificate in Administration of Estates (England and Wales)
View course fee and enrol now:
If you are not already a member of STEP, you need to join before enrolling onto this course as you will need your STEP membership number to hand when booking. Find out more here. Please allow five working days for your membership application to be approved by STEP. Applicable local taxes and discounts will be added to your basket on checkout for this course.
Our courses can become oversubsribed quickly and places are allocated on a first come, first served basis. We advise that you book early to ensure you receive your requested workshop dates and to check the dates as soon as you receive your booking confirmation email.
Customised Pricing and Group Rates
Tailored pricing plans and group rate cards are available for firms seeking to train multiple team members or larger groups of employees. We are happy to work with you to design a cost-effective solution that aligns with your training goals and budget.
Instalment Plans
You can pay for your course fees in instalments if you choose the interest-free instalment plans available for certain courses. Specifically, you can opt for three equal monthly instalments for Certificate and Advanced Certificate level courses that total over £800 (excluding VAT), or six equal monthly instalments for the Professional Postgraduate Diploma. Payments can be made using a credit or debit card.
Become a member of STEP
To take this course you need to be a member of STEP.
What will I learn?
- The variety of lifetime trust structures commonly found in private client work
- The use and appropriateness of different will trusts
- The purpose and operation of trusts used in conjunction with life and pension contracts
- The factors affecting a client’s residence and domicile and the impact these can have on a client’s estate planning needs
- The duties and responsibilities of trustees in relation to investment matters
- How to deal with the affairs of an incapacitated client or a client whose affairs are dealt with under the various types of powers of attorney
Course format
This course is available for study twice a year and takes four months to complete. It is delivered online.
Enrolment onto this course will include access to an online learning platform containing:
- bespoke course reading
- self-assessment tools
- supporting material
The course is assessed by way of a five-hour open-book examination.
Once you have successfully completed this course, you will be awarded the STEP Certificate in Financial Services – Trust and Estate Planning.
Digital Certificates from April 2026
From April 6th 2026, printed certificates will no longer be issued. All certificates will be provided digitally via Diplomasafe.
This change supports our commitment to sustainability and modernisation. Digital certificates are:
- Eco-friendly – reducing paper use and our carbon footprint
- Secure – each certificate includes a QR code for instant verification
- Convenient – easy to access, store, and share
Certificates are issued by our credentials partner, Diplomasafe. CLTI will securely share data with Diplomasafe in line with GDPR to enable digital credentialing. Learn more: https://diplomasafe.com
Is this course right for me?
This open-entry course is ideal for professionals working in financial services who have some experience or have undertaken previous study of trusts, tax, and estate planning. The course is also suitable for those working in the banking sector dealing with trusts and estates.
Students of this course typically include:
- IFAs/Financial planners
- Estate/Wealth Planners
- Investment Managers/Advisers
- Private Bankers
- Will Writers
- Legal Assistants/Paralegals
What learners say:
I loved taking my STEP Certificate. I was able to plan ahead at the very start of my learning schedule and flex it when needed. The training material is second to none. I was so well prepared for the exam that it was enjoyable!
Estate Planning Consultant
Well-presented material and thorough testing.
Financial Planner