Legal Definitions - Remainder (trust law)

In trust law, a remainder interest refers to the portion of the trust property that remains after specific devises have been given to the intended beneficiaries.

For example, if a trust is created with the instruction that the income from the trust property should be given to a specific person for their lifetime, and then the remainder of the property should be given to a charity, the charity would have a remainder interest in the trust property.

Another example would be if a trust is created with the instruction that the income from the trust property should be given to a specific person for their lifetime, and then the remainder of the property should be given to their children. In this case, the children would have a remainder interest in the trust property.

These examples illustrate how a remainder interest works in trust law. It is the portion of the trust property that is left over after specific devises have been given to other beneficiaries.