Overview
The Public Guardian and Trustee (PGT) provides a range of services to adults. These include:
- Acting as a legal representative for a vulnerable adult
- Monitoring and reviewing the accounts of private committees
- Investigating the financial neglect, self-neglect or abuse of a vulnerable adult
Fees for legal representative services to adults
When the PGT is appointed to act as the financial or legal representative of a vulnerable adult, such as committee of estate, attorney or representative, the PGT has many responsibilities, including managing the adult’s income, securing assets, conducting banking, paying expenses, investing, budgeting and dealing with legal issues.
| Fee | Amount |
|---|---|
| Capital commission | 4% of total assets |
| Income commission | 4% of total assets |
| Asset management fee | 0.7% per year, calculated monthly on the gross value of all assets |
| Estate liaison administration fee | $120 per month |
| When acting as committee of estate, a minimum administration fee may be charged after the death of a client | $100 per month, multiplied by the number of months the PGT was committee of estate, minus the total amount of fees charged to the client while the PGT was committee of estate |
Fees for services to private committees
A friend or family member may be appointed to manage the affairs of a person who needs assistance managing their financial, legal and/or personal affairs. A trust company can also be appointed to manage a person’s legal and financial affairs.
When a person or company is appointed as a private committee by the Supreme Court of B.C., a variety of fees are payable to the PGT.
The PGT charges fees to review the application made to court to be appointed private committee, to review the private committee’s accounts, and if required, to conduct an investigation into alleged abuse or mismanagement of an adult’s assets by a private committee. For more information, see Private committee services.
| Fee | Amount |
|---|---|
| Review of private committee application | $500 |
| Investigation of a private committee | See fees for investigating a power of attorney, representative or private committee of a vulnerable adult |
| Private committee account review fee is based on the total value of the assets for each 12-month period under review* | |
| If the value of the assets is under $25,000 | $0 |
| If the value of the assets is $25,000-$100,000 | $125 |
| If the value of the assets is $100,000-$300,000 | $250 |
| If the value of the assets is $300,000-$500,000 | $325 |
| If the value of the assets is more than $500,000 | $500 |
*Private committee account review fees are calculated based on the adult's assets. If some of the adult's assets are jointly-owned, only the amount owned by the adult should be reported. Liabilities are not taken into consideration during the calculation of fees.
Fees for investigating the financial neglect, self-neglect or abuse of a vulnerable adult
Part of the PGT’s mandate is to investigate concerns about the possible abuse, neglect or self-neglect of a vulnerable adult. If there is reason to believe that the adult’s assets are at risk, or if the private committee, attorney or representative has not fulfilled their duties, the PGT may conduct an assessment and investigation. When an investigation results in the PGT becoming committee of estate for the vulnerable adult, the following fees are charged.
| Fee | Amount |
|---|---|
| Investigation fee if gross assets are under $100,000 | $125 |
| Investigation fee if gross assets are over $100,000 up to $250,000 | $200 |
| Investigation fee if gross assets are over $250,000 up to $375,000 | $250 |
| Investigation fee if gross assets are over $375,000 up to $500,000 | $300 |
| Investigation fee if gross assets are over $500,000 up to $600,000 | $350 |
| Investigation fee if gross assets are over $600,000 | $400 |
All fees charged by the PGT are set by the B.C. government in the Public Guardian and Trustee Fees Regulation. Please note that 5% GST is payable on all PGT fees.