Generally, where property of a trust estate is paid to or applied for the benefit of a beneficiary, an amount - unless it has already been taxed in the hands of the trustee or beneficiary - is included in the assessable income of that beneficiary. Under those circumstances, an interest charge usually applies to amounts that are included in the assessable income of that beneficiary. [sections 99B and 102AAM]
However, since the 1992-93 income year, a beneficiary has been exempt from the interest charge on amounts received from the estate of a deceased person where those amounts are paid to, or applied for the benefit of, the beneficiary within three years after the death of that person. [subsection 102AAM(1B)]