The CTEP™ curriculum — module by module
The Chartered Trust and Estate Planner curriculum encompasses trust and estate planning concerns of resident and non-resident clients and families — from estate-planning fundamentals through to international cross-border structures, grounded in the actual Indian legal framework.
Designed to make you a complete estate-planning specialist
The CTEP™ curriculum encompasses trust and estate planning concerns of both resident and non-resident clients and families. It is structured as six units that build progressively — from the estate-planning discipline itself, through the governing laws, to the specific instruments and cross-border structures you will use with clients.
The program is delivered as approximately 65 on-demand video lessons accessible on mobile and desktop, with one year of platform access. It is self-paced — designed for working professionals who need to study around existing commitments. Most candidates complete the program in 3 to 6 months.
The curriculum is grounded in the Indian legal framework — the actual Acts, cases and structures that govern wealth transfer in India — while also covering international planning for NRI and cross-border situations. It does not require a prior legal background; the law is built from first principles in a practical, advisory context.
CTEP™ curriculum — unit by unit
Each unit addresses a distinct domain of estate planning. Together they give you the full professional toolkit — from first principles to advanced cross-border structures.
Unit 1 — Introduction to Estate Planning
The discipline, the professional's role, and the planning process.
This unit establishes the foundations: what estate planning is, the estate planning process, goal setting for clients, and the basic tools of the discipline. It covers business succession planning as an integral part of estate planning, and introduces philanthropy and charitable planning. Key learning includes understanding estate liquidity, closure-cost analysis, and how the estate planner's role interacts with other professionals — lawyers, accountants, bankers and insurance advisors.
Unit 2 — Laws Affecting Estate Planning
The legal framework every estate planner must understand.
A working knowledge of the laws that govern wealth, ownership and transfer is essential to estate planning advice. This unit covers: Introduction to Law, Contracts and Agency, Company Formation, Anti-Money Laundering legislation, Hindu Personal Law, Muslim Personal Law, the Companies Act 2013, and employment-related legislation. It also addresses the Transfer of Property Act and the Partnership Act — including section 42, which provides for dissolution of a partnership on the death of a partner.
Unit 3 — Personal and Intestate Succession Laws in India
What happens when there is no will — and the personal law that governs it.
This unit covers the Indian Succession Act 1925 and the full range of personal succession laws: Hindu Succession Act provisions, Coparcenary Property, succession rules for males and females, the 2005 amendment and daughters' coparcenary rights, the Guardianship Act 1956, the Hindu Adoption and Maintenance Act 1956, the Mitakshara and Dayabhaga schools of Hindu law, Muslim Law and Wakfs, and the Goa Civil Code. Candidates learn how intestate succession operates across different personal laws — and the significant practical risks of dying without a will under each system.
Unit 4 — Testamentary Succession
Wills — how they work, how they fail, and how to structure them properly.
This unit addresses wills in full: the will-making process, scope and limits, common failure patterns, wealth transfer mechanics, estate liquidity, life insurance applications in estate planning, and the integration of inter vivos gifts. It covers probate and succession certificates, the duties of an executor, asset titling considerations, and the frequently misunderstood relationship between a will and a nomination — and why a nomination does not override a will in every situation.
Unit 5 — Trust Planning in India
Trusts are a core succession-planning tool — and India has a rich range of them.
Trusts constitute a very important tool in succession planning. This unit covers the full range of trust structures available in India: discretionary trusts (including their use to protect spendthrift or vulnerable heirs), living trusts, testamentary trusts, private and family trusts, religious and charitable trusts, MWP Act trusts (and how they place insurance proceeds beyond the reach of creditors), and business trusts. The unit also covers trust taxation, and the roles of trustee, protector and beneficiary — including how trustees are appointed, removed and supervised.
Unit 6 — International Estate Planning
Planning for NRI heirs, cross-border assets and multi-jurisdiction estates.
India's NRI diaspora creates a growing category of cross-border estate-planning situations. This unit examines planning frameworks in Singapore, the United Kingdom, the United States and the UAE — and how each interacts with Indian succession law. It covers FEMA regulations for cross-border wealth management, repatriation of inherited assets, RBI approval requirements, OCI holder succession rights and the practicalities of administering an Indian estate for non-resident heirs. Candidates learn to advise Indian families with NRI children and NRI clients with Indian-sited assets.
After CTEP™ — what you will be able to do with clients
The curriculum is designed around practical advisory capability, not abstract theory. These are the specific things CTEP™ graduates are equipped to do.
Draft and review wills that hold up
Advise on will structure, scope, common failure patterns and interaction with nominations, titling and personal law — so the will actually achieves what the client intends.
Create and advise on private, family, MWP and testamentary trusts
Structure trust arrangements appropriate to each client situation — and explain to clients how trusts work, what they cost, and what they protect against.
Structure business and IP succession
Identify succession risks in family businesses, partnerships and intellectual property — and advise on shareholders' agreements, business trusts and estate equalisation.
Plan NRI and cross-border estates
Advise families with Indian assets and NRI heirs on intestate succession, executor appointment, FEMA repatriation and the interaction with UK, US, Singapore or UAE succession frameworks.
Protect vulnerable heirs
Use discretionary trusts, letters of wishes and trustee selection to protect heirs who are minor, have a disability, are financially inexperienced or face creditor risk.
Run an estate liquidity and closure-cost analysis
Quantify what an estate will cost to settle and close — probate fees, estate duties, loan repayments, outstanding taxes — and plan the liquidity to meet those costs without forcing asset sales.
Align wills, nominations, titling and personal law
Identify and resolve the conflicts between a client's will, their mutual fund and bank nominations, joint account titling and the personal law that governs their succession — before those conflicts surface.
Build family-governance and succession plans
Advise family offices and multi-generational families on governance structures, family councils, philanthropic planning and the documentation of a coherent, implemented succession plan.
How you learn and how you are assessed
Enrol and access the platform
On registration you receive access to the CTEP™ e-learning platform — approximately 65 on-demand video lessons across 6 units, available on mobile and desktop.
Study at your own pace
You have one full year of platform access. Most candidates complete the six units in 3 to 6 months. You can revisit any lesson as you apply the material with real clients.
Sit the online examination
The examination is a 2-hour online multiple-choice paper. The pass mark is 50% and there is no negative marking. It is available at 5,000+ authorised test centres worldwide and can also be taken online.
Receive your CTEP™ charter
On passing, the Chartered Trust and Estate Planner™ designation is awarded under AAFM/GAFM international standards — recognised in 151+ countries.
Explore every step of the CTEP™ journey
The Chartered Trust & Estate Planner pathway is a connected set of pages — start anywhere, each links back here.
Become the trusted name in trust & estate planning
Give a course advisor 15 minutes and walk away with a clear plan, fee options and your next batch date — no pressure, no jargon.
CTEP™ curriculum — questions answered
The CTEP™ curriculum is structured across six units comprising approximately 65 on-demand video lessons. You have one full year of access to the platform on both mobile and desktop.
Yes. Unit 2 covers Muslim Personal Law as a law affecting estate planning, and Unit 3 covers Personal and Intestate Succession Laws including Muslim Law and Wakfs alongside the Hindu Succession Act, the Indian Succession Act 1925 and the Goa Civil Code.
Yes. Unit 6 is dedicated to International Estate Planning — covering FEMA regulations for cross-border wealth management, repatriation, and planning frameworks in Singapore, the UK, the US and the UAE as they interact with Indian estates.
Yes. Unit 5 is dedicated to Trust Planning in India, covering discretionary trusts, living trusts, testamentary trusts, MWP Act trusts, religious and charitable trusts, business trusts, trust taxation, and the roles of trustee and protector.
The curriculum covers the Indian Succession Act 1925, Hindu Succession Act (including the 2005 amendment on daughters' coparcenary rights), Companies Act 2013, FEMA, Muslim Personal Law, the Transfer of Property Act, the Partnership Act (including s.42 on dissolution on death), the Guardianship Act 1956, and the Hindu Adoption and Maintenance Act 1956, among others.
The examination is a 2-hour online multiple-choice question paper. The pass mark is 50% and there is no negative marking. It is available at 5,000+ test centres worldwide and can also be taken online. Most candidates complete the program in 3 to 6 months.
Start your CTEP™ journey today
Request a call back and our counsellors will share the full syllabus, fees, batch options and the next start date — and help you choose the right path.