Form R185 is issued by trustees or executors of estates to individuals receiving income from a trust or an estate. The primary purpose of this form is to report income and provide details regarding the tax that has been deducted at the source and the tax paid by the trust or estate on behalf of the individual.

The R185 shows the net income a beneficiary received from the trust, and the associated tax paid on their behalf by the trustee. The taxation system for trustees and beneficiaries in the UK is designed such that the beneficiary cannot fail to pay at least basic rate tax on the income received from the trust.

Form R185 is given to the beneficiaries by the trustees of the trust. It details three elements: the gross amount of the income earned by the trustees and sent out to the beneficiaries; the precise amount of tax that was paid over to HMRC by the trustees on behalf of the beneficiaries; and the net amount that was paid to the beneficiaries.