Best NFA Trust Companies for 2026: 5 Gun Trust Providers Compared After the ATF Changes

Key Takeaways

Here is what to know before you choose an NFA trust company in 2026:

The short list: Gun Trust Guru ($79.95), National Gun Trusts ($59.95), The Trust Shop (under $50), Silencer Shop ($129.95 for a full trust or $24.95 for a one-item Single Shot trust), and Silencer Central (free with a silencer purchase) are the 5 NFA trust companies compared in this guide.
How they differ: The NFA trust companies separate on 3 things: how you add and remove co-trustees, whether the trust lists your firearms on a Schedule A, and whether the trust is tied to one dealer's platform.
Why a trust still matters: ATF stopped enforcing NFA registration for suppressors, SBRs, SBSs, and AOWs on October 9, 2026, but machine guns and destructive devices still go through the full NFA process, about 15 states still tie legality to federal registration, and the policy can be reversed.
What a trust does not do: An NFA trust holds title to your firearms and names who inherits them. It does not record what the collection is worth, so pair it with an itemized firearms appraisal for estate planning.

The best NFA trust companies charge $130 or less for an online gun trust, so price is rarely the deciding factor. What matters is how the trust handles co-trustees, beneficiaries, and the paperwork ATF still requires for registered items. This guide compares 5 providers side by side, explains when a trust is still worth having after the 2026 changes, and covers when to hire an attorney instead.

Do You Still Need an NFA Trust After ATF's October 2026 Change?

For many owners, yes. An NFA trust is still the cleanest way to share registered NFA firearms with co-trustees and pass them to heirs, and it remains essential for machine guns, destructive devices, and anyone in a state that ties legality to federal registration. What changed in 2026 is that a trust is no longer the default for every suppressor buyer.

Three events reshaped the NFA this year. Since January 1, 2026, the making and transfer tax on suppressors, short-barreled rifles (SBRs), short-barreled shotguns (SBSs), and AOWs has been $0. On August 5, 2026, a federal court in the Northern District of Texas ruled in Jensen v. ATF and Silencer Shop Foundation v. ATF that the remaining registration scheme for those items could no longer rest on Congress's taxing power. On October 9, 2026, ATF announced it will no longer enforce NFA registration, approval, and tax-stamp requirements for those items nationwide.

The October policy has limits that keep NFA trusts relevant:

Machine guns and destructive devices are unchanged. The $200 tax, Form 4 approval, and every other NFA requirement still apply to them.
State law still controls. NSSF counts 15 states that still require a completed Form 4 for a lawful suppressor transfer under state law, and ATF is still processing applications filed for that purpose, according to this breakdown of what changed and what did not. That list is shifting as state officials issue their own guidance, so check your state's current position.
Registration is optional, not gone. ATF still maintains the registry and accepts Form 1 and Form 4 applications at the $0 rate. The same breakdown notes that ATF will remove an item from the registry on written request, but a removed item cannot be re-registered later without an amnesty.
SBRs and SBSs still need a Form 20. Interstate transport of a short-barreled rifle or shotgun still requires ATF approval on Form 20, registered or not.
The policy can be reversed. Non-enforcement is a policy choice, not a repeal. A new tax from Congress, a reversal of the ruling, or a change at the Justice Department could bring enforcement back.

Pro tip: ATF has also proposed letting married couples register NFA items jointly without forming a trust. The proposed rule on joint registration for spouses was published May 8, 2026, and had not been finalized as of this writing. If your only reason for a trust is sharing a suppressor with your spouse, watch for the final rule.

For a fuller explanation of how a trust works as an ownership and estate-planning tool, see our guide to what a gun trust is and how it fits an estate plan.

How We Compared NFA Trust Companies

We compared each provider on the features that change how the trust works over 10 or 20 years of ownership, not on marketing claims. We don't sell gun trusts, and none of the links in this article are affiliate links.

Each NFA trust company was evaluated on these criteria:

Price: The one-time cost of the trust and whether later changes cost extra.
Drafting: Whether the provider says an attorney drafted the document and whether it carries state-specific provisions.
Co-trustee changes: How you add or remove a co-trustee, and whether each change requires a full amendment.
Firearms privacy: Whether the trust lists your collection on a Schedule A or uses separate assignment forms for each item.
Platform ties: Whether the trust works the same way no matter which dealer you buy from.

Every price below was taken from the provider's own website in November 2026. Prices change, so confirm at checkout.

NFA Trust Companies Compared at a Glance

The table below summarizes price, drafting, and the best use case for each of the 5 NFA trust companies:

Provider	Price	Drafting and Coverage	Co-Trustee Changes	Best For
Gun Trust Guru	$79.95 one time	Attorney-drafted, state-specific provisions for all 50 states and D.C.	Included appointment and removal forms, no amendment needed	Owners who expect to add and remove co-trustees
National Gun Trusts	$59.95	Attorney-drafted, state-specific, PDF by email in under 5 minutes	Amendments offered through the provider	First-time buyers who want paperwork tools
The Trust Shop	Under $50	State-specific provisions, optional free staff review	Free revisions for life, no trustee limit	Budget buyers who plan frequent changes
Silencer Shop	$129.95 full trust, $24.95 Single Shot	Designed by firearm trust attorneys, valid in NFA-permitted states	Electronic amendments in the Silencer Shop dashboard	Buyers who already purchase through Silencer Shop
Silencer Central	Free with a silencer purchase	Powered by U.S. LawShield, drafted for silencer-legal states	Self-service through Silencer Central	Buyers already purchasing a silencer there

The 5 Best NFA Trust Companies in 2026

The ranking below weighs flexibility and privacy over the lowest sticker price, since every option on this list costs $130 or less.

1. Gun Trust Guru: Best for Adding and Removing Co-Trustees

Gun Trust Guru sells an attorney-drafted, do-it-yourself NFA gun trust for $79.95, personalized for your state and delivered by email in minutes. Co-trustees are added and removed with forms included in the package, with no trust amendment and no notice to ATF. The trust uses no Schedule A, so anyone who reads it sees only the initial $1.00 contribution, not your collection.

Gun Trust Guru stands out on these features:

Beneficiary depth: You can name 1 to 6 primary beneficiaries, 1 to 6 secondary beneficiaries, and 1 to 6 successor trustees.
Simple signing: Only the settlor signs, in wet ink in front of a notary, with no witnesses.
Restatements: Gun Trust Guru will amend and restate a trust from another provider for the same $79.95, so firearms already registered to that trust stay registered.
Current guidance: Its buyer's guides already address the October 9, 2026 ATF policy.

Pro tip: If you already hold a free dealer-bundled trust and want features it lacks, a restatement replaces the old provisions while keeping the same trust, which is simpler than filing new transfers into a brand-new trust.

2. National Gun Trusts: Best Value With Paperwork Tools

National Gun Trusts charges $59.95 for an attorney-drafted, state-specific NFA gun trust delivered as a PDF in under 5 minutes. The company says its trust is 41F compliant and accepted in all 50 states, and it offers trust amendments and free lifetime support.

The draw is the paperwork help that comes with the trust. National Gun Trusts provides ATF form generators, example filled-out ATF documents, and walkthrough guides, and it sells FD-258 fingerprint cards and a fingerprint file service for electronic filing. Its site notes that it provides legal information, not legal advice, and that using the product does not create an attorney-client relationship.

3. The Trust Shop: Best Budget NFA Trust

The Trust Shop is the least expensive full NFA trust on this list at under $50, and its FAQ promises free revisions for life with no limit on the number of trustees or beneficiaries. You choose instant delivery in under 5 minutes or a free review of your information by Trust Shop staff, which usually takes about an hour.

The Trust Shop offers these extras with every trust:

Assignment of Property forms: Firearms move into the trust on separate assignment forms instead of a Schedule A inventory.
A free ATF Form System: The Form 1, Form 4, Form 5, and Form 20 builder is free to anyone, even if your trust came from another provider.
Unlimited support: Help with the application process is included.

4. Silencer Shop: Best for Silencer Shop Buyers

Silencer Shop sells 3 trust products. The full NFA Gun Trust costs $129.95 and lets you add or remove trustees and beneficiaries electronically in your Silencer Shop dashboard. The $24.95 Single Shot trust is generated from your Form 4 or Form 1 details and holds 1 item, and the $129.95 Single Shot Unlimited option creates a Single Shot trust for every NFA item you buy through Silencer Shop.

The full trust costs the most on this list, and the convenience is strongest when every purchase runs through Silencer Shop. Silencer Shop describes it as a do-it-yourself legal document that does not constitute legal advice.

Watch out: A Single Shot trust holds exactly 1 firearm. Buy 4 suppressors that way and you have 4 separate trusts, each with its own beneficiaries and co-trustees to keep current.

5. Silencer Central: Best Free NFA Trust With a Purchase

Silencer Central includes a free NFA trust when you buy a silencer from it. As of October 2026, the trust is powered by U.S. LawShield and drafted for every silencer-legal state, with a self-service process that replaced Silencer Central's older system of separate documents and amendments.

A free trust is hard to beat if you were already buying from Silencer Central. Before you rely on it for a growing collection, ask how amendments work and whether the trust is easy to manage if you later buy from a different dealer.

When to Hire a Firearms Attorney Instead of an Online NFA Trust

Every online provider above sells a do-it-yourself document and says it does not give legal advice. For a single suppressor and a straightforward family, that is usually enough. Some situations call for an attorney who handles NFA and estate matters in your state.

Consider an attorney-drafted trust in these situations:

You own or plan to buy machine guns. Transferable machine guns are limited to those registered before May 19, 1986, and a single one can be worth more than an entire suppressor collection.
The trust must work with an existing estate plan. A gun trust that conflicts with your will or living trust creates the dispute it was meant to prevent.
A beneficiary is a minor or may be a prohibited person. The trust needs clear instructions for who holds the firearms until a beneficiary can lawfully possess them.
Your family is spread across states with different NFA laws. A beneficiary in a state that bans suppressors cannot take possession of one, and the trust should plan for that.

When the settlor dies, the successor trustee steps in, but the firearms still have to reach each heir lawfully. Our guide to how NFA firearm transfers from an estate to heirs work walks through that process.

How Rule 41F Paperwork Works With Any NFA Trust

Every NFA trust company sells a trust that has to work with the same ATF process, so the paperwork does not change with the provider. Under ATF's 2016 Rule 41F, each responsible person in a trust files these items with every Form 1, Form 4, or Form 5 the trust submits:

ATF Form 5320.23: The National Firearms Act Responsible Person Questionnaire.
Fingerprints and a photograph: Submitted with the application.
Chief law enforcement officer notice: A copy of the questionnaire goes to the local CLEO.

Pro tip: ATF does not require new paperwork when you add a responsible person after an application is approved. Many owners file with only themselves on the trust, then add co-trustees once the item is approved. Those co-trustees file their own questionnaires with the trust's next application.

These requirements still apply in full to machine guns and destructive devices. For suppressors, SBRs, SBSs, and AOWs, they apply when you choose to register or when your state requires it.

Pair Your NFA Trust With an Itemized Firearms Appraisal

An NFA trust settles who owns the firearms and who inherits them. It says nothing about what they are worth, and trusts that skip the Schedule A, like Gun Trust Guru's and The Trust Shop's, intentionally leave the collection undocumented inside the trust itself. That value record has to live somewhere else.

An itemized appraisal kept with your trust records supports 3 things a trustee needs:

Insurance coverage: Insurers generally want a documented value for each high-value firearm, especially transferable machine guns.
Estate settlement: Successor trustees and the estate's CPA need a fair market value for every item, NFA and non-NFA alike.
Fair division among beneficiaries: Individual values for each serial number prevent disputes over who received more.

Our appraisers hold credentials with organizations such as the ASA and CAGA, and we prepare every report in accordance with USPAP. Engagements are quoted as a fixed fee after we scope the collection, never billed hourly. Request a firearms appraisal before you fund the trust, and you will have an itemized report to keep alongside the trust document and your approved forms.

This article is provided for general informational purposes only and does not constitute legal, tax, or financial advice. NFA rules and ATF enforcement policy changed several times in 2026, and state firearms laws vary. Readers should consult a qualified attorney who handles NFA and estate matters regarding their specific circumstances.