Under New York law, a lifetime trust is irrevocable unless the instrument expressly provides that it is revocable.

• A. It is always irrevocable
• B. It is irrevocable unless the instrument says it is revocable
• C. It is revocable only after trust funding
• D. It becomes irrevocable at death

Answer: (B)

In New York, who can change or end a lifetime (inter vivos) trust is controlled by what the trust document says. The rule is that a lifetime trust is irrevocable unless the instrument expressly provides that it is revocable. So the grantor must grant a specific power to revoke (or amend) if they want to keep the ability to do so. This makes the trust stable for beneficiaries unless the grantor consciously reserves the revocation power. It's not about funding timing, and it doesn't automatically become irrevocable at death unless the document says so.