TRUST and Part 107 are different credentials for different operations. TRUST is free and online. Recreational flyers under 49 USC 44809 take it and carry proof. Part 107 is the Remote Pilot Certificate for civil small unmanned aircraft operations in the United States. Section 107.1(b)(2) says Part 107 does not apply to aircraft flown under 44809.
What the recreational exception actually requires
The FAA recreational flyers page, last updated 18 March 2026, lists the conditions for flying under 49 USC 44809. Fly only for recreational purposes, which the page describes as personal enjoyment. Follow an FAA-recognized community-based organization's safety guidelines. Keep the drone within visual line of sight, or use a visual observer who is co-located and in direct communication. Give way to and do not interfere with other aircraft. In Class B, C, D, and surface Class E, get prior authorization via LAANC or DroneZone and fly at or below the authorized altitude. In Class G, fly at or below 400 feet. Take TRUST and carry proof. Have current registration, mark the number on the outside, and carry proof. Aircraft that require registration must broadcast Remote ID unless they are in a FRIA, as of the page's note dated 16 September 2023. Do not endanger the national airspace system.
Compensation is not the only test of whether a flight is recreational. A flight can fail 44809 even when nobody is paid, if it is not personal enjoyment or if another condition is missing. The FAA says when in doubt, assume Part 107. Assuming the exception, and discovering mid-job that the flight was civil, is how people fly without the certificate §107.12 requires. Who must hold that certificate is on the who needs a certificate page.
Registration does not follow you from one rule to the other
Section 107.13 requires aircraft operated under Part 107 to comply with registration, regardless of weight. The 0.55-pound exception is for qualifying recreational operations. It is not a Part 107 exemption. A 200-gram aircraft flown under Part 107 is registered. "Only aircraft over 0.55 pounds" and "only aircraft over 5.5 pounds" are the wrong lines for this part.
Part 48 gives qualifying recreational flyers a different framework, including one registration for a fleet and an exception for aircraft at or below 0.55 pounds. Part 107 registers each aircraft individually, with its own number, no matter what it weighs. The two systems are not mirrors of each other. A statement that flips them, one fleet number for Part 107 and a separate registration for every recreational aircraft, is backwards. A statement that both categories use one fleet number and no weight exception is also wrong.
The dollar figure on the Part 107 side, already stated for this course from Part 48 and the FAA register page, is $5 for 3 years per aircraft. The marking and the 3-year clock are on the aircraft registration page. Remote ID remains its own rule for aircraft that must broadcast it.
The weekend fleet that starts getting paid
A pilot who flew recreationally, then earns a remote pilot certificate and plans to use two personal drones for paid photography, often still has one recreational registration number on both aircraft. That number does not cover Part 107 flights of both. He registers each aircraft individually under Part 107 rules, and each drone receives its own number. Transferring the recreational number to the aircraft he flies most often leaves the other aircraft unregistered for the paid work. Doing nothing, on the theory that a recreational number covers any kind of flying, is the same mistake.
Walk the handoff. Last month both aircraft were toys flown for personal enjoyment, TRUST proof was in his pocket, and the recreational conditions were met, so §107.1(b)(2) kept Part 107 off those flights. This month a broker pays for photos. The purpose is no longer only recreational. Part 107 applies. TRUST proof does not become a Remote Pilot Certificate. The fleet number does not become two Part 107 registrations. He needs the certificate, current §107.65 knowledge if he will act as remote pilot, and a separate registration on each aircraft. Recurrent knowledge, once he holds the certificate, is on the recurrent training page.
The trap is to treat TRUST as a junior Part 107 certificate, or to treat "I was not paid" as a complete 44809 analysis. TRUST is the recreational safety test. Part 107 is the civil certificate. The exception is a list of conditions, not a feeling about the flight, and the registration rules change when you leave the exception.
Try the registration and applicability items on the free practice test. The course that teaches both paths is at pricing.