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TD Bank

Subsidiary of The Toronto-Dominion Bank (Canada)

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Estate planning options at TD Bank

The key to protecting your TD Bank accounts is making sure each one has a transfer mechanism in place—either a beneficiary designation or trust ownership. Without one, the account goes through probate, adding time, cost, and court involvement for your family.

Across 15 product types, TD Bank accounts vary in how they transfer at death. The sections below walk through Payable on Death (POD) designations, trust funding options, and which products support each method.

TD Beyond CheckingTD Complete CheckingTD Essential BankingTD Signature SavingsTD Simple SavingsTD Growth Money MarketTD Choice CDTD No-Catch CD
1
Ask TD to open or designate the account as an In Trust For (ITF) account

What TD Bank says about beneficiaries and trusts

Each section is TD Bank's own statement, with the document it comes from numbered under Sources.

Which accounts take a beneficiary1

Payable-on-death account

TD offers In Trust For (ITF) accounts, which signify that the funds will belong to a named beneficiary on the death of the owner.1

TD's deposit agreement calls a beneficiary designation a "Revocable Unwritten Trust" (in-trust-for) account rather than using the term POD. An account designated as a trust account with no written trust agreement provided at opening is a Revocable Unwritten Trust.2

What a designation takes to be effective

Payable-on-death account

The Personal Deposit Account Agreement applies the rules for the form of ownership specified on the account's signature card.2

What TD Bank's agreement says about beneficiaries3

What the owner keeps while living

The owner may withdraw all of the funds during life. The beneficiary has no right to withdraw during the owner's lifetime and may withdraw only after the death.2

A beneficiary who dies first

At the owner's death the account belongs to the named beneficiary if that person is still living.2

Changing or revoking a designation

The person who created the trust account may change the beneficiaries or the account type.2

Which accounts a trust can hold1

Trust account

Without a written trust agreement provided at opening, an account designated as a trust account is deemed a "Revocable Unwritten Trust" (an in-trust-for account).2

What TD Bank says about trust accounts2

Who signs for the trust

An account opened "as trustee of a written trust" is a written trust account: only the trustee may withdraw funds or otherwise transact on it, as the trust instrument designates.2

TD states that it will not be responsible to the written trust's beneficiaries for the trustee's actions.2

Fees

The Personal Deposit Account Agreement treats a trust set up with a Social Security number or tax identification number as an eligible owner for the TD Signature Savings Rate Bump and the TD Simple Savings fee waiver.2

Accounts handled elsewhere1

TD Bank, N.A. Investment and Trust group (TD Wealth)

Corporate trustee services: trustee or co-trustee, including trustee of a Delaware directed trust3, 4

Not in TD Bank's published guidance5

  • What the owner provides to name a beneficiary
  • How shares are split among beneficiaries
  • How long a change takes
  • A procedure for adding a beneficiary to an existing account
  • Acceptance of a certificate of trust

Sources4

SimplyTrustSimplyTrust Editorial·

Sources

Data sourced from TD Bank primary sources (23 pages reviewed). How we research.

Download these TD Bank instructions

Download instructions for the whole estate

A printable PDF with the steps, required documents, and contact details — verified against TD Bank primary sources. Bring it to the branch or keep it beside the phone.

TD Bank estate support

TD Wealth (the TD Bank, N.A. Investment and Trust group: trustee, co-trustee, executor and co-executor services)

Verified Sep 2026

Estate planning articles

Learn how to protect your TD Bank accounts and other assets with trusts, beneficiary designations, and estate planning documents.

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State in advance which life-sustaining treatments you want or refuse, in the document your state recognizes, with signing instructions from the statute.

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