Do I Need a Transfer on Death Deed in Arizona?
Arizona authorizes transfer on death deedsA.R.S. 33-405Verified Oct 17, 2026View source: a recorded, revocable deed that passes real property at death outside probate.
Yes. Arizona allows beneficiary deedsA.R.S. 33-405Verified Oct 17, 2026View source. The deed names a beneficiary for real property, is recorded during the owner's life, and passes the property at death without probate.
A beneficiary deed in Arizona requires notary acknowledgmentA.R.S. 33-405Verified Oct 18, 2026View source. The signed deed must be recorded at the county recorder before death to take effectA.R.S. 33-405Verified Oct 18, 2026View source. Must be recorded in the county where the property is located before the owner's death. A.R.S. 33-405(E). No specific day deadline applies.
Yes. A beneficiary deed is revocable at any time during the owner's life, and Arizona revokes one by: Recording a new beneficiary deed (the last recorded deed before death controls — A.R.S. 33-405(G)); Recording a revocation document, executed and recorded before death (statutory form in A.R.S. 33-405(L))A.R.S. 33-405(F)Verified Oct 17, 2026View source. A will cannot revoke it.
Arizona allows beneficiary deeds for all types of real property, including homes, land, condominiums, and commercial propertiesA.R.S. 33-405Verified Oct 17, 2026View source.
Yes. Arizona allows multiple beneficiaries on a beneficiary deedA.R.S. 33-405Verified Oct 17, 2026View source; they take title as tenants in common unless the deed says otherwise. A successor beneficiary can be named to take if a primary beneficiary dies first.
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New Baby or Adoption
Your family is growing. Your protection should too. Guardian nominations, trusts for minors, beneficiary updates, and the documents new parents need in place.
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Marriage
What married couples need in place: one joint trust or two, wills, beneficiary updates, and the spousal rights your state grants you automatically.
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New Home
How to put your house in a revocable trust: the deed you record, what it does to your mortgage and property taxes, and when a TOD deed is simpler.
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Retirement
Retirement changes your financial picture. Healthcare directives, beneficiary reviews, long-term care planning, and protecting what you've built.
Learn moreForms for Planning Your Estate in Arizona
Free forms for planning your estate in Arizona: a will, living trust, pour-over will, both powers of attorney, living will, and TOD deed.
Healthcare Power of Attorney
Arizona allows a choice for a healthcare power of attorney: 1ARS § 36-3224Verified Oct 15, 2026View source witness or a notary.
Financial Power of Attorney
Arizona requires explicit durability language for a power of attorney to survive incapacityA.R.S. § 14-5501 through § 14-5506; A.R.S. §§ 14-13109, 14-13110 (RUFADAA)Verified Sep 18, 2026View source, and it is signed before 1A.R.S. § 14-5501 through § 14-5506; A.R.S. §§ 14-13109, 14-13110 (RUFADAA)Verified Sep 18, 2026View source witness and a notary.
Transfer on Death Deed
In Arizona, a beneficiary deed is signed before a notaryA.R.S. 33-405Verified Oct 18, 2026View source, then recorded with the county before the owner's deathA.R.S. 33-405Verified Oct 18, 2026View source.
Vehicle Transfer on Death
Name a beneficiary to inherit your vehicle at death without probate. Available in 26 states and the District of Columbia.
Living Will
In Arizona, the living will is the Living WillAriz. Rev. Stat. title 36, ch. 32, art. 5 (§§ 36-3261, 36-3262); general provisions art. 1 (§§ 36-3201 to 36-3211)Verified Sep 27, 2026View source, a document of its own, apart from the healthcare power of attorney.
Last Will and Testament
In Arizona, a will is signed before 2A.R.S. § 14-2502Verified Oct 18, 2026View source witnesses, and a self-proving affidavit signed with it lets the court admit it without witness testimonyA.R.S. § 14-2502Verified Oct 18, 2026View source.
Tools for Planning Your Estate in Arizona
Free tools for planning your estate in Arizona: what a will or trust costs, whether you need a trust or TOD deed, and how documents are signed.
Do I Need a Vehicle TOD?
Arizona allows a transfer-on-death beneficiary designation on a vehicle titleA.R.S. 28-2055(B)Verified Aug 25, 2026View source, filed through the Arizona Department of Transportation, Motor Vehicle Division (MVD) using Form 96-0561.
What Does Estate Planning Actually Cost?
An attorney-prepared revocable trust in Arizona runs $3,760Estimate: 10 hours at $376, Clio's Arizona Trusts rate; Compare Lawyer Rates, 2025 dataVerified Oct 15, 2026View source to $5,640Estimate: 15 hours at $376, Clio's Arizona Trusts rate; Compare Lawyer Rates, 2025 dataVerified Oct 15, 2026View source and a simple will $1,173Estimate: 3 hours at $391, Clio's Arizona Wills and Estates rate; Compare Lawyer Rates, 2025 dataVerified Oct 15, 2026View source to $2,346Estimate: 6 hours at $391, Clio's Arizona Wills and Estates rate; Compare Lawyer Rates, 2025 dataVerified Oct 15, 2026View source, against $0 to $549 up front plus a subscription with an online service.
How Much Life Insurance Do I Need?
In Arizona, four years at a public university cost about $103,336NCES Digest of Education Statistics 2023, Table 330.20, public 4-year in-state tuition, fees, room and board, academic year 2022-23Verified Oct 17, 2026View source and the cost of living is near the U.S. averageBEA Regional Price Parities, all items, by state, 2024Verified Oct 17, 2026View source; no state estate or inheritance tax appliesNo state estate or inheritance tax. Arizona's estate and generation-skipping tax (A.R.S. Title 42, Chapter 4) was repealed outright by Laws 2006, Ch. 262, § 3 (S.B. 1170), retroactive to taxable years beginning after Dec. 31, 2005 — Title 42 has no Chapter 4 today. Arizona imposes no inheritance or gift tax (ADOR Publication 900).Verified Sep 15, 2026View source.
Are My Beneficiary Designations Protected?
Arizona automatically revokes an ex-spouse as beneficiary at divorceA.R.S. § 14-2804Verified Sep 15, 2026View source; employer plans under ERISA follow federal rules either way, so a 401(k) beneficiary changes only by a new designation.
How Do I Sign Estate Documents?
Find witness, notary, and remote signing requirements for all 50 states.
Will My Estate Documents Transfer?
Check if estate planning documents signed in one state are valid in another.
How Much Does Probate Cost?
Probate on a $500,000 estate in Arizona costs an estimated $27,670A.R.S. §§ 14-3719, 14-3721 (reasonable compensation; court review of reasonableness)Verified Sep 8, 2026View source. Attorney fees run 2.2%A.R.S. §§ 14-3719, 14-3721 (reasonable compensation; court review of reasonableness)Verified Sep 8, 2026View source to 3.5%A.R.S. §§ 14-3719, 14-3721 (reasonable compensation; court review of reasonableness)Verified Sep 8, 2026View source of the estate under a reasonable-compensation standard.
Who Inherits Without a Will?
Without a will in Arizona, a surviving spouse takes the entire estateA.R.S. § 14-2102Verified Sep 10, 2026View source when every child of either spouse is a child of both, and descendants divide what passes to them per capita at each generationA.R.S. § 14-2106Verified Sep 10, 2026View source.
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Arizona Estate Planning Resources
In-depth guides covering Arizona probate laws, trust requirements, and estate planning strategies.