Do I Need a Vehicle Transfer on Death Designation?
Answer a few questions about how your vehicle is titled to see whether a transfer-on-death designation is available in your state, what vehicles qualify, and how it is filed.
Frequently Asked Questions
A vehicle transfer-on-death (TOD) designation names a beneficiary to receive your vehicle when you die, without probate. You add it to the certificate of title through your state titling agency. You keep full ownership during your lifetime and can change or cancel it at any time.
26 states and the District of Columbia offer a transfer-on-death designation on a vehicle title. The list differs from the states that allow TOD deeds for real estate. Select your state to check availability, and see how to add a beneficiary to your title.
It depends on the state. Some states cover only motor vehicles; others extend the designation to watercraft, trailers, campers, motorcycles, outboard motors, and manufactured homes. The tool lists exactly what qualifies in your state.
A vehicle TOD designation covers a single vehicle. A revocable trust can hold your home, accounts, and other vehicles in one document and avoids probate for everything it holds. A vehicle TOD is simpler for a single vehicle, but a trust is more complete. When one vehicle is not the whole picture, SimplyTrust sets up a revocable trust online.
Yes. A vehicle TOD designation only covers the vehicle named on the title. All other assets — bank accounts, real estate, and any vehicle without a designation — still need a will or other transfer mechanism. A free will covers those assets.
Yes, for the vehicle named on the title. At the owner's death the beneficiary retitles the vehicle with the state titling agency by submitting proof of death and the required forms — no probate for that vehicle. Other assets still follow their own transfer rules.
