Updated October 8, 2026. Quick answer: Yes, for securities and vehicles. California’s Uniform TOD Security Registration Act, Probate Code sections 5500 to 5512, lets an owner register a security in beneficiary form, and the Vehicle Code separately allows a beneficiary on a title. The source says: “includes a designation of a beneficiary to take the ownership”. The statute treats the transfer as a contract with the registering entity rather than a will.
How California handles transfer-on-death registration
| Item | What the state documents say |
|---|---|
| Brokerage and securities accounts | California’s Uniform TOD Security Registration Act is Probate Code sections 5500 to 5512. A security, which the Act defines to include a securities account with a broker, is registered in beneficiary form when the registration names a beneficiary to take ownership at the owner’s death. A broker or other registering entity is not required to offer the option. Registration may be shown with the words transfer on death or the abbreviation TOD, or with pay on death or POD, placed before the beneficiary’s name. |
| Effect on the will and probate | The Act states that its purpose is a title form that works without probate. On the death of a sole owner or the last owner to die, ownership passes to the surviving beneficiary or beneficiaries under the registration, not under the will. The source says: “effective, without probate and estate administration, for transferring property at death”. If no beneficiary survives all owners, the security belongs to the estate of the deceased owner. The Act also says the transfer is not testamentary and does not limit the rights of a surviving spouse or creditors under other California law. |
| Changing the beneficiary | The beneficiary designation has no effect on ownership until the owner’s death. The sole owner, or all surviving owners, may cancel or change the registration at any time. The source says: “without the consent of the beneficiary”. A registering entity may set its own terms and forms for requesting a change of beneficiary. |
| Vehicle titles | California allows a certificate of title to be held in beneficiary form. The Vehicle Code permits one owner and one transfer-on-death beneficiary, and the beneficiary’s consent is not needed for transactions during the owner’s life. The source says: “may designate a transfer on death (TOD) beneficiary”. The title shows the abbreviation TOD after the owner’s name, followed by the beneficiary’s name. The DMV handbook cites Vehicle Code sections 4150.7, 5910.5, 9852.7 and 9916.5. |
| Claiming a vehicle as beneficiary | After the owner dies, the beneficiary submits the California Certificate of Title and a Statement of Facts, form REG 256, giving the date and place of death and stating entitlement as the designated beneficiary. The source says: “Statement of Facts (REG 256)”. The DMV handbook notes that a fee applies to add, change or delete a beneficiary. |
A $250,000 brokerage account split
An owner holds a brokerage account worth $250,000 and registers it in beneficiary form to two named beneficiaries, with each to receive half. Each share is computed as $250,000 x 50% = $125,000. The 50/50 split is the owner’s illustration, not a rule of the state: the owner names the beneficiaries and, where the form allows it, the shares.
Real estate, probate and estate tax
A transfer on death deed is a different instrument for real property: see California transfer on death deed. For what probate costs in California, see California probate cost, and for California’s own estate or inheritance tax, see California estate and inheritance tax. Which of these your account or vehicle falls under depends on how it is titled.
Related: California probate cost, how California taxes retirement income, California estate and inheritance tax, California transfer on death deed, car titles after a death, by state, and transfer-on-death registration by state.
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Answer againSources
- Uniform TOD Security Registration Act, Probate Code sections 5500 to 5512 (California Legislative Counsel): https://downloads.leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/pubinfo_2025.zip
- Vehicle Code section 4150.7 (California Legislative Counsel): https://downloads.leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/pubinfo_2025.zip
- 11.170 Transfer on Death (TOD) Beneficiary, Vehicle Industry Registration Procedures Manual (California DMV): https://www.dmv.ca.gov/portal/handbook/vehicle-industry-registration-procedures-manual-2/transfers/transfer-on-death-tod-beneficiary/
Sources: the primary documents linked above, read on October 8, 2026. General information, not tax advice. Your own facts decide the outcome, and a preparer, the plan administrator or the agency itself is the right place to confirm anything consequential.