Updated October 8, 2026. Quick answer: Yes, for securities. North Carolina enacted the Uniform TOD Security Registration Act at G.S. 41-40 to 41-51, which defines a security account to include “a securities account with a broker”.
How North Carolina handles transfer-on-death registration
| Item | What the state documents say |
|---|---|
| Brokerage and securities accounts | The Uniform TOD Security Registration Act is Article 4 of Chapter 41 of the General Statutes, sections 41-40 to 41-51. Registration in beneficiary form is open to individuals who hold a security alone or with two or more others with right of survivorship. The source says: “Only individuals whose registration of a security shows sole ownership”. |
| Effect on the will and probate | Section 41-48 says a transfer on death from a registration in beneficiary form takes effect through the contract between the owner and the registering entity and is not testamentary. The same section keeps the decedent’s debts reachable: the interest remains liable when the estate is insufficient. The source says: “is effective by reason of the contract regarding the registration”. Under section 41-46, ownership passes to the beneficiary or beneficiaries who survive all owners. |
| Changing the beneficiary | The owner may cancel or change the registration at any time without the beneficiary’s consent. The designation has no effect on ownership of the security until the owner’s death. The source says: “without the consent of the beneficiary”. The sole owner, or all then surviving owners, make the change. |
| Vehicle titles | The North Carolina Division of Motor Vehicles title documents and forms page cited here does not describe a transfer on death beneficiary on a vehicle title. It lists a survivorship affidavit among its forms. The Division is the place to confirm. The source says: “Joint Tenants with Right of Survivorship Affidavit (MVR-620)”. |
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 transfer on death deeds by state. For what probate costs in North Carolina, see North Carolina probate cost, and for North Carolina’s own estate or inheritance tax, see North Carolina estate and inheritance tax. Which of these your account or vehicle falls under depends on how it is titled.
Related: North Carolina probate cost, how North Carolina taxes retirement income, North Carolina estate and inheritance tax, transfer on death deeds by state, car titles after a death, by state, and transfer-on-death registration by state.
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Answer againSources
- Chapter 41, Article 4, Uniform TOD Security Registration Act (North Carolina General Assembly): https://www.ncleg.gov/EnactedLegislation/Statutes/HTML/ByArticle/Chapter_41/Article_4.html
- Vehicle Title Documents and Forms (North Carolina DMV): https://www.ncdot.gov/dmv/title-registration/vehicle/Pages/documents-forms.aspx
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.