Updated October 8, 2026. Quick answer: Yes, for securities; vehicles not described. Under the Michigan Estates and Protected Individuals Code, ownership of securities registered in beneficiary form “passes to the beneficiary or beneficiaries who survived all owners”. The Secretary of State pages cited here do not describe a beneficiary designation on a vehicle title.
How Michigan handles transfer-on-death registration
| Item | What the state documents say |
|---|---|
| Brokerage and securities accounts | Michigan allows an individual to register a security in beneficiary form under the Estates and Protected Individuals Code, including sections 700.6306, 700.6307 and 700.6309. At the owner’s death, ownership of securities registered this way goes to the surviving beneficiary or beneficiaries. The source says: “ownership of securities registered in beneficiary form passes to the beneficiary”. If no beneficiary survives all owners, the statute sends the security to the estate of the last owner to die. |
| Effect on the will and probate | The transfer happens by the registration and the owner’s contract with the registering entity, so the statute does not treat it as a will substitute passing through probate, except where no beneficiary survives. The source says: “and this part, and is not testamentary”. Creditors of the owner keep whatever rights other Michigan laws give them against beneficiaries. |
| Changing the beneficiary | The owner can cancel or change the registration at any time. The beneficiary’s designation has no effect on ownership until the owner’s death. The source says: “without the consent of the beneficiary”. After one owner of a joint registration dies, the surviving owners hold that power. |
| Vehicle titles | The Secretary of State page on a deceased owner’s vehicle describes transfer through a personal representative or a certification from the heir to a vehicle. It does not describe naming a transfer on death beneficiary on a title. The Secretary of State is the place to confirm whether a beneficiary can be named. |
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 Michigan transfer on death deed. For what probate costs in Michigan, see Michigan probate cost, and for Michigan’s own estate or inheritance tax, see Michigan estate and inheritance tax. Which of these your account or vehicle falls under depends on how it is titled.
Related: Michigan probate cost, how Michigan taxes retirement income, Michigan estate and inheritance tax, Michigan transfer on death deed, car titles after a death, by state, and transfer-on-death registration by state.
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Answer againSources
- MCL 700.6306 Registration in beneficiary form (Michigan Legislature): https://www.legislature.mi.gov/Laws/MCL?objectName=mcl-700-6306
- MCL 700.6307 Death of owner (Michigan Legislature): https://www.legislature.mi.gov/Laws/MCL?objectName=mcl-700-6307
- MCL 700.6309 Nontestamentary transfer (Michigan Legislature): https://www.legislature.mi.gov/Laws/MCL?objectName=mcl-700-6309
- Title transfer and vehicle registration (Michigan Secretary of State): https://www.michigan.gov/sos/vehicle/titles
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.