Updated October 8, 2026. Quick answer: Yes, for securities and vehicles. South Carolina’s Uniform Transfer on Death Security Registration Act, Code sections 35-6-10 to 35-6-100, lets an owner register a security in beneficiary form, and the owner may cancel or change it “without the consent of the beneficiary”. Section 62-6-401 separately allows a transfer on death designation on a vehicle title.
How South Carolina handles transfer-on-death registration
| Item | What the state documents say |
|---|---|
| Brokerage and securities accounts | South Carolina’s Uniform Transfer on Death Security Registration Act is codified at Code of Laws sections 35-6-10 to 35-6-100. Only individuals who hold a security alone, or together with survivorship rather than as tenants in common, may obtain registration in beneficiary form. The source says: “Uniform Transfer on Death Security Registration Act”. A registering entity is not required to offer or accept beneficiary-form registration, so the firm’s terms control availability. |
| Effect on the will and probate | A transfer on death from a registration in beneficiary form takes effect through the contract between the owner and the registering entity, and on the last owner’s death the security passes to the surviving beneficiaries. If no beneficiary survives all owners, the security belongs to the owner’s estate. Creditors’ rights against beneficiaries under other South Carolina laws are not limited. |
| Changing the beneficiary | The designation has no effect on ownership until the owner’s death, and the sole owner or all surviving owners may cancel or change it at any time. The beneficiary has no say while the owner is alive. |
| Vehicle titles | Section 62-6-401 lets an owner of a vehicle, mobile home, or watercraft set up a transfer on death designation on the title by applying to the Department of Motor Vehicles or the Department of Natural Resources. The Department of Motor Vehicles publishes form TOD-1 for the application. The source says: “such transfer is not testamentary or subject to Articles 1 through 4 (estate administration)”. A sole owner may revoke or modify the designation at any time without the beneficiary’s consent. Owners who hold title with the word AND, which South Carolina treats as tenants in common, cannot add 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 transfer on death deeds by state. For what probate costs in South Carolina, see South Carolina probate cost, and for South Carolina’s own estate or inheritance tax, see South Carolina estate and inheritance tax. Which of these your account or vehicle falls under depends on how it is titled.
What changed recently
South Carolina Act 200 of 2024 is the listed source of section 62-6-401 on transfer on death designations for vehicle titles, effective July 1, 2025.
Related: South Carolina probate cost, how South Carolina taxes retirement income, South Carolina estate and inheritance tax, transfer on death deeds by state, and car titles after a death, by state.
Find the right next step for your situation
About how much do you have invested? Pick the range that fits; your next step appears immediately below.
Compare vetted advisors for your estate plan
If your portfolio is $250,000 or more, this connects you (free, with no obligation to hire anyone) with 2 to 3 vetted advisors.
Before you start, what actually happens. The matching service is run by WiserAdvisor, an independent advisor-matching company. It opens on their site, asks for your ZIP code and a few questions, and matches you with 2 to 3 vetted advisors. It is free to you.
WiserAdvisor states the service is built for portfolios of $250,000 and above. By submitting, you consent to emails, phone calls and text messages from WiserAdvisor and up to three advisors, so expect to be contacted. Clear Money Guide may earn a referral payment for a qualifying completed form, whether or not you ever hire anyone.
Opens on WiserAdvisor’s site in a new tab.
See how an advisor plans your estate
Price the destination before you decide. The matching service below introduces you to advisers who pay to meet you.
Before you start, what actually happens. The form is run by Kapitalwise, our advisor-matching partner. Kapitalwise sends your details to advisers who pay for the introduction, so expect calls and texts. Clear Money Guide may earn a referral payment through this service, whether or not you ever hire anyone. This is free to you and there is no obligation to hire anyone.
The Kapitalwise form opens here; you stay on this page.
What happens when you press the button
It asks about nine questions: age, investable assets, location; then your name, email and phone number, and verifies the phone by text. Nothing loads and nothing reaches Kapitalwise until you press the button.
Prefer flat-fee or hourly pricing instead? Compare ranges here.
Answer againSources
- Title 35, Chapter 6, Uniform Transfer on Death Security Registration Act: https://www.scstatehouse.gov/code/t35c006.php
- Section 62-6-401, Transfer on death (Title 62, Article 6): https://www.scstatehouse.gov/code/t62c006.php
- TOD-1 Application for Transfer on Death: https://dmv.sc.gov/sites/scdmv/files/media/Forms/TOD-1-Application-for-Transfer-on-Death.pdf
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.