Updated October 8, 2026. Quick answer: Yes, for securities and vehicles. South Dakota’s registration in beneficiary form provisions, including SDCL 29A-6-306 and 29A-6-309, let an owner name a TOD beneficiary on a security, and the owner may cancel or change it “without the consent of the beneficiary”. South Dakota also allows a beneficiary on a vehicle title under SDCL 32-3-80 and 32-3-82, enacted in 2025.
How South Dakota handles transfer-on-death registration
| Item | What the state documents say |
|---|---|
| Brokerage and securities accounts | South Dakota’s registration in beneficiary form provisions are codified in SDCL chapter 29A-6, including sections 29A-6-306 and 29A-6-309. A security can be registered with a TOD beneficiary, and the designation has no effect on ownership until the owner’s death. A registering entity is not required to offer beneficiary-form registration, so the firm’s terms control availability. |
| Effect on the will and probate | A transfer on death resulting from a registration in beneficiary form takes effect through the contract between the owner and the registering entity and the statute, and it is not testamentary. The source says: “effective by reason of the contract regarding the registration”. Creditors’ rights against beneficiaries and other transferees under other South Dakota laws are not limited. |
| Changing the beneficiary | The sole owner, or all then surviving owners, may cancel or change a registration in beneficiary form at any time. The beneficiary has no say while the owner is alive. |
| Vehicle titles | South Dakota allows an owner of a motor vehicle, off-road vehicle, snowmobile, or boat to apply to the Department of Revenue to designate a beneficiary on the certificate of title, under SDCL 32-3-80 and 32-3-82. A trust may be the beneficiary, and all owners must give written approval on the application. The source says: “designating on the certificate of title a beneficiary”. The beneficiary has no interest until the owner’s death, and an owner may change the designation without any beneficiary’s consent by applying for a subsequent certificate of title. |
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 South Dakota transfer on death deed. For what probate costs in South Dakota, see South Dakota probate cost, and for South Dakota’s own estate or inheritance tax, see South Dakota estate and inheritance tax. Which of these your account or vehicle falls under depends on how it is titled.
What changed recently
South Dakota enacted transfer on death beneficiary designations for vehicle titles in 2025 (Session Laws 2025, chapter 116), codified at SDCL 32-3-80 and 32-3-82.
Related: South Dakota probate cost, how South Dakota taxes retirement income, South Dakota estate and inheritance tax, South Dakota transfer on death deed, and car titles after a death, by state.
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Answer againSources
- Codified Law 29A-6-306, Effect of registration in beneficiary form (South Dakota Codified Laws): https://sdlegislature.gov/api/Statutes/29A-6-306.html
- Codified Law 29A-6-309, Nontestamentary transfer on death (South Dakota Codified Laws): https://sdlegislature.gov/api/Statutes/29A-6-309.html
- Codified Law 32-3-80, Transfer on death, designation of beneficiary (South Dakota Codified Laws): https://sdlegislature.gov/api/Statutes/32-3-80.html
- Codified Law 32-3-82, Transfer on death, when vested, changing beneficiary (South Dakota Codified Laws): https://sdlegislature.gov/api/Statutes/32-3-82.html
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.