Updated October 8, 2026. Quick answer: Yes, for securities. New Hampshire’s uniform transfer on death (TOD) security registration act, RSA chapter 563-C, lets an owner register a security in beneficiary form, and the registration may be changed or cancelled “without the consent of the beneficiary”. The vehicle title statute cited here provides joint survivorship but does not describe a beneficiary designation.
How New Hampshire handles transfer-on-death registration
| Item | What the state documents say |
|---|---|
| Brokerage and securities accounts | New Hampshire’s uniform transfer on death (TOD) security registration act is codified at RSA chapter 563-C. It defines beneficiary form as a registration of a security that names who becomes owner when the present owner dies, and it covers securities accounts with a broker and cash balances in a brokerage account. The source says: “uniform transfer on death (TOD) security registration act”. Only a sole owner, or multiple owners with right of survivorship, may register in beneficiary form, and a registering entity is not required to offer or accept it, 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 the chapter, and ownership passes to the beneficiaries who survive all owners. If no beneficiary survives, the security belongs to the owner’s estate. Creditors’ rights against beneficiaries under other New Hampshire laws are not limited. |
| Changing the beneficiary | The designation of a TOD beneficiary has no effect on ownership until the owner’s death, and the sole owner or all surviving owners may cancel or change the registration at any time. The beneficiary has no say while the owner is alive. |
| Vehicle titles | New Hampshire’s vehicle title statute, RSA 261:17, lets joint owners provide for survivorship on a title, and a surviving owner may transfer the vehicle without a new title. The statute pages cited here do not describe naming a transfer-on-death beneficiary on a vehicle title, so the Division of Motor Vehicles is the place to confirm. The source says: “they may obtain title as joint tenants with rights of survivorship”. |
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 New Hampshire transfer on death deed. For what probate costs in New Hampshire, see New Hampshire probate cost. Which of these your account or vehicle falls under depends on how it is titled.
Related: New Hampshire probate cost, how New Hampshire taxes retirement income, New Hampshire transfer on death deed, and car titles after a death, by state.
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Answer againSources
- Chapter 563-C, Uniform Transfer on Death (Security Registration): https://gc.nh.gov/rsa/html/LVI/563-C/563-C-mrg.htm
- Chapter 261, Certificates of Title and Registration of Vehicles: https://gc.nh.gov/rsa/html/XXI/261/261-mrg.htm
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.