Updated October 8, 2026. Quick answer: Yes, for securities. Hawaii’s Uniform Transfer-on-Death (TOD) Security Registration Act, Hawaii Revised Statutes chapter 539, lets an owner register a security in beneficiary form, and the owner may cancel or change it “without the consent of the beneficiary”. The state’s pages cited here do not describe a beneficiary designation for vehicle titles.
How Hawaii handles transfer-on-death registration
| Item | What the state documents say |
|---|---|
| Brokerage and securities accounts | Hawaii’s Uniform Transfer-on-Death (TOD) Security Registration Act is chapter 539 of the Hawaii Revised Statutes, sections 539-1 to 539-12. A security may be registered in beneficiary form, which is a registration that names the present owner and who becomes owner when the owner dies. Only individuals whose registration shows sole ownership, or multiple ownership with right of survivorship, may obtain registration in beneficiary form. The statute defines a security to include a securities account with a broker. |
| 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. On the death of the last owner, ownership passes to the beneficiaries who survive all owners. If no beneficiary survives, the statute says the security belongs to the estate of the last owner, and the chapter does not limit the rights of creditors against beneficiaries under other state laws. |
| Changing the beneficiary | The beneficiary designation has no effect on ownership until the owner’s death. 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 | The Hawaii Revised Statutes chapter and sections cited here do not describe a beneficiary or transfer on death designation for a vehicle title or registration. Hawaii vehicle registration is handled through the county directors of finance, so the county motor vehicle office is the place to confirm. |
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 Hawaii transfer on death deed. For what probate costs in Hawaii, see Hawaii probate cost, and for Hawaii’s own estate or inheritance tax, see Hawaii estate and inheritance tax. Which of these your account or vehicle falls under depends on how it is titled.
Related: Hawaii probate cost, how Hawaii taxes retirement income, Hawaii estate and inheritance tax, Hawaii transfer on death deed, and car titles after a death, by state.
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Answer againSources
- Hawaii Revised Statutes chapter 539, Uniform Transfer-on-Death (TOD) Security Registration Act, table of sections: https://data.capitol.hawaii.gov/hrscurrent/Vol12_Ch0501-0588/HRS0539/HRS_0539-.htm
- Hawaii Revised Statutes section 539-6, Effect of registration in beneficiary form: https://data.capitol.hawaii.gov/hrscurrent/Vol12_Ch0501-0588/HRS0539/HRS_0539-0006.htm
- Hawaii Revised Statutes section 539-7, Ownership on death of owner: https://data.capitol.hawaii.gov/hrscurrent/Vol12_Ch0501-0588/HRS0539/HRS_0539-0007.htm
- Hawaii Revised Statutes section 539-9, Nontestamentary transfer on death: https://data.capitol.hawaii.gov/hrscurrent/Vol12_Ch0501-0588/HRS0539/HRS_0539-0009.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.