Updated October 8, 2026. Quick answer: Yes, for securities. West Virginia’s Uniform Transfer on Death Security Registration Act, West Virginia Code sections 36-10-1 to 36-10-12, lets an owner register a security in beneficiary form, and the owner may cancel or change it “without the consent of the beneficiary”. The Division of Motor Vehicles title page cited here does not describe a beneficiary designation for vehicles.
How West Virginia handles transfer-on-death registration
| Item | What the state documents say |
|---|---|
| Brokerage and securities accounts | West Virginia’s Uniform Transfer on Death Security Registration Act is Article 10 of Chapter 36 of the West Virginia Code, sections 36-10-1 to 36-10-12. It defines beneficiary form as a registration of a security that shows the present owner and who becomes owner when the owner dies, and the definition of security includes a securities account with a broker. Registration may be shown by the words transfer on death or the abbreviation TOD, or by pay on death or POD, after the owner’s name. |
| 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 article, not through a will. On the death of the last owner, the security passes to the beneficiaries who survive all owners. The article does not limit the rights of creditors of security owners against beneficiaries under other state laws. If no beneficiary survives, the security belongs to the estate. |
| 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 the registration at any time. The beneficiary has no say while the owner is alive. |
| Vehicle titles | The West Virginia Division of Motor Vehicles titles page cited here does not describe a transfer on death or beneficiary designation on a vehicle title. It describes title changes after a death through joint ownership wording on the title, an executor or administrator, or a legal heir affidavit. The Division is the place to confirm whether a beneficiary designation is available. |
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 West Virginia transfer on death deed. For what probate costs in West Virginia, see West Virginia probate cost, and for West Virginia’s own estate or inheritance tax, see West Virginia estate and inheritance tax. Which of these your account or vehicle falls under depends on how it is titled.
Related: West Virginia probate cost, how West Virginia taxes retirement income, West Virginia estate and inheritance tax, West Virginia transfer on death deed, and car titles after a death, by state.
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Answer againSources
- West Virginia Code Chapter 36, Article 10, Uniform Transfer on Death Security Registration Act: https://code.wvlegislature.gov/pdf/36-10/
- Titles, When a Registrant Dies: https://dmv.wv.gov/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.