Updated October 8, 2026. Quick answer: Yes, for securities and vehicles. Arizona lets an owner register a security in beneficiary form under A.R.S. section 14-6301 and the sections that follow it, and a vehicle title may carry a beneficiary under A.R.S. section 28-2055. The statute defines a security account to include “a cash balance in a brokerage account”.
How Arizona handles transfer-on-death registration
| Item | What the state documents say |
|---|---|
| Brokerage and securities accounts | Arizona permits registration of securities in beneficiary form under A.R.S. section 14-6301 and the sections that follow it. The definition of a security account covers a securities account with a broker, including its cash balance. |
| Effect on the will and probate | On the death of a sole owner or the last to die of several owners, ownership of a security registered in beneficiary form passes to the surviving beneficiary or beneficiaries by the registration. If no beneficiary survives, the security belongs to the owner’s estate. The source says: “ownership of securities registered in beneficiary form passes to the beneficiary”. The designation has no effect on ownership until the owner’s death. |
| Changing the beneficiary | The owner may cancel or change the beneficiary at any time without the beneficiary’s consent. The source says: “without the consent of the beneficiary”. A sole owner, or all then surviving owners, may make the change. |
| Vehicle titles | Arizona allows an owner to request that the certificate of title carry, by attachment, a transfer on death provision naming a beneficiary of the vehicle. The authority is A.R.S. section 28-2055, subsection B. The source says: “a transfer on death provision where the owner may designate a beneficiary”. The statute has the department or an authorized third party create the 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 Arizona transfer on death deed. For what probate costs in Arizona, see Arizona probate cost, and for Arizona’s own estate or inheritance tax, see Arizona estate and inheritance tax. Which of these your account or vehicle falls under depends on how it is titled.
Related: Arizona probate cost, how Arizona taxes retirement income, Arizona estate and inheritance tax, Arizona transfer on death deed, car titles after a death, by state, and transfer-on-death registration by state.
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Answer againSources
- A.R.S. 14-6301, Definitions (Arizona Legislature): https://www.azleg.gov/ars/14/06301.htm
- A.R.S. 14-6306, Effect of registration (Arizona Legislature): https://www.azleg.gov/ars/14/06306.htm
- A.R.S. 14-6307, Ownership on death of owner (Arizona Legislature): https://www.azleg.gov/ars/14/06307.htm
- A.R.S. 28-2055, Certificate of title; transfer on death provision (Arizona Legislature): https://www.azleg.gov/ars/28/02055.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.