An Arizona transfer on death deed, called a beneficiary deed in the state's statute, is a deed that passes real property to a named beneficiary at the grantor's death. The grantor can revoke it at any time before death, and a will does not revoke a properly recorded one. The deed is valid only if it is recorded with the county recorder before the grantor dies.[1]
Last Updated: October 2026. This guide is reviewed and updated regularly to reflect current Arizona law. If you notice an error or outdated information, please contact us.
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Arizona's transfer on death deed is governed by A.R.S. 33-405, which calls it a beneficiary deed. The statute lets an owner name who receives real property at death, sets rules for recording and revoking the deed, and provides a statutory form. The sections below cover each rule in turn.[1]
A deed can convey an interest in real property to a grantee beneficiary the owner designates. If the deed expressly states it is effective on the owner's death, the interest passes to that beneficiary at that time. The transfer is subject to the mortgages, deeds of trust, liens and other encumbrances the owner made or was subject to during life.[1]
An Arizona beneficiary deed can name one beneficiary or several. When it names several, they can take title in any of these ways:
The deed can also name a successor grantee beneficiary. If it does, the deed must state the condition on which the successor's interest vests, such as the first beneficiary failing to survive the grantor. The beneficiary can be the trustee of a trust, even a revocable one.[1]
Unless the deed provides otherwise, the interest the beneficiary receives is that beneficiary's separate property and not community property. Also unless the deed provides otherwise, the deed is void if none of the named beneficiaries survives the grantor.[1]
The signature, consent or agreement of or notice to a grantee beneficiary is not required for any purpose during the owner's lifetime.[1] The FormsPal deed has a signature line for the grantor and an acknowledgment block for a notary public to complete.
A beneficiary deed is valid only if it is executed and recorded, as the law provides, with the county recorder of the county where the property is located. The recording must happen before the death of the owner or the last surviving owner. If an owner records more than one beneficiary deed for the same property, the last one recorded before the owner's death is the effective deed.[1]
The owner can revoke a beneficiary deed at any time. When several people own the property, any of them who executed the deed can revoke it. The revocation must be executed and recorded with the county recorder where the property is located. It must also happen before the signer's death.[1]
The statute provides a revocation form. It opens with these words:
The undersigned hereby revokes the beneficiary deed recorded on ____ (date), in docket or book ____ at page ____, or instrument number ____, records of ____ county, Arizona.
A will does not revoke a beneficiary deed that was executed, acknowledged and recorded as the statute requires.[1]
State law specifies the language of a beneficiary deed. The statute includes a form, and a beneficiary deed is sufficient if it complies with other applicable laws and is in substantially that form (A.R.S. 33-405(K)).[1] In that form the grantor conveys the property to the grantee beneficiary "effective on my (our) death" and signs with an acknowledgment. The grantor also chooses what happens if a beneficiary dies first:
If a grantee beneficiary predeceases the owner, the conveyance to that grantee beneficiary shall either (choose one): become null and void. Become part of the estate of the grantee beneficiary.
The first choice voids that conveyance. The second makes the property part of the estate of the grantee beneficiary who died first.
The FormsPal fillable transfer-on-death deed form uses its own wording and has no tick box for that choice. You can browse every deed type in our deed forms collection.
To fill out the Arizona transfer on death deed, complete nine parts in order. They run from the preparer and return-to blocks to the tax parcel number, the grantor and beneficiary paragraph and the date. Then come the signature, the acknowledgment and Exhibit A with the legal description. Each step shows where the entries go on the form.
The screenshots under each step show the FormsPal Arizona transfer-on-death deed template filled with sample entries in blue, so you can see where each answer goes. The names, addresses, dates and amounts are examples only.
After you fill out the deed, you sign it and record it with the county recorder. Recording is the step that matters most. The deed is valid only if it is recorded in the county where the property is located before the grantor dies.[1]
An Arizona beneficiary deed is a deed recorded during the owner's life that passes real property at death. The answers below cover legality, revocation, wills, successor beneficiaries, trusts and the beneficiary's role, each taken from A.R.S. 33-405.
Yes. An Arizona beneficiary deed that names a grantee beneficiary and expressly says it is effective on death transfers the interest to that beneficiary at death.[1]
Yes. The owner can revoke a beneficiary deed at any time. The revocation takes effect only if it is recorded with the county recorder before the signer's death.[1]
No. A deed that was executed, acknowledged and recorded as the statute requires is not revoked by the provisions of a will.[1]
Unless the deed provides otherwise, the deed is void if none of the named beneficiaries survives the grantor. The deed can name a successor grantee beneficiary and state the condition on which that successor's interest vests.[1]
Yes. A beneficiary deed can name several grantees. They can take title in these ways:
If there is more than one owner, any of the owners who executed the beneficiary deed can revoke it. The revocation must be recorded with the county recorder before the death of the owner who signs it.[1]
Yes. A beneficiary deed may be used to transfer an interest in real property to the trustee of a trust, even if the trust is revocable. In that case the beneficiary named on the deed is the trustee.[1]
The last beneficiary deed recorded before the owner's death is the effective deed. An earlier recorded deed for the same real property no longer controls, so record the newest one last.[1]
No. The signature, consent or agreement of or notice to a grantee beneficiary is not required for any purpose during the owner's lifetime. Only the grantor signs the deed.[1]
General information, not legal or tax advice.
