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Transfer-on-Death Deeds · Iowa

Iowa Transfer-on-Death Deed

Can you pass a Iowa home to your heirs outside probate with a transfer-on-death deed? No — Iowa does not offer a transfer-on-death deed for real property. This page explains why, and the verified alternatives Iowa families use instead.

Written by TTA Editorial

Published July 26, 2026 · Last verified July 26, 2026 · Update policy: reviewed at least annually and on change in law; statutory tables re-verified each legislative session

At a glance

TOD / beneficiary deedNot available
InstrumentNone — not available for real property
Governing lawNo TOD-deed statute — Iowa has not enacted the URPTODA; confirm with the county recorder
Community-property stateNo

Why Iowa has no TOD deed

Iowa does not authorize transfer-on-death (beneficiary) deeds for real property. The Iowa legislature has considered the Uniform Real Property Transfer on Death Act more than once (for example, bills such as SF 2030), but the legislation has repeatedly failed to pass, so there is no Iowa Code chapter authorizing a TOD deed for real estate.

A deed drafted to convey Iowa real estate to a named person effective at the owner's death is not a valid non-probate transfer. Iowa courts have treated such a deed as ineffective — the Iowa Court of Appeals has affirmed a purported transfer-on-death deed of farmland as void — so owners should not rely on one to avoid probate.

Note a common online error: some sources wrongly claim Iowa Code chapter 633F governs TOD deeds. It does not — chapter 633F is the Iowa Uniform Custodial Trust Act, which is unrelated. Iowa owners who want to avoid probate for real estate should work with an attorney licensed in Iowa on other tools.

What to use instead

Because Iowa offers no transfer-on-death deed, families keep a home out of probate with other tools. Common alternatives include:

  • Revocable living trust holding the real estate
  • Joint tenancy with right of survivorship
  • Traditional life estate deed (irrevocable remainder)
  • Probate administration (if no non-probate tool is used)

Mortgages, Medicaid & community property

Existing mortgages and liens

Not applicable to a TOD deed, since none exists in Iowa. Under whatever alternative an owner uses (trust, survivorship deed), the recipient still takes the real estate subject to existing mortgages, tax liens, and other encumbrances — those debts are not erased by the method of transfer.

Medicaid estate recovery

Because Iowa offers no TOD deed, probate-avoidance for real estate is usually handled through trusts or survivorship ownership, each of which interacts differently with Medicaid. Medicaid estate recovery is a serious, fact-specific issue in Iowa; confirm any plan with the Iowa Department of Health and Human services (which administers Medicaid) and an attorney or elder-law professional licensed in Iowa. This record does not assert a specific recovery scope.

Community property

Iowa is a common-law (separate-property) state. Iowa is a common-law (non-community-property) state, so there is no community-property survivorship option. With no TOD deed available, married owners typically rely on joint tenancy with right of survivorship or a revocable trust to pass real estate outside probate.

State-specific quirks

TOD deeds are void in Iowa

A transfer-on-death deed for Iowa real estate is not merely unusual — it is ineffective, and Iowa appellate courts have voided one. Owners who copy a TOD-deed form from a neighboring state can inadvertently leave their real estate to pass through probate.

Chapter 633F is not a TOD-deed law

Do not rely on online claims that Iowa Code chapter 633F authorizes TOD deeds. Chapter 633F is the Iowa Uniform Custodial Trust Act and has nothing to do with beneficiary deeds for real property.

Sources & methodology

Methodology & sources

A current primary-source transfer-on-death deed statute could not be confirmed for Iowa. Check the rule with the county recorder or an attorney licensed in Iowa. Cited rules link to the state code or legislature when available, otherwise to a codified copy of the state code. Deed-form vendors and roundups are not sources. See our editorial standards.

General information, not legal advice. Medicaid estate recovery, mortgage terms, and co-ownership can affect whether a transfer-on-death deed works as intended. An attorney licensed in Iowa can assess your situation.

Last verified July 26, 2026.