No transfer-on-death deed — and it isn't for lack of trying
Pennsylvania does not permit a transfer-on-death or beneficiary deed for real estate. A bill to adopt the Uniform Real Property Transfer on Death Act has been introduced but not enacted. Pennsylvania homeowners rely instead on joint titling, a living trust, or a will — with probate — to pass real estate. See our full explanation of why Pennsylvania has no TOD deed, and how the state's own inheritance tax shapes even the transfer-on-death tools it does allow.
Joint tenancy needs clear words, but marriage gets it automatically
Pennsylvania recognizes joint tenancy with right of survivorship when the deed clearly designates that arrangement. Without it, ownership defaults to a tenancy in common — except between spouses, where Pennsylvania presumes a tenancy by the entirety by law, with automatic survivorship, even without express deed language. See our full breakdown of Pennsylvania joint property rules, including a real case where the wrong legal label on a deed still created survivorship.
Bank accounts work a little differently during life
Pennsylvania joint bank accounts generally pass to the survivor by default, unless the account specifies otherwise — but Pennsylvania has a notably distinctive structure while both owners are alive: each party's interest is generally tied to their own actual contribution to the account, rather than an automatic equal share the way a traditional joint tenancy works. See our guide to Pennsylvania beneficiary and P.O.D. accounts.
Where this feeds into other Pennsylvania calculators
The probate-estate total from this tool is the starting point for Pennsylvania's probate cost and executor fee calculators, and for checking Pennsylvania's small estate affidavit. Pennsylvania has a state inheritance tax on most transfers — see our Pennsylvania Inheritance Tax Calculator for that separate calculation, which applies even to many assets that skip probate.