"Joint tenants" alone isn't enough
Under Va. Code § 55.1-135, titling property to two or more people as "joint tenants" or "in a joint tenancy" creates a joint tenancy without survivorship by default — survivorship between joint tenants is abolished under § 55.1-134 unless the deed adds the specific words "with survivorship," or equivalent language. Even married couples don't get an automatic exception: without those magic words, spouses who receive property together take it by moieties, much like a tenancy in common. See our full breakdown of Virginia joint tenancy and entirety rules.
A transfer-on-death deed with a strict revocation rule
Virginia adopted the Uniform Real Property Transfer on Death Act effective July 1, 2013 (Va. Code § 64.2-621 et seq.). It can only be revoked by a recorded instrument — never by tearing it up or by a later will — and a 2025 amendment added that simply deeding the property away now automatically revokes a previously recorded TOD deed. See our full guide to the Virginia TOD deed.
Bank accounts follow the same "survivorship" test
The same core rule — you need the words "with survivorship" or equivalent, not just "joint tenants" — applies to jointly held bank accounts and other personal property in Virginia, including for married couples. See our guide to Virginia beneficiary and P.O.D. accounts.
Where this feeds into other Virginia calculators
The probate-estate total from this tool is the starting point for Virginia's probate cost and executor fee calculators, and for checking Virginia's small estate procedures. Virginia has no state estate or inheritance tax, so this total doesn't feed into a separate state tax calculation.