Successor Custodian To

The Uniform Transfers to Minors Act (UTMA) allows an adult to transfer assets to a minor by opening a custodial account. This type of account is managed by an adult the custodian who holds onto the assets until the minor reaches a certain age, usually 18 or 21.

UTMA stands for the Uniform Transfers to Minors Act, which is the legal provision in many states that authorizes a custodian to hold assets on behalf of a minor child until the child reaches the age of majority -- typically either 18 or 21.

If a donor acting as the custodian dies before the account terminates, the account value will be included in the donor's estate for estate tax purposes. If a minor dies before the age of majority, a custodial account is considered part of the minor's estate and is distributed according to state law.

Opening Custodial Account Whether more than one custodian can be listed on the account depends on state law and the policy of the individual bank. If two custodians are permitted, each will have authority to conduct transactions on the account, including withdrawals.

Every UTMA account has a designated custodian who can make withdrawals or cash in the account at any time. However, the cash can't be used for day-to-day expenses like groceries. It can be used for school outings, music lessons and other non-essentials that benefit the child.

There is no ability to transfer a UGMA or UTMA account to another child or to change beneficiaries. You are not supposed to use a UTMA-529 or UGMA-529 account conversion to change the beneficiary either because that would equate to giving your child's money to someone else.

A custodial account will automatically close when the custodian releases the assets to the new adult. But the custodian has no authority to close a custodial account before then. A custodial account can only be transferred to another custodian on the child's behalf.