L.A. Legal Document Assistants

Can I include my Robinhood account in my Living Trust?

Yes, you can include your Robinhood account in your Living Trust, but there are specific rules and steps you must follow based on Robinhood’s current platform policies.

  • Revocable Trusts Only: Robinhood explicitly supports and accepts Revocable Trust accounts. If your living trust is revocable (which is standard for most living trusts while you are alive), it is eligible. They do not currently support Irrevocable Trust accounts.

  • Opening a New Trust Account: You generally cannot simply retitle an existing individual account or just name the trust in your legal paperwork while keeping a standard individual account. You will need to formally open a new, designated Trust Account on the platform in the exact name of your living trust.

  • Transferring Your Assets: Once the Trust account is open, you can perform an internal transfer of your assets (stocks, ETFs, cash, etc.) from your individual Robinhood account into the new Robinhood Trust account. The name of the trust account must accurately match the trust document formatting (e.g., “John Smith, TTEE, John Smith Revocable Trust dtd 1/1/20”).

  • Future Limitations (Upon Death): When the creator (grantor) of a revocable living trust passes away, the trust automatically becomes irrevocable. Because Robinhood does not support irrevocable trusts, your successor trustee will not be able to continue managing the trust account on Robinhood. At that point, the successor trustee will be required to transfer the trust’s assets out to another traditional brokerage that supports irrevocable trusts.

To get started, you can initiate the process of opening a trust account directly through your Robinhood app settings or by contacting their customer support for the specific application steps.

What does my son have to do about Robinhood after I die?
If the son is a Transfer on Death (TOD) beneficiary or if the account goes through an estate or trust, the first steps are relatively the same:
  1. Do not use her login credentials.
  2. Fill out Robinhood’s online “Estates form” at Robinhood.com.
  3. Provide the deceased’s full legal name, SSN, date of birth, and date of death.
  4. Provide the son’s contact information, date of birth, and relationship.
  5. Upload a photo or copy of the death certificate (must show all 4 corners and the seal).
  6. Upload a photo or copy of the front and back of the son’s government-issued ID.
  7. Robinhood’s Estates Team will contact the son.
If the son is the named TOD beneficiary or receives the assets through the estate, he will generally need to open his own Robinhood account to receive the transferred securities and cash. From there, he can keep them at Robinhood, liquidate them, or transfer them to another brokerage via ACATS. Cryptocurrencies are held by Robinhood Crypto, LLC and do not pass via TOD designation (must go through the estate). Also, any margin debt or balances must be satisfied before transfer.
I will write out these clear, concise steps and conditions.Here are the exact steps her son must take to claim and transfer the assets from his mother’s Robinhood account after she passes away.
1. Submit the Robinhood Estates Form
The son should not attempt to log into her account. Instead, he must go to Robinhood’s support page for losing a loved one and fill out their online Estates form.
2. Provide Required Documentation
When filling out the form, he will need to provide and upload the following:
  • The Deceased’s Information: Her full legal name, Social Security number, date of birth, and date of death.
  • Death Certificate: A clear photo or copy of the death certificate. All four corners must be visible, and the official seal must be showing.
  • The Son’s Information: His name, contact info, date of birth, and relationship to the deceased.
  • His Photo ID: A photo or copy of the front and back of his valid government-issued ID.
  • Note: Robinhood explicitly asks claimants NOT to upload wills, trusts, or court documents during this initial step. They will request additional documents later if necessary.
3. Wait for the Estates Team
After submitting the form, a representative from Robinhood’s Estates Team will contact him to coordinate the actual transfer.
4. Open a Receiving Account
To physically receive the stocks, options, or cash, the son will generally be required to open his own Robinhood account. Once the assets are transferred into his new account, he can choose to hold them there, sell them, or initiate an ACATS transfer to move them to a different brokerage (like Schwab or Fidelity).
Important Conditions to Keep in Mind:
  • Transfer on Death (TOD): If she named him as her TOD beneficiary directly in the app, the brokerage assets will transfer to him quickly outside of probate.
  • Crypto is Different: Cryptocurrencies are held by a separate entity (Robinhood Crypto, LLC) and are legally ineligible for TOD beneficiary designation. Crypto must pass through her formal estate, meaning the son may eventually need to provide Letters of Administration or Letters Testamentary from a probate court to claim any crypto holdings.
  • Margin Debt: If her account has a negative balance or margin debt, Robinhood will require it to be paid off—or they will liquidate enough of her stock to cover the debt—before transferring the remaining balance to the son.