I've been thinking about donating my minivan to HOWA in the case of my death. The HOWA website has very little information about this. Just a paragraph stating that some states allow one to simply write a letter. So, I figured I would start this thread so people could pool the information they gather about this topic.
Please, if you are going to live forever, or have some other glib comment, please start your own thread. This thread is for pooling useful information only.
Because my official residence is in Texas, I looked up the info for Texas. They have a "Beneficiary Designation for a Motor Vehicle" form, which is available at: https://www.txdmv.gov/reports-and-d...1-beneficiary-designation-for-a-motor-vehicle. They do not say where to send said form. I assume they expect everyone to just physically take them into the nearest DMV. According to this form, one can only donate a vehicle to a specific individual, not an institution (such as HOWA). Therefore, HOWA needs to designate a specific person to receive these vehicles and then donate them to the non-profit. If this is not financially feasible, HOWA should let people know that they can not receive vehicles upon the death of Texas residents. At least not using this method.
Also according to the form: The beneficiary has no legal rights to the vehicle until the owner dies. If the owner sells the vehicle, then designation is voided. However, if the owner wills the vehicle to someone else, that someone else is out of luck. The official "Beneficiary Designation for a Motor Vehicle" takes precedent. The main benefit of this method is that it completely avoids probate. The vehicle ownership is transferred immediately upon the death of the owner. No waiting. I have no idea how taxes are handled.
Please, if you are going to live forever, or have some other glib comment, please start your own thread. This thread is for pooling useful information only.
Because my official residence is in Texas, I looked up the info for Texas. They have a "Beneficiary Designation for a Motor Vehicle" form, which is available at: https://www.txdmv.gov/reports-and-d...1-beneficiary-designation-for-a-motor-vehicle. They do not say where to send said form. I assume they expect everyone to just physically take them into the nearest DMV. According to this form, one can only donate a vehicle to a specific individual, not an institution (such as HOWA). Therefore, HOWA needs to designate a specific person to receive these vehicles and then donate them to the non-profit. If this is not financially feasible, HOWA should let people know that they can not receive vehicles upon the death of Texas residents. At least not using this method.
Also according to the form: The beneficiary has no legal rights to the vehicle until the owner dies. If the owner sells the vehicle, then designation is voided. However, if the owner wills the vehicle to someone else, that someone else is out of luck. The official "Beneficiary Designation for a Motor Vehicle" takes precedent. The main benefit of this method is that it completely avoids probate. The vehicle ownership is transferred immediately upon the death of the owner. No waiting. I have no idea how taxes are handled.
