Sue, Generally, I do not recommend that parents add their children as co-owners on bank accounts. When a child is a co-owner, if someone sues the child, the parent's funds would also become part of that lawsuit. The same applies if the child goes through a divorce or bankruptcy.
Never add your adult child as a joint holder on your bank accounts, assets can be lost to divorces and creditors. Instead consider holding your assets in a trust for better protections. To learn more about trusts download a free copy of my bestselling book, Legally Ever After at Lawmotherco.com.
Taxes: Adding a person other than your spouse to a bank account can trigger the federal gift tax. This might happen if a parent makes a child an account co-owner and the child makes a withdrawal above the annual gift tax exclusion amount ($18,000 in 2024).
Designating beneficiaries for your retirement and other financial accounts is important. Doing so outlines how and to whom you want your assets distributed upon your death. And since it's your responsibility to name your beneficiaries, doing it incorrectly (or not at all) can be costly.
Cons. You could jeopardize your parent's financial security if you have financial challenges. For example, creditors can take the money in the joint account as collateral to settle your debts. Additionally, the funds in the joint bank account can also affect your eligibility to qualify for college financial aid.
Who can access and close the deceased's bank account? The executor named in the will can do this, or if no executor has been nominated, the administrator (main beneficiary). They'll contact the bank in question with proof of death to begin the process. The Death Certificate is typically accepted as proof.
Disadvantages of a joint bank account with separate finances
You will need to agree who tops up the joint account if you get unusually large bills or direct debits go up. And you need to decide who is going to pay for big items such as holidays or a new washing machine or car.
There is no federal tax for beneficiaries of POD accounts. There will be an inheritance tax, or death tax, depending on the state, that will need to be settled before any money can leave the account. If the deceased has any debt that has not been settled, the money in the account must go to paying that off first.
It is not uncommon for an elderly or incapacitated person to add a third party as a named individual to their bank account to assist them with the management of their finances. More usually, the appointment is an adult child, close friend, or carer.
The CFPB says that under state law or terms of an account, you usually cannot remove the joint account holder without the consent of the other person. One advantage to having a joint account at the same bank as your parents is the ease with which they could transfer money from their account to yours.
Not all bank accounts are suitable for a Living Trust. If you need regular access to an account, you may want to keep it in your name rather than the name of your Trust. Or, you may have a low-value account that won't benefit from being put in a Trust.
Joint account holders have the same rights and access to an account as the primary account holder. A joint account holder can designate beneficiaries to the account without authorization from the primary account holder. A beneficiary has no rights or access to your accounts.
However, adding an adult child to a bank account isn't without potential pitfalls. Exposure to the Child's Financial Risks: Once added to your account, your child's creditors might be able to seize funds to settle debts.
Adding someone else to an individual's financial assets as a joint owner can be done directly at each financial institution through the execution of any forms required by the institution. Upon the proper execution of these forms, both the original owner and new owner are considered joint account owners for the account.
The way your child's account is set up determines your ability to access their account and make transactions. If the account is a Joint Account, then you can withdraw money. In a joint account, both you and your child have equal access to the money in the account, regardless of who deposited the money.
In most cases, an inheritance isn't subject to income taxes. The assets passed on in an investment or bank account aren't considered taxable income, nor is life insurance. However, you could pay income taxes on the assets in pre-tax accounts.
The executor or administrator may be able to use the funds from the decedent's bank account to satisfy the decedent's debts and pay probate costs. Any remaining funds will be distributed to the estate beneficiaries and/or heirs in accordance with the provisions of the decedent's will once the probate process completes.
Another key difference: While there is no federal inheritance tax, there is a federal estate tax. The federal estate tax generally applies to assets over $13.61 million in 2024 and $13.99 million in 2025, and the federal estate tax rate ranges from 18% to 40%.
Most joint bank or credit union accounts are held with “rights of survivorship.” This means that when one account owner dies, the money passes to the surviving owner, or equally to the rest of the owners if there are multiple people on the account.
Income Taxes
Upon the death of the joint owner of the account, the new owner will be responsible for paying any taxes owed. This means that after the date of death of the joint owner, whoever takes possession of the joint account will pay the income taxes due on the income earned by the account.
Disadvantages of opening a joint account
Keep in mind that you won't have control over the transactions and withdrawals the other person makes in the same account. Because of this, it's important to have open lines of communication and manage everyone's expectations prior to opening a joint account.
If you contact the bank before consulting an attorney, you risk account freezes, which could severely delay auto-payments and direct deposits and most importantly mortgage payments. You should call Social Security right away to tell them about the death of your loved one.
If the property needs to go through the probate court process, the house can stay in a decedent's name until the probate process has been completed and ownership of the property has been transferred.