Quick answer: Yes. Minnesota allows a transfer-on-death deed under Minn. Stat. § 507.071, but it must be recorded before the owner dies. Minnesota's estate recovery law specifically reaches property passed this way.
Minnesota does allow homeowners to record a transfer-on-death deed, but that convenience comes with a catch: the state's estate-recovery law was written to specifically reach property that passes this way, so the tool doesn't function as an automatic Medicaid workaround.
The statute authorizing this deed — Minnesota Statutes section 507.071 — defines it as an instrument that only transfers an interest to a named beneficiary once the current owner dies, and that transfer is subject to the law's own survivorship rules.
One detail carries real weight here: the deed has to meet Minnesota's standard deed requirements and must actually be recorded, in a county where at least part of the property sits, before the owner passes away. This isn't a minor filing formality — the statute makes that recording timeline central to whether the deed is legally valid at all.
Sources and official resources
- Minnesota DHS: People Who Need Nursing Home Care
- U.S. Code: 42 U.S.C. § 1396p (liens, estate recovery, transfers of assets, Partnership disregard)
- CMS: 2026 SSI and Spousal Impoverishment Standards
Rules and figures change. Confirm current details with the agency before you act.