How to Fill Out and Submit the Vanguard Change of Ownership Form

The Vanguard change of ownership form transfers a nonretirement brokerage account from one owner to another individual, trust, or organization. You can download it from Vanguard’s Forms and Literature page, and processing takes five to seven business days once the completed paperwork reaches Vanguard.¹ The version you need depends on who is receiving the assets and whether they already have a Vanguard account.

One boundary worth stating up front: these forms cover nonretirement brokerage accounts only. IRA transfers use separate paperwork. If you want to name someone to inherit the account at your death rather than transfer it now, Vanguard’s Transfer on Death plan is the right tool instead.²

Which Version of the Form You Need

Vanguard publishes several change of ownership forms on the Forms and Literature page. Search “change of ownership” and pick the one that fits your situation:¹

Between existing Vanguard nonretirement accounts, when both parties already hold Vanguard brokerage accounts.
To a new individual account, when the recipient does not yet have a Vanguard account. Vanguard opens one for them as part of the transfer.
To a new trust brokerage account, for moving assets into a living or testamentary trust.
To a new account for an organization, when the recipient is a business, nonprofit, or other legal entity.
The 529 change of ownership form, for Vanguard 529 education savings plan accounts. This version requires notarization instead of a Medallion Signature Guarantee and must be submitted within 60 days of the notary date.

What to Gather Before You Start

Missing a single item can bounce the request back and add weeks. Have all of this ready:

The current Vanguard account number, exactly as it appears on your most recent statement.
Both parties’ full legal names, spelled precisely as they appear on government-issued ID. A single mismatched letter causes a rejection.
Tax identification numbers for both parties. Social Security numbers for individuals, Employer Identification Numbers for trusts and organizations. Vanguard needs these to report the transfer and cost basis to the IRS.
A Medallion Signature Guarantee. This is required for most nonretirement ownership transfers and is not interchangeable with a notary stamp.

Getting a Medallion Signature Guarantee

A Medallion Signature Guarantee is a stamp that verifies your identity and your authority to transfer the securities. The institution stamping it takes on financial liability, which is why it carries more weight than a notary seal. Only members of one of three programs can issue it: the Securities Transfer Agents Medallion Program, the Stock Exchanges Medallion Program, or the New York Stock Exchange Medallion Signature Program.³

Your best route is a bank, credit union, or brokerage where you already have an account. Most institutions only stamp for their own customers. Expect to visit a branch in person because the guarantor has to verify your identity face-to-face. Some places charge a fee, others provide the service free to existing customers. Call ahead to confirm the branch participates in a medallion program and ask what ID to bring. The stamp itself has no firm expiration, but transfer agents can set their own timing rules, so submit the form promptly once you have it.

Filling Out the Form

You can complete the form online through Vanguard’s secure portal or print it and fill it out by hand.¹ Either way, the core sections are the same.

Owner and Recipient Information

Enter the current owner’s details exactly as they show on recent Vanguard statements. Then add the recipient’s full legal name, date of birth, mailing address, and tax ID. If the recipient already has a Vanguard account, include that account number. If not, Vanguard opens one during the transfer. Check every digit in the Social Security or EIN fields twice. Transposed numbers are one of the most common reasons forms come back.

What You Want to Transfer

You can move the entire balance or a partial amount. For partial transfers, specify either a dollar amount, a percentage of the total, or fund names with the exact number of shares. Vague instructions like “about half” will not process. If you want particular tax lots moved rather than a proportional slice of everything, spell that out. When the form does not have room for detailed instructions, attach a signed Letter of Instruction that references the account number and describes exactly which assets should move.

Cost Basis Method

The form asks how the recipient’s account should track cost basis on the transferred securities. That choice affects capital gains taxes when they eventually sell. Vanguard’s defaults are average cost for mutual funds and first-in, first-out for other securities.⁴ You can select a different method on the form if it better fits the recipient’s tax picture. Leaving the default in place is a safe starting point; the recipient can change the method later for future sales.

The recipient must also sign to accept the assets and agree to Vanguard’s account terms. Both signatures need to be in place before the Medallion Signature Guarantee is applied.

Extra Documents for Trusts and Entities

Transfers to a trust require the trust version of the form plus supporting documentation. Vanguard does not need the full trust document, only the relevant pages:⁵

For a trust under agreement: the pages showing the trust name and date, the current trustees, and all signature pages.
For a trust under will: the pages creating the trust, the trustees’ names, the testator’s signature, and evidence the will was filed with probate court, such as a court stamp or letters testamentary.
For successor trustees: documentation showing why the original trustee is no longer acting, such as a death certificate or letter of incapacitation.
For sub-trusts (marital, bypass, generation-skipping) created under a parent trust: the pages outlining the sub-trust and naming its trustees.

Transfers to corporations, LLCs, or partnerships follow the same pattern but require a corporate resolution or equivalent document naming the individuals authorized to manage the account. Those individuals also provide personal identification details.

Where to Send the Completed Form

Once everything is signed and stamped, mail the form and all supporting documents to Vanguard. The correct addresses for personal investor accounts are:⁶

By U.S. Postal Service: Vanguard, P.O. Box 982901, El Paso, TX 79998-2901.
By FedEx, UPS, or other courier: Vanguard, 5951 Luckett Court, Suite A1, El Paso, TX 79932-1882.

Couriers cannot deliver to a P.O. Box, so use the Luckett Court address for anything that is not standard USPS mail. Sending to the wrong address commonly delays things by a week or more.

Vanguard processes most change of ownership requests within five to seven business days after the paperwork arrives.¹ If anything is incomplete or unclear, Vanguard contacts the current account holder for corrections, and that round trip easily adds another week or two. Getting every field right the first time matters more than submitting quickly. Keep photocopies of everything you mail, including the completed form, the Medallion stamped page, and any trust or entity documents. You will want those for your tax records.

Gift Tax and Cost Basis Consequences

Transferring securities to another person during your lifetime is a gift for federal tax purposes, and two rules catch donors off guard.

The Annual Gift Tax Exclusion

For 2026, you can give up to $19,000 per recipient without any gift tax reporting requirement.⁷ Married couples electing gift splitting can give up to $38,000 per recipient. If the fair market value of the transferred securities on the gift date exceeds that threshold, the donor must file IRS Form 709 with their tax return for that year.⁸ Filing Form 709 does not necessarily mean you owe gift tax. It reports the gift and reduces your lifetime exemption, which stands at $15,000,000 for 2026.⁹

Carryover Basis

When you gift appreciated securities, the recipient inherits your original cost basis rather than receiving a stepped-up basis at current market value. This is the carryover basis rule.¹⁰ If you bought shares at $10,000 and they are worth $25,000 when you transfer them, the recipient’s basis is still $10,000. When they eventually sell, they owe capital gains tax on the full $15,000 gain.

Give the recipient your original purchase records: dates, prices, and any reinvested dividends that adjusted the basis. Vanguard transfers cost basis information along with the securities, but your own documentation is useful backup if records are ever questioned. The cost basis method chosen on the change of ownership form determines which lots are treated as sold first when the new owner begins liquidating positions.⁴

1
Vanguard. Forms and Literature – Search Results
2
Vanguard. Transfer on Death (TOD) Plan
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SEC. Medallion Signature Guarantees: Preventing the Unauthorized Transfer of Securities
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Vanguard. Cost Basis and Taxes
5
Vanguard. Trust Account: What Is It and How To Get Started
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Vanguard. Information About Your Vanguard Account
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Internal Revenue Service. Frequently Asked Questions on Gift Taxes
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Internal Revenue Service. About Form 709, United States Gift (and Generation-Skipping Transfer) Tax Return
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Internal Revenue Service. What’s New – Estate and Gift Tax
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Office of the Law Revision Counsel. 26 USC 1015 – Basis of Property Acquired by Gifts and Transfers in Trust