• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to footer

FinaidFinAid

Financial Aid Information

  • Loans
    • Loans Home
    • Student Loans
    • Student Loan Consolidation
    • Student Loan Comparison
    • Parent Loans
  • Calculators
    • Calculators Home
    • Loan Payment
    • Loan Prepayment
    • Loan Consolidation
    • Expected Family Contribution
    • College Cost Projector
  • Scholarships
    • Scholarships Home
    • Winning Scholarships
    • Scholarship Scams
    • Scholarships for Average Students
  • FAFSA
    • FAFSA Home
    • Financial Aid Applications
    • Expected Family Contribution
    • Award Letters
  • More…
    • Beyond Financial Aid
    • Educators and Administrators
    • Financial Aid Applications
    • Financial Aid FAQ
    • Military Aid
    • Other Types of Aid
    • Parents
    • Saving for College
    • Students
    • Fastweb.com

You are here: Home / Saving for College / Age of Majority and Trust Termination

Age of Majority and Trust Termination

The age at which the minor takes control of the custodial account depends on the minor’s state of residence and whether the custodial account was created as an UGMA or an UTMA account.

Each state may have additional provisions affecting the age of termination. Also, some states permit the donor or transferor to specify a different age of termination at the time the gift or transfer is made. Note that the age of termination is not necessarily the same as the age of majority in the state. The age of majority is the age at which an individual can sign contracts (i.e., no more “defense of infancy”). The age of termination is not the same as the age of majority. In most cases the age of termination comes later. (The age of majority for signing contracts is 18 in most states, except Alabama and Nebraska, where it is 19, and Indiana, Mississippi, New York and Puerto Rico, where it is 21.

For child support purposes, the age of majority is 18 in most states, 19 in Alabama, Colorado, Maryland and Nebraska, and 21 in D.C., Indiana, Mississippi, and New York, with exceptions for a later age of majority if the child is still in secondary school.)

The age of termination for UGMA and UTMA accounts is listed in the following table.Note that some states permit the transfer to occur at a later date if this is specified in the titling of the account. For example, California allows the transfer to be delayed until as late as age 25 if the trust is titled “as custodian for (Name of Minor) until age (Age for Delivery of Property to Minor)”. If the trust is not titled in this manner, the age of trust termination remains age 18.

StateUGMAUTMAUTMA supersedes UGMA (*)
Alabama1921October 1, 1986
Alaska1821January 1, 1991
Arizona1821September 30, 1988
Arkansas2121March 21, 1985
California1818January 1, 1985
Colorado2121July 1, 1984
Connecticut2121October 1, 1995
Delaware1821June 26, 1996
District of Columbia1818March 12, 1986
Florida1821October 1, 1985
Georgia2121July 1, 1990
Guam21N/AN/A
Hawaii1821July 1, 1985
Idaho1821July 1, 1984
Illinois2121July 1, 1986
Indiana1821July 1, 1989
Iowa2121July 1, 1986
Kansas1821July 1, 1985
Kentucky2118July 15, 1986
Louisiana1818January 1, 1988
Maine2118August 4, 1988
Maryland1821July 1, 1989
Massachusetts1821January 30, 1987
Michigan1818December 29, 1999
Minnesota1821January 1, 1986
Mississippi2121January 1, 1995
Missouri2121September 28, 1985
Montana1821October 1, 1985
Nebraska1921July 15, 1992
Nevada1818July 1, 1985
New Hampshire2121July 30, 1985
New Jersey2121July 1, 1987
New Mexico2121July 1, 1989
New York1821July 10, 1996
North Carolina1821October 1, 1987
North Dakota1821July 1, 1985
Ohio1821May 7, 1986
Oklahoma2118November 1, 1986
Oregon2121January 1, 1986
Pennsylvania2121December 16, 1992
Rhode Island2121July 23, 1998
South Carolina18N/AN/A
South Dakota1818July 1, 1986
Tennessee1821October 1, 1992
Texas1821September 1, 1995
Utah2121July 1, 1990
Vermont21N/AN/A
Virgin Islands21N/AN/A
Virginia1818July 1, 1988
Washington2121July 1, 1991
West Virginia1821July 1, 1986
Wisconsin1821April 8, 1988
Wyoming1821May 22, 1987

(*) All states repealed their UGMA statutes upon enacting their UTMA statutes. Any UGMA accounts in existence before the date of the repeal are grandfathered using the original UGMA age of termination. The relevant dates when UTMA took effect for the various states are listed in this column.

Emancipation
The Higher Education Opportunity Act of 2008 amended section 480(d)(1)(C) of the Higher Education Act of 1965 to treat as independent any student who becomes an emancipated minor before reaching the age of majority. The specific legislative language is:is, or was immediately prior to attaining the age of majority, an emancipated minor or in legal guardianship as determined by a court of competent jurisdiction in the individual’s State of legal residence. The term “emancipation” is often used when a child reaches the age of majority or child support obligations end, but this is not the same as an “emancipated minor”. An emancipated minor becomes an adult able to sign contracts before reaching the age of majority through a court order. A court order terminating child support upon the child’s reaching the age of majority does not qualify, not even if it uses the word emancipation.

Primary Sidebar

Fastweb

Helpful Links

  • Home
  • Loans
  • Scholarships
  • Military Aid
  • Calculators
  • Saving for College
  • FAFSA
  • Other Types of Aid
  • Beyond Financial Aid
  • Best Graduate Student Loans of 2021
  • Educators and Financial Aid Administrators
  • Financial Aid Applications
  • Parents
  • EFC CALCULATOR
  • PREPAYMENT CALCULATOR
  • LOAN PAYMENT CALCULATOR

Footer

FinAid

Quick Links

  • Your Guide for College Financial Aid
  • Loans
  • Calculators
  • Educators and Financial Aid Administrators
  • Military Aid
  • Scholarships
  • Parents
  • Fastweb.com – College Scholarships

Financial Aid Topics

  • Beyond Financial Aid
  • FAFSA
  • Financial Aid Applications
  • Other Types of Aid
  • Saving for College
  • Fastweb Student Loans

Get to Know Finaid

  • About Finaid
  • Answering Your Questions
  • FAQs about Financial Aid
  • Helping Students use Finaid.org
  • Privacy Policy
  • Contact Us
  • Sitemap

Terms of Use | Your Privacy Choices
Copyright © 2023 · finaid.org