Digital Estate Planning Checklist: What Happens to Your Online Accounts (2026)

Q: Can you include digital assets in a will or trust?

Yes. Most states have adopted the Revised Uniform Fiduciary Access to Digital Assets Act (RUFADAA), which allows you to legally authorize a fiduciary (executor or trustee) to access your digital accounts. Your will or trust should specifically reference digital assets and grant explicit access. However, never include actual passwords in a will — wills become public record during probate. Instead, reference a separate secure document or password manager.

Q: What happens to cryptocurrency when the owner dies?

Cryptocurrency held in self-custody wallets (where you control the private keys) is permanently lost if no one has the private key or seed phrase. Unlike a bank, there is no recovery process — no institution can reverse this. Crypto held on an exchange (like Coinbase) can potentially be claimed by heirs through the exchange's estate process, but it requires documentation and can take months. Proper planning means documenting your wallet addresses, private keys, and seed phrases in a secure, offline location accessible to your executor or trustee.

Most people spend years building a digital life — email inboxes, social media profiles, cloud photo libraries, streaming subscriptions, online banking, investment accounts, and sometimes significant cryptocurrency holdings. But when it comes to estate planning, the digital world is almost always an afterthought. The result? Families locked out of accounts, cryptocurrency lost forever, social media profiles haunting the internet indefinitely, and years of digital memories trapped in inaccessible cloud storage.

This guide walks through every category of digital asset, explains what happens to each when you die, and gives you a practical checklist to protect it all.

Disclaimer: This article is for educational purposes only. Digital asset laws and platform policies change frequently. Consult a licensed estate planning attorney for advice specific to your situation.

Why Digital Estate Planning Is Now Essential

The average American has over 100 online accounts. Among those are items with real monetary value — cryptocurrency wallets, PayPal or Venmo balances, reward points, digital businesses, domain names, and online investment accounts. Others have sentimental value beyond measure: decades of family photos in Google Photos or iCloud, years of emails, creative work stored in cloud drives.

Without planning, your family will face locked accounts, platform bureaucracies, and in the case of self-custody cryptocurrency, permanent and irrecoverable loss. Most platforms' terms of service do not automatically transfer access rights to family members — and many explicitly prohibit sharing login credentials, even after death.

💡 Legal framework: Most U.S. states have adopted the Revised Uniform Fiduciary Access to Digital Assets Act (RUFADAA), which allows executors and trustees to legally access digital accounts — but only if your estate planning documents explicitly authorize it. Without that language, even a court-appointed executor may be blocked.

Digital Estate Planning Checklist

📧 Email Accounts

Document all email addresses and associated platforms (Gmail, Outlook, Yahoo, etc.)
Set up Google Inactive Account Manager (lets you designate someone to receive data after 3–18 months of inactivity)
For non-Google accounts, document login credentials in a secure, offline location
Decide: do you want accounts deleted or memorialized? Leave instructions
Note any important accounts that receive financial statements, tax documents, or business communications

📱 Social Media Accounts

Facebook/Instagram: Designate a Legacy Contact in Facebook settings to manage your memorialized account, or set a request for deletion
Google/YouTube: Use Inactive Account Manager to set download permissions and deletion preferences
Twitter/X: No legacy contact feature — account can be deactivated by a verified family member with a death certificate
LinkedIn: Family can request profile removal with death certificate
TikTok: No built-in legacy feature — document login credentials for your executor
Document your preferences (memorialize vs. delete) for each platform

₿ Cryptocurrency and Digital Wallets

List all wallets and exchanges (Coinbase, Kraken, Binance, MetaMask, Ledger, etc.)
For exchange accounts: document login credentials and note that heirs will need a death certificate + probate documents to claim funds
For self-custody wallets (hardware or software): Store the seed phrase (12 or 24 words) in a fireproof, secure location — this is the only way to recover the wallet
Never store seed phrases digitally (no photos, no cloud, no email)
Consider a multi-signature wallet arrangement for large holdings
Include crypto holdings in your trust or will with explicit authorization for your trustee/executor to access

☁️ Cloud Storage (Photos, Documents, Files)

iCloud: Document Apple ID and password; family can request access via Apple's Digital Legacy feature (set up in Apple ID settings)
Google Photos / Google Drive: Cover through Google Inactive Account Manager
Dropbox / OneDrive / Box: Document credentials; contact platform with death certificate for access
Identify any irreplaceable items (family photos, creative work, business files) and create offline backups
Note any automatic subscription charges that should be cancelled

💰 Financial and Investment Accounts

Online brokerage accounts (Fidelity, Schwab, Robinhood, etc.) — ensure beneficiary designations are current
PayPal, Venmo, Cash App balances — document accounts; these require estate documentation to claim
Online banking — most transfer via beneficiary designation or will/trust
Reward points and miles — document all loyalty programs; American Airlines, Marriott, and most programs have transfer procedures for heirs
Business PayPal or Stripe accounts — document separately with business succession plan

🏢 Online Businesses and Digital Property

Domain names — document registrar accounts (GoDaddy, Namecheap, etc.) and all owned domains
Websites and blogs — document hosting accounts, CMS access, and any ad revenue accounts (Google AdSense)
Etsy, eBay, Amazon Seller accounts — document credentials and note ongoing obligations
Digital products (courses, ebooks, software licenses) — note platform, revenue amounts, and how to transfer
Intellectual property — note any copyrights, trademarks, or patents owned

🔐 Passwords and Access

Use a password manager (1Password, Bitwarden, LastPass) to consolidate all credentials
Document the master password in a secure, offline location accessible to your executor
Create a "digital asset letter of instruction" — separate from your will, stored with your estate documents but not filed with the court
Include two-factor authentication (2FA) backup codes or note which phone number/device is required
Update your estate planning documents to include digital asset access authorization language

⚠️ Never put passwords in your will. Wills become public record when filed during probate. Listing account credentials in your will is like publishing them in a newspaper. Use a separate letter of instruction kept with (but not filed alongside) your will, or reference a password manager.

Including Digital Assets in Your Will or Trust

Your traditional estate planning documents need to be updated to address digital assets explicitly. Here's what to include:

In Your Will

Grant your executor authority to access, manage, and distribute digital assets
Reference a separate "Digital Asset Inventory" document (don't list actual credentials in the will)
Specify your wishes for social media accounts: memorialize, delete, or transfer
Explicitly include digital assets in residuary clauses to avoid ambiguity

In Your Living Trust

Grant your successor trustee explicit authority over digital assets
For valuable assets like cryptocurrency or digital businesses, consider funding them directly into the trust
Include RUFADAA authorization language so your trustee can legally access accounts

For a complete guide to choosing between a will and a trust for your overall estate, see our article on living trust vs will in 2026. For guidance on what an executor can actually do with these assets, see our executor responsibilities guide.

The Cryptocurrency Problem: Why It's Different

Every other digital asset category has some fallback — a platform you can contact, a process to follow, a form to submit. Cryptocurrency in self-custody wallets has none of that. If the private key or seed phrase is lost, the funds are lost. Permanently. No exceptions.

This is a real and growing problem. Chainalysis estimates that 20% of all Bitcoin — worth tens of billions of dollars — is in wallets whose owners have lost access. Estate planning for crypto owners requires:

Documenting seed phrases in a fireproof, secure physical location (not a digital file)
Leaving instructions for how to use the seed phrase to access wallets
Authorizing your trustee or executor to handle cryptocurrency specifically in your estate documents
Considering a multi-sig arrangement for significant holdings, where multiple parties must approve transactions

Get your complete estate plan — including digital assets.

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Creating Your Digital Asset Inventory

The most important action you can take today is creating a written digital asset inventory. This document should include:

Every online account you own, grouped by category
The email address and username associated with each account
Where credentials are stored (reference to your password manager)
Your wishes for each account (delete, memorialize, transfer, maintain)
Special instructions for high-value accounts (crypto wallet locations, business account details)

Store this inventory securely — in a fireproof safe, with your estate attorney, or in a sealed envelope with your other estate documents. Update it at least annually, or whenever you open or close a significant account.

Frequently Asked Questions

What happens to your online accounts when you die?

Without specific planning, most online accounts will simply become inaccessible. Social media platforms like Facebook and Instagram allow accounts to be memorialized or deleted if reported. Google allows you to set up an Inactive Account Manager. Financial accounts without designated beneficiaries may require probate to access. Cryptocurrency without a transferred private key is typically lost permanently — no platform can recover it.

Can you include digital assets in a will or trust?

Yes. Most states have adopted RUFADAA, which allows you to legally authorize a fiduciary to access your digital accounts. Your will or trust should specifically reference digital assets and grant explicit access. However, never include actual passwords in a will — wills become public record during probate. Instead, reference a separate secure document or password manager.

What happens to cryptocurrency when the owner dies?

Cryptocurrency held in self-custody wallets is permanently lost if no one has the private key or seed phrase. Unlike a bank, there is no recovery process. Crypto held on an exchange can potentially be claimed by heirs through the exchange's estate process, but it requires documentation. Proper planning means documenting wallet addresses, private keys, and seed phrases in a secure, offline location accessible to your executor or trustee.

Should I put my passwords in my will?

No — never put passwords directly in your will. Wills become public record when filed in probate court, which would expose all your account credentials to anyone who searches the court record. Instead, use a password manager and document the master password in a secure location, or create a separate letter of instruction kept with your will but not filed with the court.

Legal Disclaimer: This content is for educational purposes only and does not constitute legal or tax advice. Digital asset laws and platform policies change frequently. Consult a licensed estate planning attorney for guidance specific to your situation.