Digital Estate

The Digital Estate Planning Checklist (2026)

6 min read

Traditional estate planning was built for a world of paper deeds and passbooks. But more of your life — and your money — now lives online: bank logins, brokerage apps, crypto wallets, PayPal balances, domain names, photo libraries and loyalty points. Digital estate planning is making sure all of it can be found and managed when you're gone. Here's a complete checklist.

1. Financial accounts

Online-only bank and savings accounts (often missed because there's no paper trail).
Brokerage and investment apps.
PayPal, Wise, Venmo and other balances.
Pensions and retirement accounts.

2. Cryptocurrency and digital wallets

Crypto is the highest-risk category by far: with no recovery information, the funds are simply gone. Record where each wallet or exchange account is held and how a beneficiary would recover it — without ever writing your seed phrase somewhere insecure. We cover this in detail in what happens to your crypto when you die.

3. Online businesses and income

Domain names and websites.
Ad, affiliate and creator-platform revenue.
Digital stores and marketplaces.
Software licences and subscriptions that auto-renew.

4. Personal and sentimental data

Not everything valuable is financial. Photo and video libraries, email archives and social accounts hold irreplaceable memories. Decide who should be able to access, memorialise or close each one.

5. The access problem

Here's the catch that trips everyone up: you should never simply write your passwords down in your will. A will becomes a public document during probate, and passwords change constantly. The goal is not to hand over credentials — it's to record *where* each asset is and *how* to claim or recover it legitimately.

Store instructions, not credentials. Passing-On deliberately never stores passwords, PINs or seed phrases — only the institution, contact and claim steps your family needs.

6. Keep it current

Digital assets change faster than anything else in your estate. A static document is out of date within months. This is the core advantage of a digital inheritance vault over a paper will: you update it as your life changes, and it's released to the right people automatically.

Don't have a will yet? Start with the basics and write one for free, then layer your digital vault on top.

Get your digital life organised in one secure place.

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Frequently asked questions

What is digital estate planning?

It is the process of recording your digital assets — online accounts, crypto, businesses, and data — and arranging how they should be accessed or closed after your death.

Should I put my passwords in my will?

No. A will can become public during probate and passwords change frequently. Instead, record where each asset is and how to claim it through a secure tool that releases the information only to your chosen people.

What happens to my online accounts when I die?

It varies by provider — some offer legacy or memorialisation settings, others require a death certificate to close. Recording each account in advance is the only way to ensure none are missed.

This article is general information, not legal advice. Estate and inheritance rules vary by jurisdiction — consult a qualified professional for advice on your specific situation.