Digital Assets After Death — Crypto, PayPal, Social Media and Online Accounts

Losing someone leaves families with a long list of practical tasks. Alongside bank letters and pension paperwork, executors now spend hours searching for passwords, crypto wallets and social media logins. Digital assets have quietly become part of almost every estate in England and Wales, and they often cause more confusion than any physical possession.

Some of these assets hold real financial value. Others hold memories the family wants to protect. Both deserve careful handling, and the rules around access are not always what people expect.

This guide explains what counts as a digital asset, how to trace them, what each platform allows, and how the law treats them on death. It is written for executors, administrators and families who want a clear starting point.

What counts as a digital asset?

A digital asset is any account, file or holding that exists online or on a personal device. The category is wider than most people realise, and the value inside it varies enormously.

Common examples include:

• Cryptocurrency held in exchanges, hot wallets or hardware wallets
• PayPal, Wise and other online payment balances
• Online-only bank accounts such as Monzo, Starling and Revolut
• Investment platforms including Freetrade, Trading 212 and Interactive Investor
• Social media profiles on Facebook, Instagram, X and LinkedIn
• Email accounts and cloud storage such as iCloud and Google Drive
• Domain names, blogs, monetised YouTube or TikTok channels
• Digital photographs, ebooks, music libraries and gaming accounts

Some of these items form part of the taxable estate. Others have little financial value but hold significant sentimental weight. As part of any thorough estate administration, executors need a clear picture of both.

Why digital assets complicate probate

Traditional estates leave paper trails. Bank statements arrive by post, share certificates sit in a drawer, and property titles are recorded at the Land Registry. Digital assets rarely announce themselves that way.

Executors face three common problems. First, they may not know an asset exists. Second, even when they do, providers often refuse to release information without a formal grant of representation. Third, some platforms treat accounts as personal licences that end at death, meaning the value cannot always be transferred.

The probate application fee rose to £526 on 13 July 2026, and the wait for a grant remains several weeks. During that time crypto prices move, subscriptions renew, and cloud storage risks being deleted. Time matters.

Tracing digital assets during administration

The first step is a careful search. We recommend executors gather every device, notebook and password manager the deceased used. A partner or adult child often knows more than they realise.

Look for:

• Emails from exchanges, banks and payment platforms in the inbox
• Two-factor authentication apps on their phone
• Hardware wallets, seed phrase cards or metal backup plates
• Recent bank transfers to or from crypto exchanges
• Password managers such as 1Password, Bitwarden or LastPass

Do not attempt to guess passwords repeatedly. Multiple failed attempts can lock accounts permanently or trigger security freezes. Instead, contact each provider with the death certificate and, once obtained, the grant of probate.

If the deceased used a password manager, obtaining access without the master password can be very difficult. Some providers such as 1Password have emergency kit procedures, but they rely on documents that must be found first. Where recovery is impossible, we focus on evidence from bank statements and emails, then approach each institution directly.

Cryptocurrency: access, tax and reporting

Cryptocurrency is treated as property for tax purposes in England and Wales. Any holding on the date of death forms part of the estate and must be valued for inheritance tax. HMRC guidance on inheritance tax confirms this treatment, and executors must report the value in the same way as shares or savings.

Access depends on where the coins sit. Exchange-held coins can usually be released to executors on production of a grant, though the process is often slow and paperwork-heavy. Coins held in a private wallet require the seed phrase or private key. Without either, the assets are almost certainly unrecoverable.

Valuation is another challenge. Prices swing sharply, and HMRC expects a reasonable market value on the date of death. Keeping a dated screenshot and taking specialist advice is sensible where holdings are significant. Larger crypto estates may push the estate above the nil-rate band of £325,000 and, where a home passes to direct descendants, the residence nil-rate band of £175,000. Understanding these thresholds is central to any inheritance tax planning that follows.

PayPal, online banks and payment platforms

Online payment platforms usually hold real cash balances and sometimes card payment histories that reveal further assets. PayPal, Wise, Revolut, Monzo and Starling all have bereavement processes, but each demands slightly different paperwork.

Most providers ask for a death certificate first and then the grant of probate before releasing funds. Balances are usually transferred to the executor’s account rather than to an individual beneficiary. Any recurring subscriptions attached to these accounts should be cancelled early to prevent avoidable losses to the estate.

Where the deceased ran a small business through PayPal or a similar platform, the executor may need help identifying trading receipts, VAT positions and outstanding invoices before the account is closed.

Executors should also watch for stored payment cards linked to online marketplaces such as eBay, Amazon and Etsy. These accounts occasionally hold refund credit or in-flight sales that must be settled before closure. Where a small trading business is involved, HMRC will expect proper accounts drawn up to the date of death.

Social media: memorialisation and closure

Social media is rarely valuable in financial terms, but families often have strong feelings about what should happen to a profile. Each platform handles death differently.

Facebook and Instagram allow accounts to be memorialised, which freezes the profile and adds Remembering before the name. A legacy contact nominated by the deceased can then manage limited settings. Facebook also allows full account deletion if the family prefers.

X, LinkedIn and TikTok will close an account on request from a verified family member. Google’s Inactive Account Manager lets users nominate someone to receive limited data after a set period of inactivity, though most people never set this up. It is worth checking any final wishes the deceased left about their online presence, as some families feel strongly about preserving profiles while others prefer them removed.

Emails, cloud storage and subscriptions

Email accounts often hold the keys to everything else. Passwords reset through email, and many financial platforms send statements only by email. Executors should try to preserve email access wherever possible.

Apple and Google both have Digital Legacy features. Apple’s programme allows a nominated contact to access photos, documents and iCloud data after the account holder’s death. Google’s programme is broader but must be set up in advance. Neither can be arranged retrospectively without the grant.

Subscriptions such as Netflix, Spotify and Amazon Prime should be cancelled early to stop money leaving the estate. Domain names, blogs and monetised channels may need proper valuation if they generate income. A wider look at all executor duties often helps families see how digital assets fit into the overall picture.

Practical steps executors should take now

The earlier digital assets are addressed, the fewer problems arise. We suggest executors follow four practical steps at the start of any administration.

• Secure all devices and change any handover passwords the family knows
• List every provider, exchange and platform mentioned in emails or bank statements
• Ask providers for a bereavement pack in writing, quoting reference numbers where possible
• Keep dated screenshots of balances, especially cryptocurrency, on the date of death

Families thinking ahead can help their executors by writing a plain list of digital assets, storing a password manager master key with their will, and using the legacy contact tools on Apple, Google and Meta. HM Courts and Tribunals Service explains the wider grant process in its guide to applying for probate.

Digital assets touch almost every estate now, and getting the detail right protects both value and memories. If you would like to talk through the digital side of an estate, or the wider position, we are happy to help. Call our team on 0800 214 216 for a same-day callback, or read more about our approach to wills, trusts and probate.