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Crypto wallets · No recovery

What happens to your crypto when you die

There is no help desk for a seed phrase. Crypto is the one asset where a missing note can mean the money is simply gone.

No legacy setting

What happens if nothing is set up

A self-custody wallet, whether a hardware device, a phone app or a paper backup, is controlled by whoever has the recovery phrase or private keys. There is no company that can reset it.

If the phrase is lost, or your family does not know it exists, the funds cannot be recovered. They also may not know which coins you held or where.

Crypto held with an exchange works more like a bank account. The exchange usually has a deceased-user process and can release funds to the estate once it verifies documents.

Steps

What to do instead

There is no built-in feature, so the plan is entirely yours. The aim is to make your crypto findable without making it easy to steal.

  1. List your holdings

    Record which exchanges and wallets you use, without writing down keys or phrases in the same place.

  2. Secure the recovery phrase

    Keep your recovery phrase offline in a secure place, such as a safe, and never store it in plain email or an unencrypted note.

  3. Record where it is kept

    Write down where the phrase and any hardware wallet are stored, and who should be told.

  4. Name who should act

    Choose a person who understands crypto, or note someone who can help your executor.

  5. Note exchange accounts

    List each exchange and the email used, so your executor can start the estate process.

Rules for crypto in estates differ between countries, so consider asking an estate lawyer how to include it in your will.

What your family can request

It depends on where the crypto is held.

  • For exchange accounts, the executor can usually ask the exchange to release funds to the estate
  • For self-custody wallets, no company can help; only the recovery phrase or keys will work
  • Hardware wallets also need the device PIN or the recovery phrase

Documents usually requested

  • A death certificate, for exchanges
  • Proof of authority over the estate, such as the will or court documents
  • ID for the executor or representative

Policies change. Treat this as a starting point and confirm on each service's own help pages.

FAQ

Questions about Crypto wallets

If it is in a self-custody wallet, whoever has the recovery phrase or keys controls it. If no one does, it is effectively lost. Bitcoin on an exchange can usually be released to the estate.

Most exchanges have a process for deceased users. The executor provides documents, and after verification the exchange releases the funds to the estate.

Generally not, because wills can become public. It is safer to say where the phrase is kept, and keep the phrase itself somewhere secure and offline.

Tell them it exists, where your records are and who can help, without sending the phrase in plain email. Some people keep these instructions in a sealed note in Sealkept, delivered only if they stop checking in.

Other services

Other accounts to plan for

Back to all accounts

Related reading

One service at a time. Or the whole picture at once.

Write one sealed note to your executor in Sealkept listing every account and what you want done. It's delivered only if you stop checking in.

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