I’m sorry you’re here. Dealing with someone’s estate is hard enough without having to learn how crypto works at the same time. This section is written for exactly that situation: no prior knowledge assumed.
The three rules that matter most
- Don’t rush. Nothing has to happen in hours or days, and anyone pushing you is probably a scammer. Just don’t leave it for years either: dormant exchange accounts can eventually be handed over to the state.
- Never type seed words into a website or share them with anyone. Nobody legitimate will ask for them.
- Ignore anyone who offers to “recover” crypto for a fee. They’re almost always scammers.
Where to start
Read Your first steps before you do anything else. It takes ten minutes and prevents the mistakes that can’t be undone.
- 01Inherited crypto? Your first steps
What to do, and what not to do, in the first days and weeks after someone dies and leaves crypto: secure the devices and papers, stay quiet online, and don't rush.
- 02How to find out what crypto someone had
Where to look for crypto after a death: devices, apps, email, bank statements, tax returns, password managers and paper notes, with search terms to try.
- 03Claiming crypto from an exchange account
How heirs and executors claim crypto from Coinbase, Kraken, Binance and other exchanges: the documents they ask for, how long it takes and what to watch out for.
- 04Found a hardware wallet or seed phrase? Read this first
What to do when you inherit a hardware wallet or a list of seed words: how to identify it, the safe way to open it, why a wallet can look empty, and moving the coins to your own wallet.
- 05Crypto recovery scams that target heirs
Fake recovery services, fake exchange support, fake lawyers and seed-phrase tricks: how scammers go after people who inherit or lose crypto, and how to spot them.
If they left instructions
Look for a letter, a notebook or an envelope marked for you or the executor, perhaps with the will or in a safe. Many crypto owners write down where things are and how to get to them. If you find one, follow it, but still read the pages above: instructions written years ago can be out of date, and a scammer’s advice can look like an official procedure.
If they didn’t
Then the job is detective work first. How to find out what crypto someone had lists the places to look, from tax returns to email.
About the legal side
In most countries you’ll need an official document showing you’re the executor or an heir before any company will release anything. Which document, and what tax may be due, depends on where the person lived. See the country pages for the United States, the United Kingdom and the European Union, and talk to the lawyer or notary handling the estate.