Planning a crypto inheritance comes down to two problems that pull against each other. Your heirs need enough information to find and open everything. Nobody else should be able to use that same information while you’re alive.
Every method on this site is a different way of balancing those two. None of them is perfect, and the right one depends on how much you hold, how technical your family is, and who you trust.
Where to start
If you only have time for one page, read What your heirs need. Then fill in the free templates. That alone puts you ahead of most people who own crypto.
The pages in this section
Read them in order the first time. Each one assumes you’ve seen the one before.
- 01Why crypto gets lost when people die
The usual ways crypto disappears after a death, from wallets nobody knew about to seed phrases in a public will, and what each one tells you about planning.
- 02What your heirs need to inherit crypto
Every lock between your heirs and your crypto, from exchange logins to seed phrases and PINs, and how to split the information so it stays safe while you're alive.
- 03Crypto inheritance methods compared
Exchange accounts, a sealed seed phrase, multisig with a trusted person, timelocked recovery keys and paid services: how each one works and who it suits.
- 04How to write a crypto letter of instruction
What a letter of instruction is, what to put in it for your crypto, what to leave out, and where to keep it. With a free template.
- 05Crypto in your will: what to put in and what to leave out
Why seed phrases never belong in a will, what your will should say about crypto instead, and the questions to ask your lawyer or notary.
- 06Multisig inheritance: a key for someone you trust
How a 2-of-3 multisig can double as an inheritance plan, who should hold the third key, what your heirs need besides the keys, and the Ethereum equivalent.
- 07Timelocked recovery keys: inheritance without a third party
How Bitcoin wallets such as Liana, Nunchuk and Bitcoin Keeper add an heir's key that only works after the coins sit still for a set time, and the refresh you must not forget.
- 08Paid crypto inheritance services compared
Casa, Unchained and Nunchuk hold a key and guide your heirs through a claim. How each one works, which assets they cover, what they cost and what you give up.
- 09Your yearly crypto inheritance check-up
A once-a-year checklist to keep your crypto inheritance plan working: inventory, secrets, devices, people and a short test.
Before you start
A few things to settle in your head first.
- Who inherits? Your will or your country’s default rules decide that. This site is about the practical side: making sure the people who inherit can actually get to the coins.
- Who is your executor? In most countries the executor (or personal representative) is the person who collects the estate. They may not be the same person who ends up with the crypto, and they may not know anything about it.
- How much is it worth? A few hundred euros on an exchange needs a different plan from a large amount in a hardware wallet. Don’t build a vault for pocket money, and don’t leave serious money on a sticky note.
This isn’t legal advice. For the legal part, a will and anything involving tax, talk to a lawyer or notary where you live. What you’ll find here is the part they usually can’t help with: how the keys, devices and accounts actually work.