Crypto estate inventory

A reliable estate inventory turns scattered evidence into an actionable record. For crypto, the goal is to show what may exist, where it may be, and what is known vs assumed, without recording the secret material itself. There is no single document that is always required; the inventory is the framework that organises what is relevant in your situation.

The checklist

Legal and planning documents

• The will and any codicils, trust documents, letters of administration.
• Powers of attorney (especially if incapacity preceded death).
• Notes left for the executor or family about “where things are”.

Financial and tax records

• Bank statements showing transfers to exchanges or wallet purchases.
• Tax returns and correspondence mentioning crypto or capital gains.
• Invoices/receipts for hardware wallets or mining equipment.

Exchange and platform evidence

• Emails from exchanges or wallet services (account creation, withdrawals).
• Statements, API keys documentation (positions only, never the keys).
• Account numbers and support-ticket references.

Devices and physical items

• A list of devices and where they were found (see chain of custody).
• Paper backups, metal plates, USB drives, described by type and location, never transcribed.

Authority documents

• Death certificate, probate or certificate of inheritance, executor appointment, the documents that prove who may act. Whether these are needed, and which, depends on the institution and the situation.

How to compile it

1. Work through the list without touching or altering items.
2. For every finding, record: what it is, where it was, date, and whether it is a fact, inference or assumption (the same discipline as in how to find out whether someone owned crypto).
3. Keep secrets out of the inventory. The inventory describes that a seed backup exists and where it is stored, it never contains the words. If a document with secrets is found, keep it safe and do not distribute it.
4. Mark the inventory as a working document with a date and a responsible keeper.

The evidence log

Alongside the inventory, keep a simple evidence log: what was found, where and when, by whom, what was done to it, and where it is now kept. It is not a formality, it protects the settlement against later questions and shows the work was done carefully.

What the inventory enables

A complete inventory is what makes valuation, tax reporting and distribution possible, and what lets the executor defend the process later. Without it, every later step rests on guesses. A good inventory is a professional result in itself, even when it ends with “no further indications found”.

Where the material is held during administration

Once access is restored (or material is recovered) the same estate rules still apply. Keep recovery material and keys secret-free: record only where they are held, never their contents. Update this inventory and the chain-of-custody log every time something moves, and keep everything under the control of the authorised representative until distribution. If a specialist helped restore access, document the handoff the same way: what was done, by whom, when, never the secrets.