Executor's guide to a crypto estate

As executor, you are responsible for the estate’s cryptocurrency even if you have never used crypto yourself. The work is a sequence, not a skill test, but each step has its own rules and its own pitfalls. This page is the map; every step links to the guide that does that step properly.

The order of work

1. Locate. Search the estate lawfully for evidence that crypto existed: documents, devices, bank and tax records, correspondence with exchanges. Possession of a device is not ownership. See how to find someone’s crypto after they passed away.
2. Preserve everything. Do not reset, update, charge, guess PINs on, or “check” any device, paper or backup. Each attempt can destroy the only access path. See the preservation checklist.
3. Identify what was found. A seed phrase, hardware wallet, wallet file, paper wallet, QR code, exchange account, each has different rules. See what did you find.
4. Establish your authority. Your role comes from the will and the probate/certificate process, not from holding a device. Confirm it before contacting any institution. See legal authority vs technical access.
5. Inventory. Record everything you found (without ever writing down secrets) so the estate’s documents and professionals can work from facts. See crypto estate inventory.
6. Value. Crypto value is dated and volatile; the estate needs a defensible valuation at the relevant date, under the applicable local rules. See valuation and tax of inherited crypto.
7. Access, exchange or self-custody. Exchange-held assets follow the platform’s official procedure (no intermediary needed). Self-custody depends on what was left behind. See exchange accounts after a death and wallet recovery: what is realistically possible.
8. Check the reporting and tax obligations. They vary by country and situation; have a local professional confirm what applies to this estate.
9. Distribute. Division follows the will and local law, decide, document, then move. See dividing crypto between heirs.
10. Record. Keep a chain-of-custody log of who handled what, when, and what was decided. See chain of custody.

What executors get wrong

• Acting before authority. Contacting institutions or moving assets before your role is confirmed can freeze the process or create liability.
• Trying things on devices. “Just one look” at a locked device can wipe it.
• Sharing secrets. Never send recovery words, keys, passwords or wallet files to anyone, including people who claim to help. No official process asks for them.
• Guessing the value. A screenshot is not a valuation, and a visible balance is not proof of access or title.

Timeline honesty

There is no universal timeline: authority can take weeks or months, exchanges review slowly by design, and some self-custody problems are simply not solvable. An executor’s job is the correct order and honest records, not speed.

You do not need to be a crypto expert. You do need to follow the order and use the right specialist at the right moment. When to involve whom (and how to verify them) is covered in who can help with inherited crypto.