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Digital Assets in Your Will: Social Media, Crypto & NFTs

·14 min

Marcus, 29, thought he was being responsible. He'd built a cryptocurrency portfolio worth £45,000 over five years—his deposit for a first home, carefully grown through Bitcoin, Ethereum, and several NFTs. He stored his private keys on a hardware wallet, kept the recovery phrase in a secure location, and told no one the details. When he died unexpectedly in a cycling accident, his family knew the crypto existed. His parents found references to Coinbase in his emails. But without the private keys or recovery phrase—information Marcus had kept meticulously secret for security—the £45,000 became permanently inaccessible. Gone forever.

Marcus isn't alone. Research shows up to 20% of all Bitcoin is permanently lost due to inaccessible private keys, equating to around 2.3-3.7 million BTC. In the UK, where 12% of adults now own cryptocurrency with average holdings of £1,842, and where 76% of people have no plan for their digital assets after death, thousands of pounds in digital wealth vanishes each year simply because no one planned for what happens next.

This article shows you exactly how to protect your digital assets—cryptocurrency, NFTs, social media accounts, and more—so your family inherits what you've built, not a locked digital vault they can never open.

Understanding Digital Assets in UK Law (What Actually Counts as a Digital Asset?)

UK law took a monumental step forward in September 2024. The Property (Digital Assets etc) Bill was introduced to Parliament, creating legal recognition for digital assets as a "third category" of personal property. This addresses a critical gap: digital assets don't fit traditional property categories of "things in possession" (physical objects) or "things in action" (legal rights).

The Law Commission concluded that digital assets—particularly crypto-tokens—needed their own category. The bill passed third reading in the House of Lords on 8 May 2025, with second reading in the Commons expected 16 July 2025. This means digital assets can now be inherited as personal property under UK law.

What does this mean for your will? Three types of digital assets matter:

Cryptocurrencies and tokens: Bitcoin, Ethereum, altcoins—assets with tangible monetary value. These are the primary focus of the new legislation and represent real wealth that must be protected.

Digital property: NFTs, domain names, digital art, virtual real estate in the metaverse. These are unique ownership rights that don't exist in physical form but have both financial and creative value.

Digital accounts and content: Social media, email, cloud photos, subscriptions. While these may have little financial value, they contain irreplaceable memories—photos, messages, years of digital life.

The legislation clarifies that something can be treated as personal property even if it's not a physical object or a legal claim. For your estate planning, this means digital assets deserve the same protection as your house or bank account. The difference? Digital assets can vanish in seconds without the right access information, while physical property just sits there waiting for probate.

The Digital Asset Crisis: Why 76% of Brits Are Leaving Their Digital Lives to Chance

The numbers tell a troubling story. Which? surveyed 14,631 people in April 2024 and found 76% have no plan for digital assets after death. Only 18% left access directions for family. Just 3% included provisions in their will.

This wouldn't matter if digital assets were rare. They're not.

FCA research reveals 12% of UK adults own cryptocurrency—that's 7 million people. Among younger demographics, ownership soars: 53% of Gen Z and 50% of young investors hold crypto. The average holding sits at £1,842, up from £1,595 the previous year. Nearly one in five crypto owners (19%) hold between £5,001 and £10,000.

That's real money. Money that disappears without a trace when someone dies unprepared.

The consequences are stark. Up to 20% of all Bitcoin—worth billions—is permanently lost due to inaccessible private keys. These aren't coins that can be recovered with customer service calls. They're cryptographically locked forever, the digital equivalent of burning cash.

Consider James Howells of Newport. In 2013, he accidentally threw away a hard drive containing 8,000 Bitcoin, now worth over £700 million. It sits buried under 110,000 tonnes of waste in a landfill. The council refused excavation permits. That fortune is gone.

Here's what makes digital assets uniquely vulnerable: unlike a bank account, there's no customer service to call. No password reset. If your family can't access your private keys, your crypto is gone forever. Not temporarily frozen—permanently eliminated from circulation.

The demographic reality compounds the problem. Millennials (18% own crypto) and Gen Z (17% of 18-27s) are most likely to hold digital assets but least likely to have wills. They're building digital wealth in their 20s and 30s while mortality planning feels distant and unnecessary.

Until something happens.

What Happens to Your Cryptocurrency When You Die (Without a Plan)

Cryptocurrency ownership boils down to one fundamental truth: whoever controls the private keys controls the crypto. This creates a nightmare scenario for inheritance without proper planning.

Let's walk through what your family faces.

Scenario 1: Crypto on exchanges

Your family knows you had a Coinbase account. They've seen you check it on your phone. But they don't have your password, your 2FA codes, or access to your email. Coinbase requires proof of death (certificate), proof of executor authority (grant of probate), government ID, and account verification details. The process takes 6-12 months, often longer. Which? found 74% of people who needed to access deceased loved ones' accounts experienced difficulties.

Each platform has different policies. Binance wants different documentation than Kraken. Your family must navigate this maze while grieving, with no guarantee of success.

Scenario 2: Hardware wallets

Sarah finds her husband's Ledger hardware wallet in his desk drawer. The device exists. The crypto exists. But the 24-word recovery phrase is missing. Without those words, the crypto is inaccessible. Forever.

There's no "forgot password" option. No company can retrieve it. The cryptographic security that protected the assets during life now locks them away permanently after death. The £28,000 in Bitcoin and Ethereum becomes digital archaeology—visible on the blockchain, impossible to spend.

Scenario 3: DeFi and staking positions

James had £15,000 staked across three DeFi protocols, earning 8% annual returns. His family doesn't even know these positions exist. There's no company to contact. The assets are locked in smart contracts his family can't find, let alone access. Time-sensitive: some positions auto-liquidate, rewards stop accumulating, opportunities for tax-efficient withdrawal expire.

Then there's the tax nightmare. HMRC requires inheritance tax on the market value at death—calculated at 40% for estates over £325,000 (or £500,000 with residence nil-rate band). The tax is due within six months.

But your crypto might be worth £50,000 at death and £15,000 when your family finally accesses it six months later. IHT is calculated on the £50,000. There's no loss relief for the £35,000 drop. Your family pays tax on value they never received.

NFTs, Digital Art & Virtual Assets: The Inheritance Challenge

NFTs present unique complications beyond standard cryptocurrency. Each one is unique—that's the entire point. But uniqueness creates inheritance headaches.

Emma owned 15 NFTs across three wallets on two blockchains—Ethereum and Solana. She'd purchased a Bored Ape NFT for £10,000 in early 2022 (worth £2,000 at death), several digital art pieces, and virtual land in Decentraland worth £3,500. Her will mentioned "digital assets" but provided no specifics.

Her executor faced three immediate problems.

Valuation complexity: What's an NFT worth for inheritance tax? The Bored Ape cost £10,000 but sold for £2,000 after death. The Decentraland plot had no recent sales data for comparable parcels. HMRC requires accurate death-date valuations. NFT markets are volatile and illiquid. Professional valuers charge thousands for specialist digital asset assessments.

Marketplace access: To sell or transfer NFTs, you must connect the wallet to marketplaces like OpenSea or Rarible. This requires the private keys Emma kept encrypted. Without them, the executor could see the NFTs on the blockchain but couldn't access them. Like looking at art through gallery windows you can't unlock.

Multiple blockchains: Emma's NFTs lived on Ethereum and Solana, requiring different wallet software and recovery phrases. Her family found five NFTs on OpenSea but never discovered the other ten worth £8,000 on Solana-based platforms. They simply didn't know to look.

Some NFTs include ongoing royalty rights. If Emma's digital art generated 5% royalties on secondary sales, those royalties continue. Someone must manage them, collect them, report them for tax. Without access to the smart contracts, these income streams vanish.

HMRC treats NFTs as taxable assets for capital gains tax and inheritance tax at 40% on death value. Your estate owes tax whether or not your family can actually access the NFTs.

Virtual real estate in Decentraland, Sandbox, or gaming platforms falls under the same challenges. David owned £12,000 in virtual land and rare gaming items. His teenage son knew about the gaming assets but couldn't access the accounts after David's death. The land devalued as virtual real estate markets cooled. The gaming items became worthless as accounts went inactive.

For high-value or complex digital property portfolios, consider strategic estate planning: discretionary trusts for volatile assets, Family Investment Companies for ongoing digital businesses, or spousal transfers to defer inheritance tax. But these only work if your family knows what digital assets exist and can access them.

Social Media & Digital Accounts: Sentimental Value and Access Nightmares

Not all digital assets have monetary value. Some hold something more precious: irreplaceable memories.

Emma's father died suddenly at 52. She knew he had 20 years of family photos in Google Photos—every holiday, birthday, ordinary Tuesday. Photos of her as a child, her mother before cancer, irreplaceable moments. But she didn't have his Google password or access to his phone with 2FA. Google denied access despite the death certificate. Thousands of memories locked away forever.

Which? found that 6% of people had to access deceased loved ones' digital assets in the past three years. Of those, 74% needed email access, 31% needed photos, and 24% needed Facebook. These aren't edge cases—they're common grief made worse by bureaucracy.

No UK law regulates what happens to digital estates. Each service provider makes their own rules, and those rules weren't designed with grieving families in mind.

Facebook and Instagram offer memorialization (the account freezes as a memorial) or deletion. Family can request either, but Facebook decides. Unless the deceased set up a Legacy Contact—a feature most people don't know exists—accessing the account is nearly impossible.

Google and Gmail provide Inactive Account Manager, a feature that allows you to designate who gets access after your account goes inactive for 3-18 months. You can specify exactly what data they receive. Without this pre-planning, Google rarely grants access, even to executors with legal authority.

Apple iCloud introduced Legacy Contact with iOS 15.2. Designated contacts can access your iCloud data after your death with a death certificate and access key. This feature requires advance setup. Without it, families face months of appeals with minimal success.

Twitter/X deactivates accounts after six months of inactivity. Family can request an archive of tweets but the process is difficult and frequently rejected. The account itself disappears permanently.

Cloud photos—Google Photos, iCloud, Dropbox—contain years of memories locked behind 2FA and unknown passwords. Adult children lose their childhood photos. Spouses lose decades of shared memories. Grandchildren never see photos of grandparents in their youth.

Here's the legal complication: the Law Society warns never to leave password lists in your will. The Computer Misuse Act 1990 creates potential criminal liability if relatives access accounts without proper authority. Your will can provide that authority, but the specific access details—passwords, 2FA codes—must stay separate.

The recommended approach: your will references a Digital Asset Inventory stored separately. This inventory lists accounts, platform-specific instructions, and where to find access credentials (password manager, sealed envelope, etc.). The will provides legal authority. The inventory provides practical ability.

How to Include Digital Assets in Your Will (The Legal Framework)

Your will forms the legal foundation for digital asset inheritance. But you must draft it correctly or create problems instead of solving them.

Standard personal possessions clauses often don't explicitly cover digital assets. "All my personal belongings to my wife" might or might not include Bitcoin—it depends on interpretation and the specific wording. The Property (Digital Assets etc) Bill clarifies that digital assets are personal property, but your will should state this explicitly.

What to include IN your will:

First, acknowledge that you own digital assets. State clearly: "I own digital assets including cryptocurrency, NFTs, digital accounts, and cloud-based content, which I intend to form part of my estate."

Second, appoint an executor who is tech-savvy or willing to work with digital asset specialists. Traditional executors—your 68-year-old solicitor, your non-technical spouse—may lack the knowledge to handle crypto wallets, NFT marketplaces, or blockchain verification. Consider naming a co-executor with technical expertise, or explicitly authorising your primary executor to hire specialists.

Third, designate specific beneficiaries for valuable digital assets. "My Bitcoin holdings and all cryptocurrency to my sister Sarah" creates clear inheritance. For smaller holdings, you might group them: "All digital assets including cryptocurrency, NFTs, and digital accounts to my spouse" works for straightforward estates.

Fourth, reference your separate Digital Asset Inventory without including the inventory itself in the will. "I have prepared a Digital Asset Inventory containing access information, stored [location]. My executor should consult this document to access my digital assets."

What to keep SEPARATE from your will:

Never include in your will:

  • Private keys and recovery phrases
  • Wallet passwords and PINs
  • Exchange account login details
  • 2FA backup codes
  • Specific platform access instructions

Wills become public documents during probate. Anyone can request a copy. If your Bitcoin private keys are written in your will, someone could steal your crypto before your family accesses it. This isn't theoretical—it's happened.

Your Digital Asset Inventory lives separately, stored securely but accessible to your executor. Use a password manager with emergency access (1Password and Bitwarden offer this), a sealed envelope with a solicitor, or a bank safe deposit box.

Legal requirements matter. Your executor needs explicit authority to access digital assets. Consider phrasing like: "I authorise my executor to access, manage, distribute, and dispose of my digital assets including accounts, cryptocurrency, and online content as necessary to execute my estate."

If your primary executor lacks technical knowledge, name an alternate: "If my executor requires assistance with technical aspects of digital assets, I authorise them to appoint [tech-savvy friend/family member] as co-executor for digital asset matters."

WUHLD's online will service allows you to specify digital asset bequests and appoint appropriate executors—the legal foundation of your digital estate plan. The separate Digital Asset Inventory, which we'll cover next, completes the picture.

For more guidance on selecting executors, see our article on choosing the right executor.

Creating Your Digital Asset Inventory (The Essential Companion Document)

This document is what actually allows your family to access your digital assets. Your will provides legal authority. Your Digital Asset Inventory provides practical ability.

Think of it as the instruction manual your executor will desperately need.

What to include in your Digital Asset Inventory:

1. Cryptocurrency holdings

List every exchange account—Coinbase, Binance, Kraken—with the platform URL, your username, and your 2FA method (Google Authenticator? SMS?). Don't write the actual passwords here unless this document is extremely secure (encrypted or in a bank vault).

Document hardware wallets by type (Ledger Nano X, Trezor Model T), physical location ("top drawer of desk in home office"), and crucially, where you've stored the recovery phrase ("sealed envelope in solicitor's safe" or "encrypted note in 1Password titled 'Hardware Wallet Recovery'").

For software wallets, note which apps you use (Metamask, Trust Wallet), which devices they're on ("iPhone 13, iPad Pro"), and where backups exist.

DeFi positions are the easiest to lose. List protocols you use (Uniswap, Aave, Curve), which wallets connect to them, and any staking details. Your executor may need a DeFi specialist, but they must know these positions exist first.

2. NFTs and digital collectibles

Which marketplaces do you use? OpenSea, Rarible, Foundation? Include your usernames.

Which wallets contain your NFTs? Specify: "Ethereum NFTs in Metamask wallet A (see hardware wallet recovery), Solana NFTs in Phantom wallet on iPhone."

List significant NFTs by name and estimated value. Your Bored Ape might be obvious, but that limited-edition digital art piece might not be. Give your executor a fighting chance to find everything.

3. Social media and email

List platforms with usernames. Don't include passwords in the main document—reference where they're stored: "All social media passwords in 1Password vault."

Specify your wishes. Do you want Facebook memorialised or deleted? Should your executor access your email to notify contacts and close accounts? Should your Twitter archive be preserved or account removed?

Note the location of your password manager and how your executor can access it (emergency access feature, master password in sealed envelope, etc.).

4. Cloud storage and photos

Services: Google Photos, iCloud, Dropbox, OneDrive, Microsoft 365. List them all.

Describe approximate contents. "Google Photos contains 15,000 family photos spanning 2008-present, extremely important to preserve." This tells your executor what matters.

Explain the access method. "Google Photos accessible via Inactive Account Manager (designated contact: sister Sarah) or emergency access through 1Password."

5. Subscriptions and digital property

Domain names matter if you own them. Note the registrar (Namecheap, GoDaddy), account access, and renewal status. Domains worth hundreds or thousands can lapse if nobody knows they exist.

Paid subscriptions worth transferring or cancelling: Adobe Creative Cloud, hosting services, paid apps, digital newspapers. Your estate shouldn't pay £60/month for subscriptions nobody's using.

Digital businesses or income sources: YouTube monetisation, Substack subscribers, digital product sales, affiliate income. These can be transferred or wound down, but only if your executor knows about them.

How to store it securely:

Option 1: Password manager with emergency access. 1Password and Bitwarden allow you to designate emergency contacts who can request access. After a waiting period (you set it—24 hours, 7 days, 30 days), they automatically receive access. This works brilliantly for digital asset inventories.

Option 2: Sealed envelope with solicitor or bank safe deposit. Physical document, physically secured. Your will references its location. Your executor retrieves it with grant of probate.

Option 3: Encrypted document with decryption key stored separately. Create an encrypted PDF or text file. Store the decryption key in your will or with your solicitor. The encrypted document can live on cloud storage (Dropbox, Google Drive) since it's useless without the key.

Never: email to yourself, save in unencrypted cloud storage, leave on your computer desktop, or include in your will directly.

Updating schedule: Review every six months or when you acquire significant new digital assets (new crypto purchase over £1,000, new NFT collection, new social media platform you use extensively). Set a calendar reminder. Otherwise, you'll forget.

Digital assets change faster than physical property. You don't buy a new house every month, but you might open a new exchange account, buy NFTs, or start using a new cloud service. Your inventory must keep pace.

Tax Implications: IHT, CGT and Digital Assets

HMRC doesn't care that your assets are digital. They're still taxable.

Cryptocurrency is classified as property for inheritance tax purposes. If your total estate exceeds £325,000 (or £500,000 with the residence nil-rate band for your main home passing to direct descendants), your crypto holdings face 40% inheritance tax.

Valuation uses market value at the exact time of death. For cryptocurrency, this means checking the blockchain timestamp or exchange records. Bitcoin might be £35,000 per coin when you die. That's your estate's valuation, even if Bitcoin crashes to £20,000 during the six months of probate.

Here's the problem: inheritance tax is due six months after the end of the month of death. Your family must pay tax on the death-date value even if they can't access the crypto yet. They may need to pay the tax bill from other estate assets—selling your house to pay tax on crypto they can't touch yet.

David died with £50,000 in Ethereum. His estate owed £20,000 inheritance tax (40% on the amount over the nil-rate band). Six months later, when his executor finally gained exchange access and sold the Ethereum, it was worth £30,000. The estate still owed £20,000 in tax, calculated on the £50,000 death value. There's no loss relief for the £20,000 decline.

Capital Gains Tax for executors:

When your executor sells cryptocurrency during estate administration, they pay capital gains tax on gains from death value to sale value. They get an annual CGT allowance (£3,000 for 2024-25), but gains above this face 20% tax for higher-rate taxpayers (10% for basic-rate, 24% for residential property).

The estate's crypto "base cost" resets to death-date value. If you bought Bitcoin at £5,000 and it's worth £50,000 when you die, your estate doesn't owe CGT on that £45,000 gain—that's covered by IHT. But if the executor sells at £55,000, they owe CGT on the £5,000 gain from death to sale.

NFT-specific valuation challenges:

NFTs are harder to value than fungible cryptocurrency. Each is unique. There might not be recent sales of comparable items. Your Bored Ape has recent sales data, but your one-of-a-kind commissioned digital art doesn't.

HMRC may require professional valuation for IHT purposes. Digital asset valuation specialists charge £500-£2,000 depending on portfolio complexity. For NFT collections worth tens of thousands, this is unavoidable.

The rapidly evolving market makes death-date valuation complex. NFTs that sold for £20,000 in 2022 might fetch £500 in 2024. Did your rare Decentraland plot appreciate or crash? Your executor needs defensible valuations to avoid HMRC challenges.

Strategies to minimise tax liability:

Spousal exemption: Assets passing to your spouse or civil partner are IHT-free. If you're married, leaving crypto to your spouse defers IHT until their death (when the combined estate may exceed thresholds).

Lifetime gifts: Give crypto more than seven years before death, and it falls out of your estate for IHT purposes. Taper relief applies if you die within seven years. But you lose control—the gift is permanent.

Trusts: Place volatile digital assets in discretionary trusts to manage IHT exposure and provide flexible distribution. This gets complex fast—you need specialist legal and tax advice.

Family Investment Companies: For significant crypto holdings (£50,000+), an FIC can reduce IHT on growth assets while maintaining family control. You gift shares to family members, freezing estate value while future growth accrues outside your estate.

HMRC guidance on lost private keys:

HMRC's CRYPTO22400 manual addresses losing private keys. You can claim negligible value relief if crypto is truly inaccessible, but you must prove no prospect of recovery. "I lost the password" isn't enough—you need evidence the private keys are permanently lost (destroyed hardware wallet, deleted files, etc.).

This is why proper digital asset planning matters. If your crypto is genuinely inaccessible, it's worthless for inheritance and potentially worthless for tax relief. If it's accessible, your family can inherit it—but only if you've documented how.

Important note: Digital asset tax planning can be complex. For estates with significant crypto holdings (over £50,000), consult a tax specialist or financial advisor alongside creating your will. The tax savings can far exceed the advisory fees.

For more on inheritance tax thresholds and planning, see our guide on estate planning fundamentals.

Platform-Specific Guidance: What to Do for Each Digital Asset Type

Let's get specific. Here's exactly what to do for the most common digital assets.

Cryptocurrency Exchanges

Coinbase: Enable the "Vault" feature for long-term holdings—it requires multi-signature approval and adds security. Designate trusted contacts in your account settings (this is separate from your will but provides a backup contact point). Most importantly, ensure your executor knows your account exists and where to find login credentials.

Binance: Document your account email, 2FA method (Google Authenticator or SMS), and withdrawal password (different from login password). Binance requires multiple verification steps for large withdrawals. Your executor needs all credentials.

Kraken: Use "Global Settings Lock" for security, but ensure your executor has the unlock method (email confirmation or master key). Kraken's security is robust—good for protecting assets during life, challenging for inheritance if undocumented.

For all exchanges: Download periodic statements showing holdings. Store these with your Digital Asset Inventory so your executor knows what exists even if accessing accounts proves difficult.

Hardware Wallets

Ledger: Write down your 24-word recovery phrase on the provided recovery sheet. Never photograph it or store it digitally. Put it in a fire-safe or bank deposit box. Store it separately from the device—if both are destroyed together, your crypto is gone. Test the recovery process: wipe a device and restore from the seed phrase to confirm it works.

Trezor: Document your PIN (the device locks after failed attempts), your recovery seed location, and most importantly, ensure your executor knows the device exists and where you've stored it. A Ledger in your sock drawer is useless if nobody knows to look there.

General hardware wallet rule: Store the recovery phrase on paper in a secure physical location. Never store it digitally (no photos, no cloud storage, no encrypted files unless using a proper encrypted vault system). Paper in a fire-safe beats clever digital solutions that introduce failure points.

NFT Marketplaces

OpenSea: Document which wallets you've connected to OpenSea. Export your collection list periodically—OpenSea allows this in your profile settings. Note which blockchain each NFT lives on (Ethereum, Polygon, Arbitrum)—they require different gas tokens for transfers.

Rarible: Similar to OpenSea—export collection lists, document connected wallets. If you've created NFTs (you're a digital artist), note any ongoing royalty arrangements. These royalties continue after death and must be managed.

Royalty-bearing NFTs: List these separately. If your NFT generates 5% royalties on secondary sales, that's ongoing income. Your executor needs to track sales, collect royalties, and report them for tax.

Social Media Platforms

Facebook: Go to Settings → Memorialization Settings. Set up a Legacy Contact (choose someone you trust). They can manage your memorialised account, post a pinned tribute, update profile photo, respond to friend requests. Alternatively, specify account deletion. Do this now—it takes two minutes and prevents heartache later.

Instagram: Links to your Facebook Legacy Contact if accounts are connected. Otherwise, specify deletion preference for your executor to request.

Google/Gmail: Enable Inactive Account Manager immediately. Go to your Google Account → Data & Privacy → More Options → Make a Plan for Your Digital Legacy. Set timeout period (3-18 months of inactivity), designate up to 10 trusted contacts, and specify what data they receive (Gmail, Photos, Drive, etc.). This is the single most important digital legacy step for Google users.

Apple iCloud: Add a Legacy Contact in Settings → [Your Name] → Password & Security → Legacy Contact. Requires iOS 15.2 or later. Your chosen contact receives an access key and can request access after your death with a death certificate. They get three years of access before your account is permanently deleted.

Twitter/X: No official legacy options exist. Document your wishes (deletion or archive request) for your executor. Request archives by contacting Twitter's support with death certificate and executor documentation, but success isn't guaranteed.

Cloud Storage

Google Photos/Drive: Inactive Account Manager (see above) is your solution. Enable it now if you value your photos. Without it, accessing Google accounts after death is extremely difficult even with death certificates and legal authority.

iCloud: Legacy Contact feature (see above). Requires pre-planning but works well once set up.

Dropbox: No built-in legacy features. Document your account credentials. Consider adding an emergency contact to a shared folder containing important documents—they'll retain access to that folder even if your account becomes inaccessible.

Microsoft OneDrive: Part of your Microsoft account. Document credentials, consider sharing specific folders with family members while alive so critical files (financial documents, estate planning papers) remain accessible.

Action steps for each platform:

  1. Set up the platform's legacy feature if available (Google Inactive Account Manager, Apple Legacy Contact, Facebook Legacy Contact)
  2. Document the account in your Digital Asset Inventory
  3. Specify your wishes in your will or letter of wishes (memorialize, delete, or grant access)
  4. Ensure your executor knows about the account and can access credentials

For guidance on non-legally binding instructions like social media preferences, see our article on how to write a letter of wishes.

Getting Started: Protect Your Digital Legacy Today

You now understand the problem and the solution. Here's your action plan to protect digital assets worth thousands of pounds and memories worth infinitely more.

TODAY (15-30 minutes)

Take inventory: Open a document—Word, Google Docs, Notes app, anything—and list every digital asset you own. Every crypto exchange account. Every wallet. Social media platforms. Cloud storage services. Email accounts. Don't worry about perfect formatting. Just get it all down.

Estimate total value: Add up your crypto holdings. Check your exchange balances. Note any valuable NFTs. Identify irreplaceable sentimental accounts (Google Photos with 10 years of family photos, email with messages from deceased loved ones).

Check platform legacy features: Log into Google, Apple, and Facebook. See if you've enabled Inactive Account Manager, Legacy Contact, or Facebook Legacy Contact. Most people haven't—they're opt-in features nobody knows exist.

Decide on an executor: Who in your life is tech-savvy enough to handle digital assets? Do they understand cryptocurrency, NFTs, and blockchain basics? If not, who could help them? Make a mental note or write down their name.

THIS WEEK

Set up platform legacy features: This is your highest-impact action.

  • Google Inactive Account Manager: 15 minutes. Go do it now if you use Gmail or Google Photos.
  • Apple Legacy Contact (if you use iCloud): 5 minutes in iPhone settings.
  • Facebook Legacy Contact: 5 minutes in Facebook settings.

Start your Digital Asset Inventory: Create the document using the structure from Section 7. Set up categories: Cryptocurrency, NFTs, Social Media, Cloud Storage, Subscriptions, Digital Property. Fill in what you remember. You'll complete details next week.

Identify where to store it: Research password managers with emergency access (1Password offers this, Bitwarden too). Or locate a secure physical storage option (fireproof safe at home, bank safe deposit box, sealed envelope with solicitor). Decide which method fits your situation.

THIS MONTH

Complete your Digital Asset Inventory: Fill in all access details for your crypto holdings, exchange accounts, wallet locations, recovery phrase storage, social media accounts, cloud storage, everything. Test that the information is accurate—try logging in with the documented credentials to confirm you haven't made typos.

Create or update your will: Include specific digital asset clauses. Appoint your tech-savvy executor. Reference your Digital Asset Inventory location. If you don't have a will yet, you need one. If you have an old will that doesn't mention digital assets, update it.

WUHLD's online will service walks you through digital asset provisions in 15 minutes—much faster than the six-week wait for solicitor appointments. For just £49.99 (compared to £650+ for a solicitor), you get a complete, legally binding will that explicitly covers your digital assets.

Store your inventory securely: Put it in your chosen secure location. If using a password manager with emergency access, add your Digital Asset Inventory as a secure note and enable emergency access for your executor. If using physical storage, seal the envelope and store it in your safe or with your solicitor.

Tell your executor: Inform them they're appointed, where to find your Digital Asset Inventory, and give them a general outline of your digital assets (not specific access details yet—just "I own cryptocurrency on two exchanges and hardware wallets, plus important photos in Google Photos"). This conversation matters. They need to know what's coming.

EVERY 6 MONTHS

Review and update your inventory: Did you buy more crypto? New NFTs? Changed passwords after a security breach? Closed an old exchange account? Started using a new social media platform?

Check platform policies: Facebook, Google, and crypto exchanges sometimes change their legacy access rules or security requirements. Verify your legacy features are still configured correctly.

Revalue significant holdings: Update estimated values for inheritance tax planning purposes. If your crypto portfolio has grown from £2,000 to £50,000, your estate planning needs may have changed.

Set a recurring calendar reminder for these reviews. Otherwise six months becomes two years, and your carefully created inventory becomes outdated and potentially useless.

Conclusion

Your digital assets—whether £1,000 in Bitcoin or 10 years of family photos—deserve the same protection as your physical property. The difference is digital assets can vanish in seconds if not properly planned for. Your family will never have another chance to access them.

Key takeaways:

  • Digital assets are now legally recognised as personal property in UK law under the Property (Digital Assets etc) Bill 2024
  • 12% of UK adults own cryptocurrency averaging £1,842, but 76% have no plan for digital assets after death
  • Up to 20% of Bitcoin is permanently lost due to inaccessible private keys—proper planning prevents this
  • Your will provides legal authority to access digital assets; a separate Digital Asset Inventory provides practical ability
  • Cryptocurrency, NFTs, and digital property face 40% inheritance tax for estates over £325,000 (or £500,000 with residence nil-rate band)
  • Set up platform legacy features today: Google Inactive Account Manager, Apple Legacy Contact, Facebook Legacy Contact
  • Create a Digital Asset Inventory documenting all holdings, stored securely but accessible to your executor
  • Update your inventory every six months as digital assets change faster than physical property

James Howells lost £700 million because a hard drive ended up in a landfill. Marcus's family lost £45,000 because nobody knew his recovery phrase. Emma's children lost 20 years of photos because Google accounts lack access planning.

Don't let your digital legacy vanish. The solution takes an afternoon to set up and protects everything you've built in the digital world.

Create your legally valid will today with WUHLD. Our step-by-step platform ensures you properly account for digital assets in your UK estate plan.

For just £49.99 (vs £650+ for a solicitor), you'll get:

  • Your complete, legally binding will with explicit digital asset provisions
  • A 12-page Testator Guide explaining how to execute your will properly
  • A Witness Guide to give to your witnesses
  • A Complete Asset Inventory document to help you catalogue everything you own

You can preview your entire will free before paying anything—no credit card required.

Preview Your Will Free – No Payment Required

Legal Disclaimer: This article provides general information about UK digital asset planning and does not constitute legal advice. For advice specific to your individual situation, please consult a qualified solicitor. WUHLD's online will service is suitable for straightforward UK estates; complex situations may require professional legal advice.

Digital Asset Tax Disclaimer: Cryptocurrency and NFT tax treatment can be complex, especially for significant holdings or those acquired through mining, staking, or DeFi activities. If your digital assets exceed £50,000 in value or involve complex acquisition methods, consult a tax specialist or chartered accountant alongside creating your will.

Security Warning: Never include your private keys, recovery phrases, or passwords directly in your will. Wills become public documents during probate, and including sensitive security information could lead to theft of your digital assets. Always use a separate, securely stored Digital Asset Inventory.

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