Managing a digital estate is complex, time-consuming, and easy to get wrong without a systematic approach. This checklist covers every step in the right order — from the first days after death through to final account closures. Print it, work through it, and check items off as you go.

This checklist covers the digital estate component of estate administration. Physical assets, probate, taxes, and legal administration require separate processes. Many of these steps happen simultaneously — use this as a working document, not a strict sequence.
Phase 1 — First 7 Days: Secure and Preserve
Locate and secure all devices — phone, computer, tablet, hardware wallets
Note which devices are unlocked and accessible — act on these immediately before they auto-lock
Back up accessible phone/computer to cloud and external drive
Export and save all accessible photos — these may be irreplaceable
Run the 8 inbox searches if email is accessible (welcome to, subscription, receipt, invoice, verify your email, your account, payment confirmation, unsubscribe)
Pull last 90 days of all bank and credit card statements
Identify all recurring charges — each one is a subscription account
Check for cryptocurrency hardware wallets or written seed phrases
Redirect or hold mail through USPS to prevent identity theft from mail
Phase 2 — First 30 Days: Documents and Credit Protection
Obtain at least 10 certified death certificates from the county clerk
File for Letters Testamentary through the probate court
Notify all three credit bureaus (Equifax, Experian, TransUnion) of the death
Confirm the funeral home notified the Social Security Administration
Contact financial apps (PayPal, Venmo, Cash App) to freeze accounts and begin recovery
Cancel all credit and debit cards — notify issuing banks of the death
Cancel or transfer all auto-pay subscriptions (streaming, software, news)
Contact investment accounts (Robinhood, Fidelity, Schwab) with death certificate
Phase 3 — 30-90 Days: Account Closures
Submit Gmail/Google deceased user request
Submit Apple ID bereavement request or use Digital Legacy Contact
Submit Facebook memorialization or removal request
Submit Instagram removal or memorialization request
Request LinkedIn profile removal
Address Twitter/X, TikTok, and other social accounts
Close shopping accounts (Amazon, eBay, Etsy) after recovering any balances
Address gaming accounts (PlayStation, Xbox, Steam) if applicable
Handle cryptocurrency exchange accounts with executor documentation
Phase 4 — 90+ Days: Final Steps
Pull credit reports to check for fraudulent activity post-death
Confirm all subscriptions have stopped charging
Close any remaining email accounts
Transfer or cancel any domain names or websites
Document all account closures for the estate file
Compile final accounting of all recovered digital assets for estate administration

Documents You'll Need Throughout

Keep these documents organized and accessible throughout the process — you will need them repeatedly:

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How Long Does All of This Take?

Families who work through this systematically with proper documentation typically complete digital estate administration in 4-8 weeks. Without a system, the same work often takes 3-6 months. The biggest time savings come from having the right documentation prepared before contacting each platform — which is exactly what Vera Legacy provides.