Digital assets after death fall into two groups. Money held online, such as a digital bank account or an online brokerage account in your name, is part of your estate and passes under your will or the intestacy rules. Everything else, such as email, photos and social media, is controlled mostly by each company’s own rules, so your family may not be able to get in unless you set things up in advance.
This guide covers what to list, the settings worth turning on, and what not to put in your will. It is general information, not legal advice.
Two Kinds of Digital Assets
| Type | Examples | Who decides what happens |
|---|---|---|
| Money and investments held online | Digital bank accounts, online brokerage accounts, e-wallet balances | Your will, or intestacy law; the executor claims them like any other asset |
| Accounts and content | Email, cloud photos, social media, messaging apps, subscriptions | Mostly the provider’s terms and any legacy setting you chose |
The first group is a money question. A digital bank account in your sole name is treated like any bank account. The Singapore Courts note that some sole bank accounts can be released without a grant if they meet the bank’s own guidelines; others need probate. Your executor needs to know the account exists.
The second group is mainly about memories and housekeeping: family photos, emails your children may need, and paid subscriptions that keep charging a card.
The short version: List every online account, especially anything holding money. Turn on the legacy settings that Google, Apple and Facebook offer. Keep access details in a secure place your executor can find, not in the will itself.
Digital Assets After Death: Start With a List
Without a list, a family may only learn of an account through a stray notification or a card charge. A simple list fixes that. For each account, note:
- The service and what it holds: money, photos, documents or nothing important.
- Whether you want it closed, kept as a memorial, or its contents passed to someone.
- Who should deal with it.
- Where the access details are kept (not the password itself on the list).
Do not forget accounts that hold money outside the big banks: e-wallets with stored value, online brokerage or digital investment accounts, and any digital tokens. If an asset can only be reached with a private key or recovery phrase that only you know, it may be lost for good if no one can find that key.
Our legacy readiness checklist has space for this alongside your will, CPF nomination and insurance details.
Settings Worth Turning On
Several large services let you name someone in advance. Check the details on each provider’s page, as features change.
Google. Inactive Account Manager lets you choose up to 10 people to be notified, or sent chosen data, after your account has been inactive for a period you set. Without a plan, Google may delete an account that has been inactive for at least two years. Google also has a separate process for families requesting a deceased user’s account to be closed or, in some cases, for content.
Apple. A Legacy Contact can request access to data such as photos, messages, notes, files and device backups after your death, using an access key you generate and a death certificate. They cannot access purchased films, music or books, or passwords and payment details stored in iCloud Keychain.
Facebook. You can choose a legacy contact to look after your profile once it is memorialised, or ask for the account to be deleted after death. A legacy contact can write a pinned post and update the profile picture, but cannot log in or read your messages.
Setting these takes a few minutes per service. It saves your family from having to prove their relationship to a company overseas while grieving.
Passwords: What Not to Do
Do not write passwords into your will. A will may be read by several people during probate, and you will change passwords long after signing it. Keep a separate record instead.
Keep one secure record. Some people use a password manager with an emergency access feature; others keep a sealed note in a safe. Either way, tell your executor where it is.
Use the formal route for money. After a death, the executor deals with each bank or platform formally, with the death certificate and, where needed, the grant. Logging in as the person who died is not a substitute for that process.
How It Fits With Your Will
Your will can name an executor and say what you want done with your digital belongings, such as passing family photos to your children or closing accounts. Our guide to how to write a will covers the basics. A letter of wishes is a good place for the softer details, such as which photos matter or what to post, if anything.
The government’s MyLegacy@LifeSG portal brings together your CPF nomination, LPA and Advance Care Plan in one place, which is a useful companion to your own list of private accounts.
If you lose mental capacity rather than die, your donee under a Lasting Power of Attorney handles your property and affairs, which can include dealing with your accounts through the proper channels.
What To Do Next
- Write a list of every online account, starting with anything that holds money.
- Turn on Google’s Inactive Account Manager and Apple’s Legacy Contact if you use them, and set your Facebook preference.
- Keep access details in one secure place, and tell your executor where it is.
- Cancel subscriptions you no longer use, so there is less to unwind later.
- Review the list once a year, when you review your nominations.
