Digital Asset Checklist Guide

By Helen Planning and checklists editor Published August 13, 2026 How we edit

A preparation aid, not legal advice. Confirm each item against the signed document, institution, court, or agency involved.

Digital estate planning must separate the asset itself from the device, password, license, account contract, and legal authority to access content.

Checklist workspace

A useful plan identifies what should be preserved, transferred, memorialized, closed, or deleted without placing secrets in the will.

Inventory devices, email, cloud storage, social profiles, domains, subscriptions, rewards, business systems, and digital property. Identify the legal owner, custodian, contract, access method, renewal date, and financial or sentimental value. Separate a list of accounts from passwords, recovery codes, seed phrases, and private keys. Use provider legacy-contact, inactive-account, memorialization, download, transfer, or deletion tools where suitable. Document what may be accessed, preserved, delivered, archived, deleted, or kept private. Check shared, licensed, employer-owned, client, health, financial, and third-party confidential material separately. Confirm fiduciary authority under the governing document, applicable law, and each provider's terms. Store the inventory securely and test whether the authorized person can find the instructions without exposing secrets.

Evidence and next-action log
Item	Owner	Evidence or location	Next action / date

Questions that stay open

Does the account contain transferable property, licensed content, communications, or only access credentials?
Which provider tool or legal document controls access?

Risks to pause on

Sharing passwords can violate security practices or contracts and should not replace lawful authority and provider procedures.

Checklist workspace

Questions that stay open

Risks to pause on

Sources for current requirements