You're handling your mother's estate and trying to figure out if she had any cryptocurrency. Identifying crypto holdings of a deceased person is harder than finding a bank account because there's no paper trail unless she left one deliberately. No statements, no account notifications, no customer service number you can call to ask if an account exists. This guide walks through the digital and physical places people typically store crypto access information, the legal authority you need before exchanges will talk to you, how exchange-based accounts differ completely from self-custody wallets in terms of recovery, and the specific claim process for the most common platforms.

TL;DR:

• Crypto leaves no paper trail-search email for exchange confirmations before calling banks
• Exchange accounts like Coinbase require court documents but are recoverable in four to eight weeks
• Self-custody wallets depend entirely on finding the seed phrase; no legal authority helps
• Sunset searches investment accounts at Coinbase, Binance, and Kraken alongside 2,500+ banks
• Grief scams target families by charging upfront fees for recovery that isn't technically possible

How to recover and identify crypto holdings after a death: April 2026 guide

Cryptocurrency doesn't come with a paper trail. No statements arrive in the mail, no bank branch can hand you a printout, and no probate court has a standard form for it yet. When someone dies holding crypto, the assets can sit completely invisible to everyone they left behind.

That gap is real and growing, especially as 30% of Americans now own cryptocurrency as of 2026, with 61% planning to acquire more within the next year. Estimates suggest billions in crypto are already inaccessible due to death or lost credentials.

Unlike a forgotten savings account, unclaimed crypto doesn't get turned over to the state. If no one finds the wallet or the exchange account, the funds are effectively gone.

This guide covers how to identify crypto holdings of a deceased person, what legal steps you need to take first, how exchange-based and self-custody wallets each require different approaches, and where families typically get stuck.

Why cryptocurrency creates unique estate settlement challenges

With a traditional bank account, legal authority gets you access. You present a death certificate, show your letters testamentary, and the bank works with you. Crypto doesn't work that way.

The core problem is technical, not legal. Exchange accounts and self-custody wallets are secured by credentials, private keys, and seed phrases that only the account holder ever knew. A court order cannot compel a decentralized blockchain to release funds. If those credentials are gone, the assets may be permanently unreachable, regardless of who the rightful heir is.

There's also no central registry. Unlike bank accounts, crypto leaves almost no paper trail unless the person chose to leave one.

Legal authority you need before starting

Before you contact any exchange or attempt to recover any wallet, you need legal standing. Without it, even the most cooperative exchange will turn you away.

The documents you'll likely need:

• Letters testamentary or letters of administration, issued by probate court, which grants authority to act as executor or administrator
• A certified death certificate
• Government-issued photo ID
• A small estate affidavit, if the estate qualifies under your state's threshold

Here's what most families don't realize until they're deep in the process: legal authority opens the door with exchanges, but it does nothing for self-custody wallets. A blockchain doesn't recognize court orders. Letters testamentary mean nothing to a hardware wallet that requires a PIN. Getting your legal paperwork in order is the right first step, but it's only half the equation. The other half is finding the actual access credentials, covered in the sections ahead.

Where to look: common places deceased persons store crypto

Most crypto searches start in the wrong place. People check bank statements looking for clues, but crypto rarely shows up there. The real trail is elsewhere.

Digital locations

• Email inboxes: search for terms like "Coinbase," "Binance," "Kraken," "wallet," "bitcoin," or "seed phrase"
• Password managers like 1Password or LastPass: look for saved exchange logins or wallet app entries
• Browser saved passwords and bookmarks
• Phone apps: scroll through every app, including unfamiliar ones
• Cloud storage like Google Drive or iCloud: people sometimes store seed phrases or screenshots of recovery codes here

Physical locations

• Safes, lockboxes, or filing cabinets: handwritten seed phrases are more common than you'd expect
• Hardware wallets (Ledger, Trezor): small devices that look like USB drives
• Notebooks or index cards tucked with other financial documents
• Safe deposit boxes

Tax records

If the deceased reported crypto gains or losses, Form 8949 from prior tax returns will show which exchanges they used. Start with email first though. It's the fastest way to surface exchange accounts, and most people used the same email for everything financial.

Understanding the two types of crypto storage

How you recover crypto depends almost entirely on where it was stored. There are two fundamentally different situations, and they require completely different approaches.

Custodial accounts (exchange-based)

Exchanges like Coinbase, Binance, and Kraken hold the private keys on the user's behalf. There's a customer service process, a claims team, and a recovery path. It takes time and paperwork, but it's achievable with proper legal authority. Claims typically take four to eight weeks once documentation is submitted.

Self-custody wallets (hardware, software, paper)

Here, the deceased held the keys themselves. No company has a copy. Recovery depends entirely on finding credentials:

• Hardware wallets (Ledger, Trezor): require a PIN or seed phrase to access
• Software wallets (MetaMask, Exodus): require a password or seed phrase
• Paper wallets: a printed document containing the private key directly

The seed phrase is everything. Find it, and the device itself doesn't matter. Miss it, and recovery is permanently impossible. There's no middle ground on a blockchain.

How to identify and access exchange-based crypto accounts

Exchange accounts are the most recoverable form of crypto after a death. The process isn't quick, but it's navigable if you have the right documents and know where to start.

Finding which exchanges the deceased used

Search the email inbox for account confirmations, trade receipts, or two-factor authentication messages. Terms like "Coinbase," "Kraken," "Binance," "deposit confirmed," or "login from new device" surface accounts fast. Check spam too, since exchanges often land there.

Submitting a death claim

Documentation requirements are broadly similar across major exchanges:

• Certified death certificate
• Letters testamentary or letters of administration
• Your government-issued photo ID
• Completed estate claim form from each exchange's support site

Coinbase routes claims through a dedicated estate form. Kraken and Binance require email submission with documentation attached. Simple cases resolve in four to six weeks; accounts with large balances or identity mismatches can stretch to three months or longer.

The private key problem: self-custody wallet recovery

Self-custody crypto operates on a brutal principle: whoever holds the seed phrase holds the funds. There's no reset button, no account recovery email, no support line that can help.

An estimated 2.3 to 3.7 million Bitcoins have been permanently lost as of 2025, with inheritance failures among the leading causes. That value isn't sitting somewhere waiting to be claimed. It's gone.

A seed phrase is typically 12 to 24 words generated when a wallet is first created. Lose it, and no legal authority changes anything. If you find a hardware device but no seed phrase:

• If you know the PIN, the device itself grants access
• Without the PIN, most hardware wallets lock permanently after several failed attempts
• Without the seed phrase, a locked device is effectively worthless

One important note: a seed phrase gives complete, irreversible access to every asset in that wallet. If you find one written on paper, treat it like cash. Don't photograph it, type it into any website, or share it digitally. Seed phrase scams directly target grieving families searching for recovery help online.

Step-by-step: filing claims with major crypto exchanges

Every major exchange has its own claim process. They all want roughly the same documents, but submission methods and timelines differ enough to matter.

Before contacting any exchange, gather these:

• Certified death certificate (not a photocopy)
• Letters testamentary or letters of administration from probate court
• Your government-issued photo ID
• Any account details you've found: username, email on file, or transaction history

Exchange-specific steps

Incomplete submissions are the most common reason claims stall, so fill out every field. If the account had two-factor authentication tied to a phone or device you no longer have, flag it upfront. Once approved, funds are transferred to an estate bank account or sent as a check. Exchanges will not send crypto directly to a personal wallet without additional verification.

Probate considerations for cryptocurrency

Crypto is personal property under U.S. law, not currency. That means crypto held solely in the deceased's name must pass through probate before heirs can access it, the same as a car or brokerage account.

Two structures bypass probate entirely: a revocable living trust holding the exchange account, or a transfer-on-death designation if the exchange supports one. Most don't yet, so for most families, probate is the path.

The valuation problem is real. Courts require fair market value at the date of death, but prices can shift dramatically before assets are distributed. Document the price at death using a verifiable source, and record the price at distribution separately. Your estate attorney or CPA should account for both, since the difference may carry tax implications under stepped-up cost basis rules.

One practical note: crypto holdings count toward small estate affidavit thresholds. A few thousand dollars in Bitcoin could push an estate past the limit in states like New York ($50,000) or Texas ($75,000).

Red flags and scams targeting crypto heirs

Crypto grief scams are a real and growing problem. Fraudsters target families searching for help recovering a deceased person's holdings, knowing that urgency and unfamiliarity create openings.

The most common traps:

• "Recovery experts" who charge upfront fees claiming they can retrieve lost crypto. While legitimate recovery services report success rates around 55% for forgotten passwords, no service can access a wallet without the seed phrase or private key, and upfront fees with guaranteed recovery promises are a clear warning sign.The fee vanishes with them.
• Phishing emails impersonating Coinbase, Kraken, or Binance asking for login credentials to "process your estate claim." Real exchanges never ask for passwords.
• Seed phrase solicitation on forums or social media from people offering to "help verify" a wallet. Anyone asking for a seed phrase is attempting theft.
• Family members who locate credentials before the executor does and move funds before probate distributes them. Document everything immediately.

If you're hiring professional help, verify through the state bar for attorneys, or get referrals from a probate court. Legitimate crypto estate attorneys charge hourly, not a percentage of recovered assets.

How Sunset helps families find crypto and investment holdings

Most families searching for a deceased person's crypto holdings face the same starting problem: they don't know what accounts exist or where to look. Sunset searches across 2,500+ financial institutions, including investment accounts at Coinbase, Binance, and Kraken, and returns a full picture of what was found and what wasn't.

That negative result matters. Knowing your father didn't have a Kraken account is as useful as finding one.

Sunset searches exchange accounts alongside bank accounts, retirement funds, and unclaimed property in one process. Upload a death certificate, verify your identity, and results come back within days. No passwords needed, no cold-calling exchanges one by one.

Self-custody wallets remain outside what any automated search can find. That part still depends on the physical search described earlier in this guide. For exchange accounts, Sunset identifies what exists so you can file estate claims with confidence.

Final thoughts on locating deceased crypto accounts

Crypto creates a gap between legal authority and actual access that doesn't exist with traditional accounts. You can identify crypto holdings of a deceased person through email trails and tax forms, but recovery depends entirely on custody type. Exchanges work with executors who bring the right documents. Self-custody wallets work only if you find credentials that may not exist anywhere. If you're starting from zero, search for exchange accounts across major financial institutions first. What you find determines what comes next.

FAQ

Can you find crypto holdings without any passwords or account information?

Yes, for exchange-based accounts. Sunset searches accounts at Coinbase, Binance, and Kraken alongside 2,500+ other financial institutions and returns results within days without requiring any passwords. Self-custody wallets cannot be found through automated searches-those depend on locating physical devices or seed phrases during your manual search.

What's the difference between recovering crypto from Coinbase vs a hardware wallet?

Coinbase holds the private keys and has an estate claims process-you submit legal documents and wait four to eight weeks for approval. Hardware wallets like Ledger or Trezor require finding the physical device and either the PIN or the 12-24 word seed phrase, with no recovery option if both are lost. Exchange accounts are recoverable with proper legal authority; self-custody wallets are permanently inaccessible without credentials.

How do I identify crypto holdings of a deceased person who didn't tell anyone about them?

Start by searching their email inbox for terms like "Coinbase," "wallet," "bitcoin," or "seed phrase"-most people used the same email for exchange account confirmations and two-factor authentication codes. Check password managers, phone apps, browser saved passwords, and cloud storage next. For physical clues, look in safes and filing cabinets for handwritten seed phrases, hardware wallet devices that look like USB drives, or notes tucked with tax documents.

Do crypto assets need to go through probate before I can access them?

Yes, if held solely in the deceased's name. Crypto is personal property under U.S. law, so exchange accounts and wallets titled in the deceased's name must pass through probate before distribution to heirs. The only exceptions are crypto held in a revocable living trust or accounts with transfer-on-death designations, though most exchanges don't support TOD yet.

What legal documents do exchanges require to release a deceased person's crypto?

You need letters testamentary or letters of administration from probate court, a certified death certificate, your government-issued photo ID, and the exchange's completed estate claim form. Coinbase, Kraken, and Binance all require this core set of documents, though submission methods differ-Coinbase uses an online form while Kraken and Binance accept email submissions with documentation attached.