Closing a loved one's accounts

When you're ready to work through the accounts themselves, it helps to go category by category rather than one giant list. Each step links to the platform's own official process. Take it at your own pace.

Money first

1. Banks & cards — notify early with a death certificate; accounts are settled through the estate (how banks handle this).
2. Payment apps — PayPal, Venmo, and Cash App balances belong to the estate; close each with documentation.
3. Crypto & investing — an exchange account can be claimed by the estate; self-custody keys cannot be recovered.

Access & identity

4. Email — Google and Apple have the clearest routes; Microsoft and Yahoo generally close rather than grant access.
5. Phone line — close or transfer the carrier account only after any two-factor logins are moved.

Social & subscriptions

6. Social — memorialize or remove Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, LinkedIn, and others — your choice, no deadline.
7. Subscriptions — cancel Netflix, Spotify, and the rest so billing stops.
8. Files & libraries — save anything meaningful from cloud storage before the account closes; game libraries can't transfer.

Want this ordered around the exact accounts your loved one used? The Checklist Builder builds a personalised version.